Issues of Life - Daily Inspiration P.40

Proverbs 4: King James Bible

Issues of Life – Daily Devotion of Proverbs chapter four, Verses 23-24

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. 24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

Daily Inspiration from These Verses

In the previous verses, the Father has told us how to yield Life and Health from the Word of God. Verses 23-24, may be considered as “how not to mess it up” advise from the Lord.

To some people, the verses above may mean to eat a heart healthy diet, and live a heart healthy lifestyle. Those things are true from a worldly or fleshly perspective, but these verses mean something completely different.

They’re instead coming from a completely opposite direction. Speaking of spiritual matters that make a difference in the physical. Or in other words, making a difference from the inside out.

The book of 1 Samuel tells us that the Lord doesn’t judge us the way man does. He weighs the heart. All throughout scripture the heart is a big deal in the eyes of the Lord. But how do we know our spiritual heart condition? That’s easy…

What was the first thing to come out of your mouth that last time you were frightened, hurt, outraged, excited, hit yourself in the thumb with a hammer, etc.? When something unexpected happens, catching you off guard, what is it that leaps from your heart and out of your mouth?

If what comes out isn’t something that you would like to be judged upon, chances are that you need a little work in the heart department. The Lord presents us with an option at all times, which would be either blessing or cursing, life or death.

When something sudden happens, which do we choose? If it is not something that you’d wish to say to the Lord’s face, then it’s time to get diligent as it relates to the Word of God, and how you are keeping it in your heart.

As the Word says, from your heart comes the issues of life. If what springs up and out of your mouth isn’t life, then what is it? The answer is death.

If you are honest with yourself and find this to be a problem, work closely with the Father through prayer, his Spirit, and his Word, and do your due diligence to pump life from your heart, and avoid using a froward mouth with perverse speech.

Did you know that perverseness in speech is a literal breach in the spirit? Think on that one for awhile, because we’ll be tackling that one in a future chapter in Proverbs. Guard your heart, be careful that you don’t allow any iniquities to take root, quenching the life that is available through our Lord.

Related New Testament Scripture

Matthew 12: King James Bible

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Luke 6: King James Bible

45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

James 3: King James Bible

8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

1 Peter 3: King James Bible

10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

Prayer – Issues of Life

Father,

If ever we either stop being diligent when it comes to guarding our hearts, please keep us mindful of it, in order to step up and be all the more diligent. Help us and work on us Father, to remove the iniquities that may abound around our hearts; removing them and replacing them with your fruits of the Spirit. These things we pray, that we may be all that much closer to being more like Jesus. And in the mighty name of the Lord Jesus we pray.

Amen

Question

Have you ever noticed how many different ways we are under attack, to cause our hearts to stop springing up the issues of life?

Daily Inspiration from Proverbs 4 P.40 – Issues of Life