A Good Heart Prov. 4:23 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
To be a good person, once we are saved, we must have a good heart. Prov 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” We don’t come naturally equipped with a good heart, though. We must realize there is evil in our heart and we must keep it in subjection [Mk 7:21-23]. We must be careful with following our heart because it is deceitful and desperately wicked [Jer 17:9-10].
Instead of trusting our heart, we should let the word of God discern the thoughts and intents of our heart [Heb 4:12] and believe what the Bible tells us when it discloses something in us that must change. We must protect our heart from other evil influences. We are to put things into our heart that are beneficial. Like the psalmist said, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word… Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee,” [Ps 119:9,11]. For the word to root down in our heart and produce good fruit, we must have an honest and good heart [Lk 8:15].
A good heart is a:
Loving heart – Deut 6:4-5 – love God with all your heart. We love so many things that compete with our love for God. Some love sports, some love recreation, some love money, and so forth. To have a good heart, you must love God with all your heart.
Godly heart – Acts 13:22 – David was a man after God’s own heart. David had a heart for God and God’s words. Nothing works better to make your heart godly than the word of God read, taught, preached, believed and studied.
Clean heart – Ps 51:10 – David said, “Create in me a clean heart. O God.” David wasn’t a perfect man and he really messed up with Bathsheba. So, he repented and cried out to God to create in him a clean heart. And God did. You may have really messed up in your life. Ask God to clean your heart, as well.
Pure Heart – 1 Tim 1:5 – Paul told Timothy, “the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart…” You don’t want to vacillate each week between a clean heart and a dirty heart, always cleaning up by confessing your sins and then returning to the pig sty for more of the same sin. You want God to not only clean your heart when you sin, but you want him to purify it so that you can stop this foolishness. We understand that we will never be sinless and perfect until we are glorified. But we can certainly be pure.
Wise heart – Ex 31:6 – those who helped Bezaleel build the tabernacle and its contents were “wise hearted.” God has put something inside each of us that he wants to use for his glory. It is his wisdom. God has used my banking experience to help other churches with financial decisions.
Willing heart – Ex 35:5, 21-22 – those who gave for the tabernacle and its contents were “willing hearted.” God wants us to be willing to do whatever he wants with our lives and our assets.
Conclusion: now that’s a good heart. That’s the heart that the Holy Spirit wants to develop in you. He uses the word of God to do it. And so, you must receive the word of God with a believing heart [unlike Lk 8:12, Lk 24:25] and let it work in your heart to make it good.