What are some of the things that you guard and protect? Do you have a personal diary that you like to guard under lock and key so that no one can read your thoughts? Perhaps you have a special necklace or other piece of fine jewelry that you are very careful with. Or maybe you have a special china doll that you don't allow younger children to play with. Think about some of the things in your life that you guard and protect. Things that are precious to you - things that you keep secure and protected so that they don't get broken or spoiled.

A PRIZED POSSESSION

Do you know that you possess something inside of you that is special and needs to be guarded and protected? God has given you a priceless gift that He wants you to protect and guard all the days of your life! Your heart! When the bible speaks about your heart, it doesn't mean the actual muscle in your chest that pumps blood throughout your body. Rather, the "heart" is the part of your personality that feels emotions. The "heart" is what makes you feel and give love and affection. The heart is a very powerful treasure gifted to us by our Heavenly Father.

It's very important that we guard our hearts from evil. Elsie was careful to guard her heart. This is shown by her willingness to forgive others, by her submission to her father and by her heart-felt prayers for those she loved, even when they treated her unfairly. One person who treated Elsie with contempt was her Uncle Arthur. Arthur was very mean to Elsie. He allowed sin to darken his heart to the point that he was planning a horrible scheme against Elsie and her father. Arthur did not try to guard his heart from evil or deception, and as a result, he became angry and revengeful. Here is an example:

"Suppose I show you how to marry a fortune. Will you cancel my gambling debts?" Arthur asked.

"Depends on your scheme," the other man replied. "And the size of the fortune. I am not a marrying man."

"But you have quite a reputation as a lady-killer, and I know you to be quite skilled at the manipulation of weaker types," Arthur said, keeping his voice free of the bitterness that was twisting his heart. At this moment, Tom Jackson repulsed him, but Arthur was in the man's power and could not afford to show contempt.

"I -- I have a plan," he continued. "It will take some time to bring off, but the results are well worth it, I assure you."

Jackson laughed. "If it is such a fortune, why would you hand it over to me? Who is the target? Not one of your sisters?"

Arthur's lips curled in scorn: "Hardly. But she is almost as close -- my brother's daughter, eighteen, beautiful, and heiress to a large fortune."

"Ah," Jackson sighed. "You've said before that your brother is wealthy, but I believe he is healthy as well. It will be some time before this girl sees her money."

"She is heiress to another fortune which will be all her own when she reaches twenty-one. At the least, it amounts to more than a million."

"You expect me to believe that?" Jackson said incredulously.

"It's true. The wealth is from her dead mother, and the girl is the only living member of that family."

"But why should you want to betray your brother and his daughter?" Jackson asked. His tone was hard, but in truth he was becoming intrigued. As he listened, he was weighing the rewards -- the several thousand dollars he could squeeze from this pitiful boy versus a million or more. It was hardly a choice.

"Brother and daughter -- I owe them both a grudge," Arthur was saying. "You don't need the details. Just let us say that I can kill two birds with one stone, paying you off and getting my revenge at the same time. There is one condition, however. Follow my plan, and you must share the spoils when you succeed."

From Elsie's Stolen Heart, chapter 3

THE BIBLE TEACHES US HOW TO TAKE CARE OF OUR HEARTS

Arthur is a perfect example of someone who did not guard his heart. Years and years of bitterness, anger, jealousy and selfishness led up to this point in Arthur's life - a wicked scheme to bring destruction and pain into the life of his own brother and niece! Elsie, on the other hand, would never have dreamed of doing such a thing! She guarded her heart against evil thoughts by turning to her Bible for help. Let's look at a few of these Scriptures and learn about the importance of guarding our hearts. First, let's read from Proverbs:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." Proverbs 4: 23-27

This verse instructs us that guarding our heart includes watching what we say and what we see. We can be influenced by good or by evil. When we allow evil to influence us, our paths are unstable and we will stumble. We make choices that can hurt others and are destructive to ourselves. This is what happened to Arthur. He allowed evil to take root in his heart, and as a result he did not walk a level path. Instead he made bad choices that hurt himself and others. But when we strive to allow goodness to influence us, we will find that we walk in the security of God's wisdom and love. When we think about guarding our hearts, we must think about the way we speak and what we are speaking about. We must also consider what we allow ourselves to see and look at, and who we keep company with. All of these things affect the condition of our hearts. And why is this so important? Let's look at another verse:

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6: 45

LOOKING INSIDE YOUR HEART

What do you have stored up in your heart? For Arthur, he had hatred, unforgiveness, and revenge stored up in his heart. His actions reflected what he had in his heart. If you have trouble answering this question, take a few minutes to think about the way you treat other people. How do you respond to the boy or girl in your class who is mean to you? How do you treat the lonely kid in the neighborhood - the one people make fun of? Are you honest in your dealings with people? Do you encourage your nagging little brother or sister, or do you snap at them to "go away?" The Bible teaches that our attitudes are a result of what is stored up in our hearts.

We store things in our hearts in many different ways. Many things can influence us. Television, music, books, magazines, friends and family can all have positive or negative influences on us. That is why it's so important to guard your heart and make wise choices with what you watch, listen to, participate in and read. It's important to surround yourself with friends who are also striving to fill themselves up with God's love and positive influences. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6:19

GOD'S SPECIAL PROMISE

As we learn to guard our heart, we become pure in heart! And there is a beautiful promise for those who strive to be pure in heart! "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matt. 5:8 What a special privilege for those who are pure in heart! To see God! God always showers down special blessings upon those who seek Him and seek to live their lives to honor Him!

Guarding your heart takes diligence. It takes care. Just as you get up everyday and brush your teeth to avoid cavities and a visit to the dentist, so must you also get into the daily practice of guarding your heart to avoid evil and the devastation it can bring into your life. And God is so much in love with you that He will even lead you and help you everyday! May the following verse remind you that God is on your side, working for you and keeping you safe!

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:7