Original Entry Date 10/13/2013: While reading Philippians 4:7 two things that jump out to me (all though I have read this 100’s of times, funny how that happens) are “Peace of God” and “guard your heart.”
As we all know, it is extremely important to guard our hearts, especially in this day and age with the technology that we have right at our fingertips. Proverbs 4:23 comes to mind when thinking about the importance of guarding your heart.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV:
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Other versions of Proverbs 4:23 call those “flows” the “wellsprings of life.” An interesting bit of commentary I read online about this “wellspring” was as follows:
“Now the heart must be guarded; for it is “the wellspring of life.” The heart is the starting point of the activities of life; it determines the course of life.”
Being a person with a very open heart I wondered, how does one guard their heart? And the answer was right there in Philippians 4:7!!
Philipians 4:7 NIV:
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
By being in that peaceful state of God (being in alignment with God, walking in the Spirit) we find a supernatural source that will guard our hearts and our minds!
How does one grasp on to this Peace of God? Walking in the Spirit and putting off the dictates of the flesh will bring God’s peace. If we are living in the flesh we are therefore at war with the Spirit. This type of opposition would no doubt cause turmoil within. That’s where the importance of guarding our minds comes into play. Keeping our minds set on Holy Things is how we can combat this. In the very next verse of Philippians 4, Paul proclaims that our minds be set on: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
One final point for obtaining the peace of God is found two verses up:
Philippians 4:6 NIV
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
God wants a deep and intimate relationship with you (such as one between the most trusted of friends). The type where you find yourself talking to Him about all things in your heart, all your worries, all your joys, all your sadness, He wants to know. Having a relationship with God like this will bring His peace into your life.
