Deuteronomy 30:17,18
“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.
The way we go emanates from the heart. Solomon gives us this warning in Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Jesus tells us more about our hearts and actions with the parable of the sower (Matthew 13). He says our heart can be in one of four states: rocky, thorny, on the path and good. The rocky soil grew quickly, but didn’t have depth, so it was scorched and withered. The thorny soil represents worry. If we allow our anxiety to rule, faith is choked out and the word is forgotten. The seeds that fall on the path is taken away by the birds. Jesus said this is from the devil. This person is open to other influences: worldly philosophies, pleasure and so on. Lastly, there is the good soil.
How do we ensure our hearts are healthy? We are to cultivate it like a garden. It takes time on a regular basis. Part of this is to plant the seeds. This is a regular intake of God’s Word, the bible (Psalm 1:2,3).
Today’s passage in Deuteronomy speaks of how our hearts can be drawn away. That happens when we neglect the healthy habits of guarding our hearts. There are plenty of attractions out there that we will find interesting.
The bible speaks of the enemies of our soul, the world, the flesh and the devil (Ephesians 2:2,3). The worldly and other religious philosophies are often opposed to our faith. Our own bodies produce desires that the bible discourages and the devil does his best to use these to extinguish our faith.
It’s not a passive environment when it comes to influences. We need to actively tend the soil of our hearts. Weeding out the bad and planting the good. If we don’t, we can find ourselves drawn away.
Lord, help us to tend our hearts so they are healthy in You.