GUARD YOUR HEART

“Looking diligently least any man fail the grace of God lest any root of bitterness springing up causes trouble”

Another translation says

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God

Heb 12:15

Looking diligently means to look over or to take supervisory oversight.

That word can also be translated bishop.

This suggests that we are to be the bishops over our own souls. That means we have the responsibility to watch, direct, guide, correct, and give oversight to what goes on inside us.  As the bishop of your own heart, it’s you alone who has responsibility for what you allow to develop inside your head and heart.

I have shared this over the years. The greatest weapon Satan uses against us is to get us offended with each other in our hearts. Over the years, I have noticed the vast majority of people who leave the church and never return do so because they have become offended by someone in the church and have become defiled. Instead of dealing with their own heart, they leave.  They have taken Satan's bait hook, line, and sinker. The temptation to blame our bad attitudes, bitterness, resentments, and feelings, of resentment on others.

We are not able to control what others say and do to us, but we have the responsibility before God to control what goes on inside of us, and He gives us grace at that point. But it says many miss the grace that’s available and fall for the trap

It is the inside part, the part you control, that God holds you responsible for.

You choose if the offense, the irritation turns to anger, anger into wrath,  wrath into bitterness and eventually unforgiveness.

Remember you are the bishop of your own heart. Guard it with all diligence.

We will answer before God for our inward responses to what others have done to us. To walk an unoffended life should be the goal of our lives. To walk in love means to owe no one anything except love, and they owe you nothing. That’s real freedom. God will hold us accountable and responsible  for what we allow to go inside our hearts and minds and soul.