Proverbs 4:20-21
King James Version
20 My son, attend to my words;
incline thine ear unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes;
keep them in the midst of thine heart.
What does one guard in a castle?
What is your fortress for?
Is it for the people?
The ruler?
The family?
The wealth?
All of the above?
The fortress is our armor.
We guard the heart within.
The heart is that inner courtyard.
A born again guards his heart.
For this main purpose:
Proverbs 4:23
King James Version
23 Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.
What is a home without a heart?
What is a castle without a heart?
What is a fortress without a heart?
What is a person without heart?
What would you be guarding, if there's nothing precious in it?
I consider the inner courtyard -- the bailey -- my heart.
It is the temple where GOD is.
Ezekiel 43:5
King James Version
5 So the spirit took me up,
and brought me into the inner court;
and, behold,
the glory of the Lord filled the house.
It is the temple of the HOLY SPIRIT.
It is my home for JESUS.
1 Corinthians 3:16
King James Version
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
As such, the temple of GOD is holy.
1 Corinthians 3:17
King James Version
17 If any man defile the temple of God,
him shall God destroy;
for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
My heart, my flesh, my spirit, my inner courtyard, belongs to GOD.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
King James Version
19 What? know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God,
and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body,
and in your spirit, which are God's.
It is the one I guard from all evil.
1 Corinthians 6:18
King James Version
18 Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body;
but he that committeth fornication
sinneth against his own body.
As it is, most courtyards in the world are exposed to evil.
People have not built fortresses to guard their hearts.
As well as their mind, body, and spirit.
They have not sought the LORD to protect them.
As such, the world has its way with them.
Now, imagine a MAGNIFICENT city.
A city where there is no crime.
Only GOD.
Related material:
What Are the Different Parts of a Castle?
Image: Twinkl