Imagine for a moment having a magical treasure box. It’s a small box, but possesses an amazing ability. Anything you put inside of this box becomes reality. Can you fathom the possibilities? That’s an extremely great, yet dangerous power. Many would seek after its ability, some for good and others for great harm. Your destiny is determined by the contents of this box. Your future, even what people think about you, all depend on what you place inside this magical mystery. What would you put inside of it? Who would you allow access to it? Who would you guard it from? How would you keep it away from ruthless pirates and wicked rulers with mighty armies? To prevent this from becoming a weapon it must be entrusted with someone who possesses great diligence, wisdom, and care. It’s a massive responsibility.
The truth is, you’re already in possession of such a thing. Your reality is already decided upon by a little treasure box called the heart. Whatever thoughts you allow inside, whether true or false, become your belief. This is proven by God’s word. Proverbs 23:7 says, “As a man thinks within himself (in the heart) so is he.” Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all else.” This means that the heart is deceitful because whatever you place inside of it, it believes to be true, whether true or not. If you allow false beliefs or opinions to go from your mind to your heart, they become real to you. If you think you’re worthless in your heart, even though this is false, you believe you’re worthless. If you place in your hearth the fact that you are a priceless child of God, you believe it.
This is why the Bible tells us to guard the heart above all else, for out of it flow the issues of life. WOW! The God of the entire universe, who sees all and knows all, commands us to guard the heart! If that doesn’t put enough importance on it, I don’t know what will. God tells us in Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved. Your salvation depends on what you put in your heart. That’s why, like with the powerful treasure box, there’s a wicked ruler with a ship full of lying pirates who desires to fill your heart with things that fulfill his purposes instead of God’s. So lets get back to the questions I asked earlier now that we know this treasure box really exists. What will you put in it? David said, “I hide you’re word in my heart so that I might not sin against you.” He had it right. There’s neither greater truth nor treasure than the word of God. He also asked God to search his heart to see if there was any wicked or hurtful way in him. In another chapter he asked God to create in him a clean heart and to renew a right spirit in him. This proves that there is a wrong spirit that will pollute our hearts. A fact that leads us to the question, who will you allow access to it? The answer is simply God. We allow his spirit and his word full access to search it, clean it, and fill it. Hebrews 4:12 says the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It goes on to say that it judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Your heart has thoughts. Now remember that once the thought is in the heart, you believe it. That’s why we need the truth of the word of God to search out and override anything that doesn’t align with it. It knows what our heart thinks, whether good or bad. Psalm 139:23 says, “Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” The contents of our hearts can cause us to be anxious. Watch how Philippians 4:6 ties into this. It tells us not to be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. We’ve just discovered that prayer is another way to guard your precious treasure box, which answers the final question asked earlier. How will we guard it? If your heart is guarded in Christ Jesus, there’s nothing that can bust into that fortress of protection unless we let it in. That’s why we take our every thought captive to His obedience. How amazing is it that we can hide in him, while hiding his word in us! God desires a pure heart in each of us. In fact, in Matthew 22, Jesus told us himself that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. If you’re dealing with a false reality today because of the things you’ve allowed into your heart, loving God is part of the solution. Proverbs 16:6 says by mercy and love, truth and fidelity, iniquity is purged out of the heart. Allow God to examine your heart today. Let him replace your destination of deceit with his reality of righteousness. Through the true knowledge of Him, your treasure box will be filled with rare and precious things.