There’s a show on TV called “To Catch A Smuggler.” It follows different border patrol security agents around the world who work at airports. When they see something on the scanner, they pull the person aside and question them. They open the suitcases and dig around looking for contraband. Many times they are catching drug mules. Their job is to protect their nation and they’re not passive about it. They often find hidden compartments full of illegal items. The show is interesting to me as I watch for the behaviors of those trying to do harm and for those who are trying to protect their nation. It reminds me how important it is to be vigilant as we watch over our lives.
Joseph was a young man when his brothers took his famous coat of many colors and sold him into slavery. When his master’s wife tried to seduce him, he could have told himself that he deserved it because of his hardship, but instead he ran. When he spent years in prison, he could have grown bitter against God and his brothers, but he didn’t. The Bible doesn’t give us much insight into his thought processes during all those years. However, we can see his actions throughout his story to see that he guarded his heart closely. He made sure not to let bitterness, selfishness or anger in. He guarded what came into his heart and he was able to see the realization of the dream God gave him.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (NLT). Think about that verse. It urges us to guard our heart more than anything else because what you let into your heart will spill out in behavior and affect your life. How strict are you on guarding your heart? Do you entertain whatever thoughts come your way, or are you like those border patrol agents who inspect everything? Just like what comes through a border can destroy a nation, what comes into your heart can destroy your life. We must be vigilant about protecting it. Like Joseph, each of us will be tested by the enemy to disrupt God’s dream for our life. If we are diligent to guarding our heart, the course of our life will follow God’s path.
Photo by Rebecca Johnsen on Unsplash
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 