Above All Else, Guard Your Heart

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“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” – Proverbs 4:23

What is the one thing that you treasure the most in your life? And how do you keep it protected and secured? Proverbs 4:23 shows us that the most important thing that we need to protect at all times is our heart. It begins by stating, ‘Above all else,’ meaning, before anything else, make it your top priority to guard your heart. But why should you guard your heart?

Your heart is not just a physical organ; it is more than that. Your heart is your inner being. The core of who we really are. Your heart is your true self, it is a place where your thoughts, desires and connection with God dwell. Think of it as spring water that emerges from the underground and flows freely to its surroundings.

Our heart - inner being- is like the spring water that flows to our thoughts, our desires and into the things that we do. If that spring water is contaminated, everything else that it touches gets contaminated. But if the water is pure, everything else that it touches becomes pure. This is the same with our hearts. If our hearts are contaminated with anger, negative thoughts, slander, envy, hatred and murder, then it begins to affect our family, friends, or our career. Thus, Solomon concludes by saying, ‘For everything you do flows from it.’

Whatever is in your heart will ultimately come out through your words or actions.

In Matthew 15:18, Jesus amplified the subject of guarding our hearts by saying, ‘But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.’ The question is, how’s your heart like? Jesus goes on to say, ‘For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. – Matthew 15:19

The issues of life start from the heart, and the best way forward is to start by guarding it. An unguarded heart makes it easier for the enemy to achieve his will. His will is to steal, kill and destroy. Sometimes we leave the door of our inner being open to the world, such that whatever the world throws, we take it in without realising that it negatively affects our relationship with God.

The process of guarding our hearts is a continuous journey that requires us to partner with God, who sees clearly what’s in our hearts and helps us restore them to the original form that God intended. David writes in Psalm 139:23-24, ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ We may think we know ourselves better, but God knows our hearts way better than we do. And when He goes searching through our hearts, He will definitely find the things we don’t want to be found.

There are things that we hold in our hearts that we ourselves cannot admit by ourselves unless the Spirit convicts us of them. This includes envy, jealousy, dishonesty, unforgiveness, fear, evil motives, guilt, and shame. Thus, it is important that we invite God into our hearts to help us do the clean up, particularly the dark places where we wouldn’t dare to go on our own. The best thing about God is that when we allow Him in, He helps us work through the process together, since He provides the Grace we need. So, how do you guard your heart? 

➡️ Continue reading: How to Guard Your Heart





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