Guard Your Heart!

GUARD YOUR HEART
By: James J. Jackson
Jordan, my little four-year-old grandson sat in our family room one Sunday afternoon, playing with a toy and singing a song, “...Don’t let the devil steal your joy.…” The song went on to express how you should ask Jesus for His joy, and you will be happy in the joy of the Lord. After listening for a while, I asked him what the song meant.
He responded that in Sunday school, he learned that the devil wants to make him sad, but that Jesus wants him to be happy. It was amazing to me that a simple little child’s song could carry such a profound message for Christians today. I thought about the fact that many Christians today seem to have no little or no joy in their lives. People often talk about casting their worries and cares upon the Lord, but then continue to carry the weight of those worries on their own shoulders.
When we dwell on our worries and sorrows, rather than giving them to the One who can remove them, we ask to be weighed down by them, and that weight shows on our faces and can affect every area of our lives. It is extremely difficult to be a good witness to others, or to speak of the joy of the Lord, when we reflect that we have no joy in our heart. Whomever we are trying to witness to will think, “Why do I want the kind of joy (or lack thereof) that shows in this Christian’s life?” Few people would want to share in a type of joy that leaves the person sad, and even angry. But, if they witness you living a truly joyous life, in spite of challenges and problems, they will be more likely to want what you have.
Satan can steal your joy if you dwell on all that is wrong and all of the challenges you face. The Lord wants you to bring your worries to Him in prayer. When we do this in earnest, He removes the weight of those worries and gives us both peace and endurance to stand up under the effects of whatever problems we are dealing with. When we dwell on our worries, we become ineffective as tools for furthering God’s kingdom. A poor witness can be counter-productive, and a turn-off to those you are trying to tell about our loving Savior.
When we allow our joy to be stolen by the devil, we become like the seed in Jesus’ parable in Luke 8, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature…” Don’t let the devil hinder your Christian maturity. Guard your heart against the danger of allowing the devil to steal your joy. Take your worries and cares to the Lord in prayer, trusting that He can heal all, fix all and put eternal joy in your heart.
That joy comes from knowing that a loving God knew our dilemma of inherited sin and our inability to be good enough to save ourselves. His eternal joy comes in the fact that He sent his only son to live a perfect life and become the perfect sacrifice for all sin. Joy comes in knowing that our sins are paid for and Heaven is offered as a free gift-not because of what we have done, but because of what Jesus has done. Joy comes from knowing that we don’t have to carry the weight of our sin or our worries, because our debt has been paid. Now, that’s something to sing about!