Guard Your Heart
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)
The Bible instructs us to guard our hearts with all diligence because the condition of our hearts has a significant influence on the direction of our lives. Your heart is the place where thoughts, convictions, desires, intentions, and attitudes are formed. What you continually allow into your heart will eventually influence the way you speak, the decisions you make, the relationships you build, and the things you pursue. This is why a believer must become deliberate about the things he gives his attention to.
There are people who have gradually developed bitterness because they continually rehearsed the offences committed against them. Others have become fearful because they constantly exposed themselves to information that strengthened their anxieties. Some have developed unhealthy desires because they repeatedly entertained thoughts and influences that encouraged those desires. These things rarely begin with a sudden, major decision. Many times, they develop gradually through what a person continually permits to occupy his mind and heart.
Guarding your heart requires intentionality. Pay attention to the conversations you participate in, the content you consume, the relationships that influence you, and the thoughts you allow to remain unchallenged. This does not mean withdrawing from the world or becoming suspicious of everyone around you. It means developing the wisdom to recognize influences that are harmful to your spiritual health. When you discover that something is producing envy, bitterness, lust, pride, or unbelief in your heart, deal with it deliberately. Fill your heart with the Word of God, cultivate healthy relationships, and allow the truth to govern your inner life.
Prayer
Father, help me to guard my heart diligently. Give me discernment to recognize harmful influences and wisdom to cultivate thoughts and attitudes that are pleasing to You, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Confession
My heart is guarded by the wisdom of God. I refuse to nurture bitterness, fear, envy, or ungodly desires. My thoughts and attitudes are increasingly governed by God's truth.
Further reading: Matthew 12:33–35, Philippians 4:6–9, Psalm 119:9–11.