How Do We Guard Our Hearts?

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. 

Proverbs 4:23 

We all know we should guard our hearts. The Bible tells us everything we do flows from it. Since everything we do has consequences, it is evident that guarding our hearts is essential. The big question is, how do we do it? 

To answer that, we must start by understanding which heart we are talking about. As crucial as our physical heart is, the Bible here is not talking about the beautiful organ that pumps blood to our bodies. It is talking about our souls. It talks about the part of us that holds our emotions, intellect, wills, and memories.  

Contrary to popular belief, most decisions are made in our souls, not our heads. Our souls are the part of us that helps us express good feelings but are also the part that gets wounded by trauma. Our souls have the excellent quality of holding on to emotions and feelings and multiplying anything they hold.  

If we receive love, our souls can hold on to it and give it back to the person who showed love to us and to all around us. In the same way, our souls can hold on to pain, multiply it, and give it to every person we know, whether they deserve pain or not.  

That is why guarding our hearts is extremely important, for they are fertile ground. Everything we allow in it tends to stay there and grow. Because we have in us the breath of God,

whatever is in our souls grows and can transform into something prettier or uglier.  

If we sow in our souls pornography, for example, in time, our souls will grow that sexual sin, and we will not only watch it but will act on its desires. How do you think sexual predators get started? On the other hand, if we guard our souls by carefully protecting our hearts by doing our best not to see, hear, or do anything sinful when exposed to sin, our souls will reject it or even be disgusted by it.  

My friends, our souls are containers with great soil in them. If we are not careful, we will allow ungodly things to enter them. The best way to keep our hearts is to give the Holy Spirit control of them. If we do, He guards our hearts by bringing conviction every time we are about to let something in that will produce bad fruit. Only by hearing His voice and obeying it can we guard our hearts. Give God the lid of your heart today.