LESSON 03 - A PROTECTED HEART

 Youth 4th quarter 2024

October 20, 2024

MAIN TEXT
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” ( Prov 4:23 )

LESSON SUMMARY
When we cultivate the virtues of God’s Word, we protect our heart.

WEEKLY READING

MONDAY –  Dt 6.5 The heart as an inner disposition

TUESDAY –  Josh 23.14 The heart, the place where thought is processed

WEDNESDAY –  Dt 28.47 The heart as the place where emotions reside

THURSDAY –  Phil 4.8 Guard your thoughts

FRIDAY –  1 Co 13.13 Keep love

SATURDAY –  Mt 5.1-12 True happiness of the heart

OBJECTIVES
TO PRESENT the biblical concept of heart;
TO UNDERSTAND that we need to protect our thoughts;
TO KNOW that we need to guard our emotions and feelings.

INTERACTION
Dear teacher, have you guarded your heart? Do you know how to protect it? In this lesson, we will address the biblical concept of heart and how we can protect it. You will see that the Word of God gives a very broad meaning to the word 'heart' and for this reason, we will study the breadth of the term. The objective is to show how we can protect our heart. Guarding the heart is not a prerogative of the Old Testament alone. In the New Testament, the Lord commands us: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Mark 12:30). This means that we need to love the Lord with all our thoughts, feelings and will. When our thoughts are aligned with the Kingdom, we will see the results in our behavior and thus our heart will be protected (Prov 4:23).

TEACHING GUIDE
Teacher, begin the lesson by asking the students to read the Main Text of the lesson. Then ask the following question: “How can we guard our heart?” Encourage students to participate and listen carefully to their answers. Then, write the words below on the board. Explain that these are the results for those who guard their hearts. Discuss with students the results of guarding their hearts.

BENEFITS OF GUARDING YOUR HEART
1- Long and prosperous life.
2- Have the favor of God and people.
3- Good reputation
. 4- Good judgment.
5- Success.
6- Health and vitality.
7- Joy and peace .
8- Physical and mental protection.

BIBLE TEXT
Proverbs 4.20-23
20 My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them close to your heart,
22 for they are life to those who find them and health to their flesh.
23 Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flow the issues of life.

INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, we will address the biblical concept of heart and how we can protect it. We will study the breadth of the term with the aim of answering how we can respond to the call of this lesson: to protect the heart.

I – THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF HEART

1- Understanding Proverbs 4. In chapter 4, wisdom appears as primacy in which the father seeks to transmit it to his son (vv. 1-9), the choice between two paths (vv. 10-19) and the appeal to purity from the heart (vv. 20-21). In this lesson, we will focus on the last section (vv. 20-27). In it, the expressions “heart”, “guard”, “look directly” and “well-ordered” stand out. In the previous lesson, we mentioned the breadth of the word heart. Here, we will delve deeper into the biblical concept of the term and see how relevant it is for us who live in a society with many challenges that can unbalance us internally.
2- The heart. The Hebrew word that appears for heart in Proverbs 4 is lebhobh. This word has a broad meaning that encompasses heart, mind and inner being. It describes the person's inner disposition ( Dt 6.5 ; 1 Sam 16.5; 2 Chr 15.15 ); the place where a person's thoughts are processed (Js 23.14; 1 Rs 8.18; Is 6.10), the place where human emotions reside ( Dt 28.47 , Js 2.11; Ps. 13.21 ). From a biblical point of view, it is the heart that moves people's will and actions, that is, the exit from life (Pv 4.23). So, we can say that, in the Bible, the heart gains breadth in the relationship between thought, emotion/feeling and will/action. It is no coincidence that the Lord Jesus said: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false testimony and blasphemy” ( Mt 15:19 ). Therefore, we must protect the center of our life: the heart. To do this, it is necessary to protect the thoughts, emotions, feelings and will that form the biblical concept of heart.

SUBSIDY 1
Teacher explain “that, in Solomon's texts, heart rarely refers to the physical organ, Heart refers to our inner being, the seat of our consciousness, our decision-making nucleus, the center of our mind , our emotions and our will. In fact, the Hebrew term appears in this context more than seventy times in the book of Proverbs alone. Therefore, when you hear about an unprotected heart, keep in mind the responsibility we have to protect our inner being from the enemy's invasion. Solomon clearly regarded this particular advice as a matter of life and death; literally, He wrote: 'For these words are life to those who find them, and health to their bodies' (Pr 4:22). In other words, this advice will not only prevent you from dying, it will also help you to truly live. Not merely exist, but live. This advice will also help you to have good health and avoid the negative physical consequences of sin.” (Adaptation, SWINDOLL, Charles R. Vivendo Provérbios. Rio de Janeiro: CPAD, 2013, p. 6t.)

II- PROTECTING THOUGHT

1- Biblical thought. The wise man begins verse 20 by making a request: “Give attention to my words; incline your ear to my words.” Verse 21 exhorts: “Store them in the midst of your heart.” Both the word “attend” and the word “keep” denote an activity that encompasses the rational process of thought. It is necessary to think, ponder, and pay attention to what is being taught. This work of processing thought has to do with selecting what will be the center of attention of your thought. This work is so important because what we think will inevitably generate feelings and emotions. This is very clear in the text of Philippians 4:8. Knowing how to choose what we are going to think is the work of intelligence, of the intellect. God endowed us with intellect to choose good, the path of life. Therefore, the Bible and the Christian faith do not nullify the intellect, but direct it according to the action of the Holy Spirit ( John 14:26 ; 16:8).
2- Protected thought. Now, how can we protect our thoughts? This was a concern of early Christians and Christians of the first centuries. To live a life of holiness, we must protect our thoughts (Matthew 15:19; Phil. 4:8,9 ). And the best way to do this is through the discipline of biblical meditation. Paying attention to and keeping the Word of God involves reading, reflecting on, and memorizing the biblical text. This is the process that closes the cycle of biblical meditation. In this way, an eternal value or a concept that the biblical text teaches begins to dominate our thoughts. Thus, the more divine values ​​dominate our thoughts, the more our emotions, feelings, and will will be influenced by them. The opposite is also true: the more the values ​​of human instincts dominate our thoughts, the more our emotions, feelings, and will will be dominated by them ( James 1:14,15 ; 3:13-16).

SUBSIDY 2
As you examine Solomon’s advice on the importance of guarding your heart, notice that he again addresses his words in this way: ‘My son.’ Because the Holy Spirit has preserved this passage for us, we now benefit from Solomon’s wise fatherly advice. Notice his comment about ‘incline your ear to his words and keep them in the midst of your heart’ (v. 21). How interesting! I want us to give our full attention to this idea of ​​guarding your heart. This is how Solomon put it: ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life’ (4:3). Notice three important aspects of this valuable verse:
1- This is a command: “Guard”
2- This command has an intensity: ‘above all else.’
3- The reason for the instruction is given in the last part of the verse, 'because.' Notably, the Hebrew text of this verse begins with 'in all things whatsoever'. As we have seen, the Hebrew authors used word order to emphasize an idea, usually putting the most important thing first in a sentence. In a normal sentence structure, the verb comes first, followed by the subject, and then the object. But Solomon changed the order to emphasize the importance of his advice—which, of course, means that God considers advice crucial. The Hebrew expression translated 'in all things' could also be translated 'with all diligence,' (SWINDOLL, Charles R. Living Proverbs, Rio de Janeiro: CPAD, 2013, p. 60,)

III – PROTECTING FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS

1- Emotions and feelings. Verse 22 shows that wisdom is life and health for the body; verse 24 describes wisdom that brings righteousness to the mouth and virtue to the lips. The book of Proverbs shows that the words of our mouth and the health of our body have to do with the balance between our emotions and feelings. But what would be the difference between them? Emotion is an intense, explosive and short-lived mental state that causes an impact on our behavior, manifesting itself as: anger, sadness, fear, contempt, joy, etc. Feeling, on the other hand, is a less intense and less explosive mental state, but gentle and lasting, which manifests itself as: love, gratitude, compassion, happiness, disappointment, loneliness, etc. Therefore, one of the greatest challenges to keep our emotions from becoming unbalanced is to cultivate feelings or virtues that the Word of God calls the Fruit of the Spirit. It is not a merely human work, but developed by the Holy Spirit of God in us ( Gal 5.22 ).
2- Protected emotions and feelings. Emotions are not bad. They play a very important role in our self-preservation. The problem is that if they become unbalanced, our whole life becomes unbalanced as well. So, fear turns to panic; sadness turns to depression; anger turns to rage. Therefore, sin lies at our door ( Gen 4:6,7 ). From a biblical point of view, the best way to balance our emotions, or protect them, is by cultivating virtuous feelings, the gateway to which is love (1 Cor 13:13; Gal 5:22,23 ). Therefore, we are called to cultivate meekness, kindness, patience, that is, thinking about everything that is pure, just, lovely and good ( Phil 4:8 ). Thus, our heart will be protected.

IV – PROTECTING THE WILL

1- The will and the outputs of life. Verse 23 says that we must guard our hearts because from them proceed the outputs of life. This means that what we say and do are a consequence of what we cultivate in our hearts. Our mouth will speak what is in our hearts; our eyes will see according to what is in our hearts; our steps will be ordered or ill-ordered according to what is in our hearts ( Pr 4.24-27 ). Our will emerges from the heart. From the will, we generate action. Our will and action will be good if our thoughts and feelings are good.
2- Protected will. Romans 8 teaches us that the mind of the Spirit is life and peace ( Rm 8.6 ) and those who are led by the Holy Spirit are truly children of God (Rm 8.14). In this way, the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God, leads us to desire to do everything that glorifies the Lord Jesus ( Jn 16.13,14 ). So, by desiring the things of the Spirit, we can speak of the things of the Spirit and do the things of the Spirit. Our will will be aligned with the will of the Holy Spirit. Everything is in the heart, starting with thought, going through feeling and arriving at the will. May our “spirit, soul and body be kept blameless” ( 1 Thess 5.23 ).

SUBSIDY 3
Teacher: talk to the students explaining that they have a destiny. God created them with a specific purpose (Ps 139.13-16), He wants them not only to walk honestly and obediently, but to fulfill their destiny. Therefore, it is essential to protect the heart, knowing God, personally and experientially; discerning His revealed will; eliminating all distractions that take them away from this calling: walking, firmly and constantly, in the path that He has ordained. Encourage them to protect their minds and to manage their emotions and feelings, and not to settle for anything less than God's best. (Adapted from SWINDOLL, Charles R. Living Proverbs. Rio de Janeiro: CPAD, 2013, p. 62)
'God wants our whole self, our soul, often represented in the Bible by the word heart. The soul thinks, feels, has desires, decides and behaves. It unites temperaments, character, personality and behaviors, and needs to be entirely submitted to Christ. God does not look at what we say or appear to be, but at who we really are, at what we think, at the intentions of our actions, and at each attitude taken by us. He wants our personality, our inner and entire self, He wants to dominate our intentional behavior, balancing our emotional life - God wants our soul fully restored. And all these changes will only be possible with our permission. (CRUZ Elaine. Emotional Balance Rio de Janeiro. CPAD. 2019, p. 6th.)

CONCLUSION
It is very significant when, in the New Testament, the Lord commands us: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” ( Mark 12:30 ). It is as if the Lord were missing. Love the Lord with all your thoughts, feelings and will. May these human faculties be fully coherent with each other to love Him. When this happens, our thoughts, aligned with the Kingdom, will order our desires that will permeate our will, manifesting themselves in our behavior. Thus, wisdom will be internalized within us and our heart will be protected ( Proverbs 4:23 ).

TIME FOR REVIEW
1- How can we summarize chapter 4?
In chapter 4, wisdom appears as primacy in which the father seeks to transmit it to his son (vv. 1-9), the choice between two paths (10-19) and the call for purity of heart (20-27)

2- What broad meaning does the word “heart” encompass in the Bible?
This word has a broad meaning that encompasses the heart, mind and inner being.

3- How does the author begin verse 20 of Proverbs 4?
The wise man begins verse 20 by asking: “Attend to my words; incline your ear to my words.”

4- If emotions are not bad, what is the problem they present?
The problem is that if they become unbalanced, the whole of life also becomes unbalanced. So, fear becomes panic: sadness becomes depression; anger turns to anger

5- According to the lesson, what happens when our will is aligned with God's will?
Therefore, when our will is aligned with God's will, then we will be truly happy, as the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount teach us (Mt 5.1-12).