Guard Your Spirit
By Pastor Jeffrey Smith
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” The word "heart" in this scripture is synonymous with the word “spirit.” Everything we do flows from our hearts. Your spirit determines the course of your life. What we allow to influence our hearts ultimately affects our destiny. Three areas that we must guard our spirit against is a wounded spirit, an angry spirit, and a negative spirit.
When disappointments, hurts, or offenses come we must learn to respond in godly ways. Many people have zero control over their spirit and remain stuck in their pain blaming everyone else for their hurts. A person with a wounded spirit carries a spirit of offense everywhere they go. An offended spirit is also a spirit of unforgiveness. You cannot be offended at someone unless you feel morally superior. You cannot feel morally superior to someone if you carry the spirit of Christ. As Christians, we have to live and breathe forgiveness every day.
Secondly, we must guard ourselves against those with an angry spirit. Anger effects all of us to some degree, but we must learn to control it so it does not dominate our spirit. People with an angry spirit verbally spew their anger by being mean, cussing, throwing things, and often blame their rage on others “Look at what you made me do!” The Bible encourages us to be ruled by “gentle and quiet spirit” (1 Peter 3) and “in your anger do not sin...do not let the sun go down on your anger”( Ephesians 4:26).
Lastly, we must guard ourselves against those with a negative spirit. Negativity is deeper than what people choose to say; it is a reflection of a belief system that shapes the way people receive information. For example, one person can hear 99 words of hurt and hold onto one word of hope while another person can hear 99 words of hope and hold onto one word of hurt because it confirms their deepest fear.
We all have a radar looking for information that confirms our deepest beliefs. The Bible encourages us in Phillippians 4:8- “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” When we look for confirmation of God’s goodness and acknowledge His active presence in our lives, our spirits are renewed in truth. I encourage you to guard your spirit and watch the course of your life change for the better.
