Guard Your Heart

# 66 – Today's Du-votional comes from 1Sa 4:12 Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. 13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the sound of this tumult mean?" And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. ( 1 Sam 4:12-15) Eli and the people of Shiloh waiting for news of the battle and the first news they get is a man running to them with torn clothes and dirt on his head. This does not look good. The man passes by Eli and Eli being 98 years old and blind does not see the condition of the man, but when the messenger tells the news to the city a mighty sorrowful cry rises up to the ears of Eli. This does not sound good. Then the man came quickly to Eli to tell him the news. It's obvious that Eli had been waiting anxiously for the news from the front. His heart was “trembling for the ark of God.” And rightly so. He, being the high priest was responsible for it and had allowed it to be taken in an unauthorized manner into the battle, carried by the two most irresponsible people in all of Israel. Friends, remember the new ark of the covenant, the new dwelling place of God is in the heart of the baptized believer. Guard your heart! Do not lend it to the philosophies of this world. Do not let it be carried off by the irresponsible desires of your flesh. It is your responsibility to watch over it. When we get careless with our heart and flirt with sin we invite fear and trembling into our lives. This is not the way God desires for us to live. 2Ti 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Fear is removed when we learn to take our sins to the cross, receive His forgiveness, and purpose to walk in newness of life, in the power of the Spirit.