How to Guard Your Heart

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)

Notice that it doesn't say somebody else will guard your heart. It doesn't say God will guard your heart, your neighbor will guard your heart or your pastor will guard your heart. It says you need to guard your heart.

I know the world says to trust your heart. Follow your heart. Listen to your heart. But the Scripture doesn’t say to follow the heart; instead it says to instruct your heart. Teach it what it should pursue.

How do you do that?

The rest of Proverbs 4 gives us four things to consider:

1.Be careful what you talk about. Proverbs 4:24: “Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.” What you talk about can feed your heart.

2.Be careful what you look at. Proverbs 4:25: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” What (or who) are you watching? Far too often we are entertained by the very things Christ died for.

3.Be careful where you go. Proverbs 4:26: “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” Often, guarding your heart—and changing what you talk about and look at—requires changing where you hang out and who you hang out with. Someone said, you could not choose the family where you were born but you can certainly choose your friends. The choice is yours.

4.If something seems evil, stay far from it. Proverbs 4:27: “Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” Now, something good or neutral can become evil when it becomes more important than God in our lives. Watching a good game; there’s nothing wrong with that, unless it becomes so important that your favorite team losing makes you angry or depressed all week.

5.Lord Jesus spoke a parable to them saying, “men always ought to pray and not lose heart, (Luke 18:1) Prayer will strengthen you and keep you from losing heart. How does this happen?

When we pray, the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. This peace only comes when we come before God and make our requests known to Him.

Bible Reading: 2 Chronicles 36, Ezra 1-2

How to Guard Your Heart

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