“The heart is a very delicate organ to human existence because it pumps oxygenated blood to all parts of the body. When the heart dies the human being also dies.
“In the same way, spiritually your heart must be guarded and protected from the enemy. Any believer who does not protect his or her heart is prone to the enemy’s attacks.”
These were the words of Apostle Emmanuel Agyemang Bekoe, the International Missions Director of The Church of Pentecost, during a sermon he delivered at the Pentecost International Worship Centre (PIWC), Kaneshie on Sunday, February 27, 2022.
The IMD stated that the mind is the battleground, and once the believer gives in to the thoughts of the devil, he [Satan] will take hold of his heart. That is why believers need to guard their hearts, he stated.
“You need to guard your heart. Start running away from sin because it is dangerous to fight the enemy in his own territory. If you fight him on his turf, you will lose the battle. When you go to the mountain of God and fight him there, you will win the battle,” he said.
Reading from Proverbs 4:23 (Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it), he stressed that the heart and the mind are connected, and that anytime the Bible talks about the heart, it is also referring to the mind.
“The heart is the mind, the mind is the heart, and the two are in the soul of man. The heart of man is the mind of man and the mind of man is his thoughts. The thoughts and the mind are encapsulated in the brain. The mind and the heart together form the soul of a man,” he disclosed.
Speaking on the topic, “The Breastplate of Righteousness,” the IMD chose his main scripture reading from Ephesians 6:14 (Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place).
According to him, the armours represent God’s strength that he gives to the Christian once he/she is saved, and that once the believer puts them on they exhibit God’s strength.
Explaining the text, he stated that there is a connection between righteousness and holiness, saying, “Holiness is encapsulated in righteousness; once you are holy, you are also a righteous person.”
He indicated that imputed righteousness which is God’s righteousness that he shares part with the saved, just like the other armours of God, must be put on by the believer.
“The decision to put it on lies with you. You can decide not to put it on, it is your own prerogative,” he said.
He added: “We have many believers who have actually placed their armours aside. There are also those who have the armours in place, but they do not know how to use them.
“We must be a church that is equipped, prepared and trained and able to use the full armour to face the enemy.”
Touching on what to do to guard the heart, he asked Christians to constantly make a deliberate effort to renew their minds (Romans 12:2).
“Society is suffering because we are not able to discipline our thoughts. Once we are not able to discipline our thoughts our conscience becomes dead. Once your conscience is dead your heart becomes evil and you cannot stop sinning. It would take the grace of God to live right,” he added.
Also present at the service were the wife of the IMD, Mrs. Deborah Agyemang Bekoe; the Resident Minister, Pastor Emmanuel Paa Sekyi Yirebi and his wife Priscilla, as well as Pastor Samuel Yankey of Anyinasuso District in the Tepa Area, among others.
PENTECOST NEWS.
