Guard/keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues/going forths of life/chai/reviving  Prov. 4:23    

 This is a verse that has been coming to my mind over the last couple of weeks, and I was asking; "What does it look like to guard our heart in our daily life?"    How do we "guard our heart with all diligence?"   My understanding of our heart is that it consists of our mind, our emotions, our will, and also our conscience which is buried deep within us.   This is our moral compass, the part of us that gives us the sense of right and wrong.  Romans 2 in the Bible says that "Gentiles (non Jews) who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law...who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness....accusing or excusing..." People all over the earth experience this in some measure,  such that the conscience becomes "God's light in us."    Yes, it can be dim and even perverted, but I will write more of that later. 

 In Ephesians 3:17 we read that it is His purpose to "dwell/make His home in all these aspects of our heart." and for this to happen Colossians 3:16 says, "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly."  To develop and maintain a healthy conscience our minds must have God's divine light, and then we must obey that enlightenment to such an extent that our conscience rules over our thoughts, emotions, and choices!   To live like this will grant us the ability to experience a conscience "void of offence before God and man."   That doesn't say we are faultless, but that as we obey our Lord's promptings we have a sense of being blameless because we have confessed any particular wrong doing that has come between us and Him.  If that means going to another person to confess because we have offended them, we also must do this.  

 I know by experience that when I do this my peace is wonderful and likewise I also know by experience that when I refuse to obey those convictions there is no peace--only a feeling of dis-ease and a tremendous lack of peace--and the convicting is always 'specific' when it is the work of the Holy Spirit.   The Bible speaks of having a good, clear, pure, or blameless conscience; and when we are confessed "up to date" that is our wonderful experience!   When we disobey we will have a defiled and convicted conscience.  This can be quickly cleared up by agreeing with the Lord- obeying whatever He says- and then thanking Him that His wonderful blood covers every sin! 

 There is great danger if we refuse to pay attention to this! -if we refuse to diligently guard our heart.   The Bible warns of believers who can be shipwrecked after rejecting a good conscience--of even having a conscience "seared" because of continual disobedience!  Could that be an application of  Matt. 6:23? "If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!"   We live in a darkened, perverse age. "O Lord, may we shine as lights, holding forth Your Word of light by soberly paying attention, by guarding most of all,  our relationship with You!"