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Guard Your Spirit

Do you realise that your spirit is your responsibility? 

Proverbs 25:28 says, "Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls."

The Bible likens the person who does not control their own spirit as being like a city with walls that have tumbled down. That makes the city defenseless so it is vulnerable to any attack. In the same way, if we don’t ‘take care’ of or ‘rule’ our own spirit, we are like a city with cracks in our foundations and breaches in our fortifications, open to every kind of attack imaginable. 

The reason you must take responsibility for your spirit is that your spirit makes a way for you in life. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received as a young person in Bible College was this ‘Never develop a wounded spirit.’  Your spirit is the key to your future and above all else, Proverbs 4:23 says, we should guard it with “all diligence”, (the Bible translates the word for heart and spirit interchangeably). Poor choices, lack of wisdom, emotional instability, pride, bitterness, a ‘wounded spirit’ and unforgiveness are the kinds of things that weaken us and leave us open and vulnerable to an assault.

Daniel 6:3 says that Daniel had an excellent spirit. It was this quality that changed the way king Nebudchdnezzar looked upon Daniel, and he was favoured and promoted as a result.

Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.

In the same way as Daniel’s excellent spirit caused the king to look at him differently, if you look after your own spirit, you can rise above any difficult circumstances that you face and find favour with others.  However, if you allow other things to take hold of your spirit, they will stop you from entering into all God has planned for you.

It is my prayer that you understand the immense value of your spirit and that you take up the responsibility to guard it faithfully every day.   Responsibility for a pure, clean heart and a right spirit is an imperative to walking in a fruitful relationship with Christ.

PRAYER: Lord God, help me to keep my heart and my spirit pure before you. Bring to mind anything which has caused me to live ‘wounded’ and enable me to have a right spirit.