What happens when we fail to vigilantly guard our hearts? Here is a comparison from my own life. I had a medical condition called a leaky gut. It occurred when I was unknowingly exposed to live mold spores in my home.
God created a thin barrier in our guts to prevent foreign things from getting into our bloodstream. When pathogens, viruses, or in my case environmental toxins, tear holes in that lining, harmful substances leak out. That creates a plethora of diseases.
Now correlate that with our hearts. God created our hearts to hold truths from his word through meditating and memorizing. The enemy seeks to tear holes in our hearts so that they are no longer sealed with a barrier of truth.
Ephesians 6:16-17 tells us how to prevent the devil from gaining entrance to our hearts. It says, “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
The destructive hidden pathogens of unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, hatred, etc. tear holes in our hearts’ lining that affect our spiritual health. All fiery darts are lies. If we allow them to penetrate our minds, they will set up an inner stronghold. Then the battle no longer comes from the outside, but from within our hearts.
Hiding God’s word in our hearts puts holes in those inner strongholds of Satan, to weaken them. The truth we inculcate through memorizing and meditating on Scripture, causes the foundation of those strongholds to crumble.
Dear Lord, I am so grateful that you have given me your hidden word to defeat the evil designs against my faith. Thank you for giving me a powerful tool through memorizing and meditating. I love your way of effectively building strong protective barriers in my heart!
Today’s challenge: If you are not already memorizing and meditating on scripture regularly, why not start? Many people find music helps – simply search “Scripture Memory Songs” and you’ll find many online. Or download a Bible memory app. Again, you will find a number to choose from.