Guard Your Heart || Pastor Kenny Perdue

Welcome to the Lesse Podcast. Here at Lesse, we seek the loss,

teach the found, and send the disciples. We truly hope you're encouraged by

this week's message. I'm excited about tonight. Anticipated Um, what I'm going

to talk about tonight. You know, like you, there are probably some

favorite books in the Bible or favorite chapters. I think I have a list

of five, maybe seven favorite books in the Bible, and one of those

books is the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs just speaks to me. It's um,

it's a it's a very very practical book. Um. I think I

think Master Adam you could. You could take Proverbs out of the Bible and

just give it another title and put it in a book, and it would

be a good parenting book, it'd be a good business book, just so

many other wonderful things. And yet Proverbs is in our book, the Bible.

And so I want to talk about this one verse that's found in the

Bible, Proverbs, chapter four and verse number twenty three, and it's on

the screen. It says, above all else, guard your affections, for

they influence everything else in your life. Not some translations say guard your heart

with all diligence, for out of it flows the offsprings or the well springs

of life. And so I've read this verse, I think I can safely

say without exaggeration, over five hundred times, and on the five hundred and

first time, the light has gone off. And so I want to share

a new found truth, not a new revelation, you know, by saying

if it's true, it's not new. If it's new, it's not true,

but a new found truth, meaning that it's always been in the God's

word. But now God has said, you know what, You've been faithful,

and you've been circling back around this verse. I'm gonna show you something.

Above all else, guard your affections. The New Living translation puts affections

there instead of heart, which is really our heart. Our heart is what

we used to feel. Our heart is what we used to express, touch,

explain, explore. And so he said, above all else, guard

your heart or guard your affections, because it influences, it affects everything that

you do. Above all else. Wait minute, I'm a parent, I'm

I have adult kids. I think I think going to school is important.

I think it is too. I think um, I think I think going

to work every day. I think. I think getting a career, getting

a good job, I think that's important. But there's something here. Why

this verse said what it said above all else, above all of the things

that you and I would choose to be important in our life. Make sure

that this has equal val value, if not more value in attention. Why?

Because it influences everything, everything, everything, everything, everything that you

and I do. Why the Book of Proverbs. I think it's the most

practical book. It's the most revalent book. I think that you don't need

to be a Bible scholar, you don't need to be a Bible student.

Proverbs is a book that is just a lot of little truth nuggets, a

lot of little sayings that you and I can read and apply to our lives.

Before we go into our contexts, and before we begin to unpack this

verse, let's all stand as we honor God and reread our scripture text for

tonight, Proverbs chapter four, beginning at verse twenty through twenty seven. I'm

reading through the new Living Translation I believe is the second edition. My child,

pay attention to what I say, Listen carefully to my words, don't

lose sight of them, Let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they

will bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body.

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Avoid all perverse talk, Stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead

and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path

for your feet. Stay on the safe path, don't get sidetrack, keep

your feet from following evil. And as we used to say in the Holiness

Church, and may God at a blessing to the reading of his word,

you may be seated. Well I want to it's it's it's it's amazing.

As I was preparing for this, this this message, this as as I

was just in my devotions, this new found truth, this verse stuck out,

and so, uh, you know, as a good minister, at

least you know, we tried to, you know, read several chapters,

and so I would read chapter four almost every day for one month. I

just wanted to read it over and over and over again. Wanted to make

sure that I say true to God's word. Then I began. Then then

I looked at the first were seven chapters of Proverbs, and I think what

was so interesting to me, is was here was a father talking to his

kids. Now, I want to believe that the child, this son,

this child, this daughter, his kids, Mom and Dad's kids were of

an age where they could understand, maybe not fully mature, but just looking

at the context and reading those seven chapters, there were three words that struck

out that were interwoven in all seven chapters, wisdom, instruction and understanding.

Wisdom, struct instruction, and understand. I think what was fascinating and what

was captivating for me is they said, wow, this is the first seven

chapters is like parenting. It's like it's like it's like it's like a father

sitting down with his kids and starting to talk to them about life and talk.

Within the seven chapters was chapter four in verse twenty three, and above

all else, guard your heart, for out of it flows the issues of

life. It'll influence everything, son, everything, daughter, everything, kids,

everything. I'm telling you right now, he's one of the most important

things. Quart your affections. Now, the word affections really began to help

me see what God was trying to say about this thing called our heart.

And then I began to look back at my own life. At least maybe

the last fifteen almost twenty five years, and the Lord began to show me

that some of the decisions that I made the impact on my life, but

more importantly, why and how I could have made those decisions. And so

I said, Lord, I want to share this with the congregation. I

think there's something here that would really be beneficial. Look at the video as

we begin to unpack this verse of scripture. Here at Ats Armour, we

want to provide you with the knowledge of proper plate placement to ensure your plate

is protecting you. Your plate protects your heart and major surrounding blood vessels,

your lungs, upper abdomen, liver, stomach, as well as the bones

and cartilage that make up your body's natural armor. The top of your plate

should rest at the top of your sternum. Proper placement ensures maximum protection of

your vital organs and provides you with optimal comfort that doesn't interfere with mobility,

so you can perform your duties with confidence. At Ats Armour, your protection

is our number one priority. A few things that's stick out in this video.

Proper placement would help to protect your vital organs. Lord begin to show

me, begin to just slowly unfold this truth that I'm going to do to

the best of my ability to share with you. We have a physical heart

that pumps octionated blood through our bodies. It's the reason why we can live

and do what we do is because of our heart. And I saw a

correlation here in this verse verse twenty three and our natural rib cage. I

said, isn't it interesting that God would protect all of our vital organs with

the rib cage. So I talked to one of my doctor friends and I

told him what I was going to talk about. And I said, Hey,

I've been to the doctor's office and I saw these models, and I

wonder if it's possible that I could borrow this model to illustrate to drive home.

I want you to get this visual picture, but I don't want you

to miss the correlation between the natural father talking to his natural kids and our

heavenly Father talking to us. Remember I said that there were three words that

were interwoven throughout the seven chapters instruction, wisdom, understanding, natural Father talking

to his natural kids. Tonight, I want you to try to picture yourself

in those first seven chapters as God talking to me and you so I told

my doctor friend, and he said, I think I can help you.

So he talked to some of his colleagues who happen to be cardiologists, and

they let me borrow Fred. This is Fred, and so this is probably

what they use in medical school. And so I'm going to disassemble the lungs

just for a moment, and I'm going to be very careful with this model

of the heart because verse four of Proverbs and twenty three says, above all

else, guard this, guard this. You know, our medical doctors can

tell us how to maintain a healthy heart because out of this muscle pumps all

the blood throughout the body. Now, that's as far as I'm gonna go

and explaining, because if you practice medicine without a license, that's a felony.

And even though we have a prison ministry, I've been called to counseling.

And so also since doctor Frinch said hey, hey, doctor, can

you send us this message, So you know, you guys, thank you

so much. I hope that I was very respectful to your wonderful practice.

But I want you to, for the rest of the way, think about

this correlation. This correlation between a natural father talking to his kids, and

our heavenly Father, each and every day that we pick up God's word talking

to us with this one verse in mind above all else, guard your affections

or guard your heart, for it influences everything that you do. And so

now we can see that the rib cage protects the vital organs. So I

begin to say, Lord, what protects this vital organ, our heart that

you told us to guard? This one verse says everything in our lives will

be influenced by the expression of our heart. My doctor friend also gave me

a bigger model of a heart, So I'm gonna hold this for maybe the

rest of the way. And so spiritually, this thing says everything in our

lives will be influenced by the expression of this But now I need you to

think spiritually. Now I need you to think spiritually. Now a lot of

other verses begin to make sense to me that I've read in reference to the

heart Matthews Chapter seven, beginning at verse eighteen. Do you do you not

understand either, he asked, talking to his disciples. Can you see that

the food you put in your body cannot defile you? Food doesn't go into

your heart, but only passes through your stomach and then goes to the sewer.

Oh that's interesting. I thought it might use another word, but we'll

go with the word that it used. By saying this, he declared that

every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes, so food doesn't defy him.

And now, remember we talked about the correlation. So now for the

rest of the way, we're remaining spiritual. Now we're saying, Lord,

I see the correlation, and so I see that my heart, this thing

that I'm holding in my head is a motto. But spiritually, there's something

on the inside of me that is very expressive, that is made up of

affection. It's made up of desire, It's made up of want. And

if you and I don't protect this thing that is made up of affection,

desire, and want, I think we can get ourselves in trouble. Then

he added, it is what comes from inside that defiles. For from within,

out of a person's heart evil thoughts, sexual, immorality, theft,

murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, eat,

envy, slander, pride, and foolishness, foolishness and all these viles,

all these vile things come from within and they defile. So I said,

Lord, what you're telling me is this spiritual thing called my heart on the

inside is made up of passions and desires, and if it's not guarded,

and if it's not given the write information, it will produce whatever it is

connected to. It will produce whatever it's connected to, whether good or bad.

It's a producer. It's a producer. So then as I begin to

think about this father talking to his son, he said, son, above

everything, listen to Daddy, listen to Mama. Don't go down these streets,

don't listen to these type of people. Don't watch this type of stuff,

because your little heart will grab a hold of it and it'll produce it.

So sometimes we wonder, Wow, I'm fast and more, I'm reading

more Bible, I'm praying more. What's happening? There could be a possibility

that you've taken your heart out of a protective place. It's a possibility that

you and I have exposed our heart to some harmful things, and the heart,

which is made up of wants, desires, and passion, will do

what it was created to do, and that's produce it. And so I

begin to see some things in my own life. So now the guarding of

our hearts have become very extremely important. If you see what I'm saying,

Why letter A, this desire slash affection in me will produce anything that's that

it is attached to. Now, if you and I would be honest,

you know the Bible says, where your treasure is there, will you're what

there? Will your heart be? Also? So let her a, this

desire slash affection in me will produce anything it's attached to. Let her b.

It's not strong enough on its own to keep you from harm, wrong

choices, deception, or bad decisions. It's not strong enough. This is

not strong enough physically outside of the rib cage, outside of the protective physical

chamber that God places our physical hearts in. Pastor John Les's football So football

players are trained, but professional football they have pads on, and it seems

like they can take a force blunt hit at a certain speed and the hearts

still be. Okay, I just begin the were gonna just show me a

lot of natural analogies. And that's why I like proverbs, because then I

could correlate. Wow, I've placed my heart in places and in situations with

no protection, with no instruction, with no wisdom, with no understanding,

and let her see our hearts can grow cold towards God. The Church of

Ephesus in Asia Minor. If you, if we read all of the things

before, God says, but this one thing I have against you, you

would say I want to join that church because the list of commendations were high.

But he says, I have one thing against you. You've left your

first love, something you have allowed your heart to attach yourself to a desire

that's no longer me. So now a pastor, I can see sometimes how

people become indifferent. Yeah, yeah, I guess I'm going to church.

I mean, you know, I've been going to church a long time.

Well you know, I got you know, I have others. And I'm

not I'm not trying to be condemnatory. I'm trying to say, how how

how is it that one time our desire was for him and then the next

time our desire is not our desire is for him? Our desire is not

one common denominator, desire two issues. A desire connected to God, wisdom,

instruction, understanding, a desire connected to other things. Thank you Solomon

for proverbs. If it wasn't for now everybody else. She wrote it for

passaginny, thank you. Truth number one, if we don't guard our hearts,

it will take us slash expose us to persons, places, and things

where our emotions won't keep us from the harm that it can cause. Truth

number one, If we don't guard our hearts, it'll take us expose us

to persons, places, and things where our emotions won't keep us from the

harm that it'll cause. Some of you have been through Forward, And if

you've been through Forward and you've heard me teach on the sabotage cycle, you've

heard me share some personal things without going into a lot of detail, but

forsake of this message and what the Lord showed me about me, I want

to share some of that with you. If you haven't gone through Forward yet,

maybe this is an advertisement for you to go through Forward, keeping in

context the message that we're talking about, this very important thing about guarding our

hearts. And so I talked about and forward. Jane Doe one. When

I was about twelve years old, first girlfriend, my desire to have a

girlfriend, my desire to be loved. What I didn't realize is I took

my heart out of a protective place, and I placed it in her hands.

Some emotional harm happened when I found out that she was talking to me.

I was supposed to be a boyfriend and she was sitting on another boy's

lap talking to me. Now, Jane Do number one, she sure was

pretty. So you know you you you succumbed to some things. Yeah,

I'm just I'm being real, not not trying to be so comical, but

because beauty is an eye of the beholder. So but that young want,

that young desire, that young affection got wounded, and I became selfish for

several years. So I get saved at sixteen, four and a half years

later, but the heart was never healed. So go to church, faithful

singing, the choir, young usher board, all the church stuff that are

listed in the ephesis church. And because it didn't get healed and it was

still outside of the guard, outside of the spiritual rib cage of wisdom,

understanding and instruction, I would meet Jane Doe number two. Jane Doe number

two became my first wife. And those of you who have I think I'm

a pretty good counselor some of you say I am. That's my God given

gift, it was given to me from birth. But this desire of mine

was still out here and unprotected, and so I fell in love real easy,

still coming to church every day, every Sunday, every Wednesday, still

doing all the church stuff. And that situation did not end will because what

this heart couldn't see was that that individual wasn't ready for marriage, and neither

was I, and so I was a casualty. It started to slowly,

not necessarily on my own or consciously me nor it started to move into a

safe place, but it was still vulnerable. And so then comes Jane Doe

number three, and we'll just say that that ended in tragedy. Here's what

I can tell you about all three instances. It never hindered my love for

God. It never stopped me from coming to church. It never hindered me

serving, It never hindered me paying my tides. But those things that I

just listed are what you and I see on a Sunday or a Wednesday and

an hour and a half you are. You are not the sum total of

an hour and a half. You are who you are the rest of the

week. You're not the sum total of an hour and a half on a

Wednesday or on a Sunday, you are who you are the rest of the

week. That's who you and I are really are. And that's where in

my life this God hurt. I'm gonna call it an irregular emotional heartbeat.

It was an even pastor, it was unsteady, and thank God for community.

We didn't call it community then we called it fellowship and brother and sisters,

we use the word community when you live in the neighborhood. No,

we use community in church. And started started to connect to people who loved

me and cared for me, and I could I could be vulnerable and I

could tell them. They could see what was happening to me, and they

helped me slowly put it back in its place where it was guarded. Truth

number two. If we start the process of guarding our hearts, we can

recover from life, from the losses of life, and create a new normal.

If we start the process of guarding our heart, Here's what I can

tell you. You and I are gonna have to guard our hearts until the

day Jesus comes back. I'm gonna have to guard it because it's it is

a desire producer, and if it's not guarded and if it's not infused with

wisdom, instruction, and understanding, then damage can possibly happen Psalms fifty three,

fifty one and three. For I realize my rebellion. It haunts me

day and night, Psalms Fifty one and six. You deserve, you deserve

honesty from the heart, Yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh give me

this wisdom Psalms fifty one in ten. Very familiar, we know it,

creating me a new and clean heart, a clean heart. Lord, take

my desires through a spiritual bath. Pressure wash those desires that have attached itself

to my affections, and start applying your word instructions, Your word wisdom,

the ability to use knowledge, understanding, insight. I get it now,

I understand. In closing m this is a vest illustrating. I want to

call this the three stage filter of the heart, the three stage filter of

the heart. Instructions. We need God's words, we need we need we

need good advice from people understanding our wisdom. We need to be able to

take this knowledge that we're learning and apply it in a proper way and understanding

and Hebrews Chapter five, verse fourteen. Well it started. I believe in

verse ten or eleven or twelve talks about the Word of God and and and

babes desiring the word, the milk of the word, But but strong meat

is only for those who by reason of use. Reason of use. As

you begin to use God's word, understanding begins to flow. You begin to

say, I see that makes sense. I get it. You and I

have to make sure that our heart remains behind this. Don't take your heart

from this, keep your heart. Let us keep our hearts behind this.

And here's what I can promise you. I've recovered, you can recover.

If there was another truth I was gonna give you would be this truth.

Truth is never late for now. I'm gonna say it again. Truth is

never late for now. You say, well, pass you, kitty,

but no, I'll be honest. Truth may not be able to do anything

for the past, but truth is never late for now. You and I

have it now. And so I'm gonna skip these scriptures so that I can

stay within time. I want to close by you watching this video. Hey

man, I want to taste you something to make you feel good. Try

it off. You don't know what you listen, little crack or hurt.

You don't make me a crack. It won't cost you enough. This was

all me, absolutely free, sick, no man, good job, sir,

that's just what you do. If that ever happened. Hey, God,

deal with your kids. Tell them the truth about drugs. It could

be the most important rule you ever played, Like how you handled yourself.

The spirit of God let Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted because he had

his desires in its proper place. I could see this Father of God walking

him out, saying, son, I like to wear your hand to yourself.

I want, I want, I want our Lord and Savior to be

able to say that to us. As you and I begin to on a

continual basis, begin to apply God's word to our lives, and then we

don't succumb to temptation as easy as maybe we're gonna fall, we're gonna stumble.

The Bible says if you follow seven times, he'll help you get up.

But I'm convinced that you and I can get to a place where stumbling

is not the norm. It's the occasion where stumbling is not the norm.

It's the occasion. I think I'm a better natural father today than I was

twenty years ago, and I could just imagine where I am in my maturity

today, just as a natural father if I had a young kid. This

truth that I found that is so important that I need to guard this,

that you and I need to guard this for out of it it influences every

part of our lives. Let's pray, Lord, we honor you and we

praise you. Tonight. Were we, by the spirit of God, attempted

to be in harmony with the Word of God and the spirit of God to

share a truth that has been in your word, a truth that is for

now, a truth that was for then, but yet a truth that is

for now. Cord, help us to apply this truth in our lives,

with every hid bout and every eye still close. You know, the Smetch

has talked a lot about the heart. The Bible says in Romans chapter ten,

verses nine and ten, if we would confess the Lord Jesus and believe

in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we be saved.

For with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. And with the heart,

you and I believe maybe you're watching us online. I hope our transparency and

our humanity says that we're just like you, and that this truth can be

applied to all of us. But maybe you're under the sound of my voice,

and you'd say, you know what, Pastor Kenny, I've never met

you, don't don't know you just watching you here online streaming, And wow,

I guess my heart is outside of a protective place. The first place

where our hearts need to be placed in a place of protection is with our

Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. And that happens when you and I confess

Jesus's lord, we say we believe that he was raised for the dead from

the dead for our sanctification in our salvation. And if you're here in person,

under the sound of my voice, and you've never prayed that prayer before,

but you'd like to pray it tonight. Every here it's still bowed and

every eye still close, I'm gonna ask you to raise your hand. No

one looking Christians just praying. Is there any Maybe you're under the song of

my voice, you're here in person, or maybe you're watching us online and

you say, Preacher, I remember saying that prayer. But if I were

to be honest, my heart is not in a protective place. But I

prayed the prayer, but my life is showing that my heart is not in

a protective place. Friend, whether you're here in person or watching us online,

you don't need to become a Christian all over again. That's impossible and

unnecessary. What you need to do is to come back to the Lord.

You need to return to Him, allow Him to create in you a clean

heart, renewing you a right spirit. You say, Pastor Kenny, that

invitation probably fits me better than the first one. By your hand being raised,

you'd say, pray with me. I like to recommit my life to

the Lord. Is there any I see that hand? God bless you.

I see that hand. God bless you, God bless you. I see

that hand. I'm gonna pray for them. I'm gonna pray for you online.

I'm gonna ask everyone in the audience and even your online I ask you

to have the courage you're by yourself, maybe with your loved one, but

maybe you're by yourself, that you to repeat this prayer after me. Dear

Lord Jesus, thank you for your love and your desire to have a relationship

with me. Come into my heart, be my personal savior and Lord,

renewing me a right spirit, cleanse me, make me whole, Help me

to follow you each and every day in Jesus name. Amen. We really

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