Proverbs 4: Don't Follow Your Heart - Protect It!
10Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. - Proverbs 4:2
When I was younger, this verse was constanlty used in the context of dating. It certainly can - and should - apply in that arena. We must guard our hearts lest we fall in love with someone who is not healthy for us. Many of us can attest to years - if not decades - of turmoil because we didn't guard our hearts against the charm of a cute boy or pretty girl.
But there are other ways we must guard our hearts.
Consider greed. Jesus warned about the dangers of greed more than most other sins. He knew that once our hearts get stuck chasing more and more money, we are likely to sacrifricde our families, our health, and our souls in the process.
Then there is envy. Once we allow our hearts to meditate on what we think we should have - and what someone else should not have - we can spiral into a constant low-grade discontentment.
What about political idolatry? Primary season is coming up, and how quickly we can fall into the trap of idolizing --- or demonizing - specific candidates. Once we go down that path, once we become a loyal fan of anybody, it's hard to be open-minded and it's easy to get on our self-righteous pedestals, often-times mis-representing Jesus in the process.
One more example. What about offense and bitterness? If we allow our hearts to get trapped by these monsters, even if it is just in one relationship, it will affect almost every other relationship. Maybe not directly, but these strongholds have a tendency to make us extra guarded, extra suspicous and extra prone to becoming an "expert" in knowing who is "safe" and who is not.
We must guard our hearts because where our hearts go, our decisions - for better or worse - follow.
But how?
How do we guard our hearts?
That is for the comment section. Share some feedback below as to what you think are some strategies for guarding our hearts.
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10 Comments
Debbie Robertson Aug 4, 2023 @ 1:48 pm
Debbie Robertson Aug 4, 2023 @ 12:05 pm
2. Take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). We don’t allow our minds to wander off. Before allowing thoughts to enter our “command center,” we ensure they align with God’s Word and are healthy to our whole being. We’re not responsible for the thoughts that come to mind, but we are responsible for the thoughts we allow to enter the mind.
3. Look straight ahead, and fix your gaze directly before you. Don’t turn to the left or the right. Walk in what you know to be true (Proverbs 4:25).
4. Give careful thought to your ways (Proverbs 4:27).
5. Desire eternal treasure, not temporal, for that is where your heart will also be (Matthew 6:21).
6. Cultivate a grateful heart and tell of God’s wonderful deeds (Psalm 9:1).
7. Be content. Paul tells us godliness with contentment is great gain, warning us not to be eager for money as it has caused some people to wander from the faith and pierce themselves with many griefs (1 Timothy 6:6-12).
8. Guard your eyes. Have you heard the saying that our eyes are windows to the soul? Consider how many families have been destroyed by pornography alone, or how a glance can quickly become lust, leading to further destruction of families (Psalm 101:3).
9. Guard your ears. Everything we hear, regardless of who is saying it, needs to align with Scripture. When we choose music and podcasts with hope-filled messages, it feeds our souls and helps to guard our hearts against ungodly influences (Proverbs 18:21).
10. Hit stop on the recorder that plays on repeat in your mind. Hurtful words “recorded” in your mind from the past, either by someone else or yourself, can stop today with God’s help. The enemy seeks to destroy your life spiritually and physically, but God longs to heal your every wound and replace them with hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Joanne Cangialosi Aug 4, 2023 @ 11:09 am
chris Aug 4, 2023 @ 11:00 am
Danny Jr Aug 4, 2023 @ 9:16 am
If HGTV causes you to envy, don't watch it. If Instagram leads you to vanity, get off it. Don't go to the gym that the girl/guy you are attracted to attends if you are married. Lol
Some practical thoughts about putting up guard rails to guard our hearts.
Kim Gaydos Aug 4, 2023 @ 9:03 am
do versus the many ways we can fall short.
Marlene Dunton Aug 4, 2023 @ 8:12 am
Jim McCarthy Aug 4, 2023 @ 7:55 am
donna Aug 4, 2023 @ 7:30 am
Frank Martinez Aug 4, 2023 @ 7:23 am