There are lots of issues normally that we guard in our lives. We guard our households, our properties, our prized possessions, and our funds. We could even take a self-defense class to discover ways to higher guard ourselves. We arrange anti-virus software program to protect our computer systems in opposition to hackers. We arrange parental controls to protect our children in opposition to on-line predators, and passwords to protect our numerous on-line accounts.
As people, we’ve a pure tendency to be on guard for protecting functions. And we sometimes shield the issues that we worth. However how usually will we take into consideration guarding our hearts?
On this publish, we are going to take a look at a number of Bible verses about guarding our hearts to know what it means, why we’re known as to do it, and the way we must always guard our hearts as Christians.
What Does the Bible Say About Guarding Your Coronary heart?
Earlier than we will rightly perceive what the bible says about guarding our hearts, you will need to perceive what the guts is from a biblical perspective.
Though it must be apparent, I wish to make clear that I’m not referring to the precise organ of the guts that’s current in our bodily our bodies. So, what’s the coronary heart?
Our Hearts Are Who We Actually Are
Scripture makes use of the phrases coronary heart, thoughts, spirit, and soul interchangeably to indicate the identical factor. The truth is, the unique Hebrew phrase for coronary heart in Scripture is lêb, which implies the internal individual, the seat of thought and emotion, the conscience, the thoughts, and our understanding.
Our coronary heart, due to this fact, is our thoughts, mind, conscience, and feelings. It’s the middle of our emotions, reasoning, and ideas. Our hearts are who we’re on the very core.
For as he thinks in his coronary heart, so is he [in behavior—one who manipulates]. He says to you, “Eat and drink,” But his coronary heart shouldn’t be with you [but it is begrudging the cost].
Proverbs 23:7 AMP
The Bible may be very clear when it talks about how God alone really is aware of each one in all us:
- However the Lord stated to Samuel, “Don’t contemplate his look or his peak, for I’ve rejected him. The Lord doesn’t take a look at the issues folks take a look at. Folks take a look at the outward look, however the Lord appears on the coronary heart.” I Samuel 16:7 NIV
- An individual might imagine their very own methods are proper, however the Lord weighs the guts. Proverbs 21:2 NIV
- These folks honor me with their lips, however their hearts are removed from me. Matthew 15:8 NIV
- O Lord, you may have examined my coronary heart and know all the pieces about me. You recognize after I sit down or arise. You recognize my ideas even after I’m distant. You see me after I journey and after I relaxation at house. You recognize all the pieces I do. You recognize what I’m going to say even earlier than I say it, Lord. Psalm 139:1-4 NLT
God can’t be fooled by our look, phrases, or actions. He is aware of who we actually are as a result of he sees our hearts!
Each Christian Has Two Opposing Mindsets
We should keep in mind that due to the autumn of man, we have been all born sinners.
- When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin introduced dying, so dying unfold to everybody, for everybody sinned. Romans 5:12 NLT
- For I used to be born a sinner— sure, from the second my mom conceived me. Psalm 51:5 NLT
- For everybody has sinned; all of us fall wanting God’s superb normal. Romans 3:23 NLT
Subsequently, by nature, our hearts (our minds) are sinful. The truth is, when chatting with the prophet Jeremiah, God Himself described the hearts of man like this:
The human coronary heart is essentially the most deceitful of all issues, and desperately depraved. Who actually is aware of how unhealthy it’s? However I, the Lord, search all hearts and look at secret motives. I give all folks their due rewards, in accordance with what their actions deserve.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT
And let’s not overlook the very motive God destroyed the earth by flood in Genesis – as a result of the ENTIRE civilization at the moment, other than Noah and his household, had depraved hearts:
The Lord noticed how nice the wickedness of the human race had turn into on the earth, and that each inclination of the ideas of the human coronary heart was solely evil on a regular basis.
Genesis 6:5 NIV
And guess what? Mankind nonetheless has the identical downside in the present day because it did again then. The truth is, the coronary heart of each downside on earth is our hearts’ sinful situation. Fortunately, God promised by no means to destroy your entire earth by flood once more (Genesis 9:8-17). In any other case, I’m fairly positive we might be residing on Earth model 100 by now!
As Christians, we must always have an excellent larger appreciation for the truth that though we nonetheless have our sinful hearts/mindsets, by way of the ability of the Holy Spirit, we’ve been given a brand new coronary heart/mindset as effectively – the thoughts of Christ! And this new mindset is incapable of sin and ALWAYS needs to please God. It at all times has godly ideas and desires to do issues God’s approach:
- The individual with out the Spirit doesn’t settle for the issues that come from the Spirit of God however considers them foolishness, and can’t perceive them as a result of they’re discerned solely by way of the Spirit. The individual with the Spirit makes judgments about all issues, however such an individual shouldn’t be topic to merely human judgments, for, “Who has identified the thoughts of the Lord in order to instruct him?” However we’ve the thoughts of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 NIV
- When somebody turns into a Christian, he turns into a model new individual inside. He’s not the identical anymore. A brand new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 TLB
- As soon as we, too, have been silly and disobedient. We have been misled and have become slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives have been stuffed with evil and envy, and we hated one another. However—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not due to the righteous issues we had executed, however due to his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a brand new delivery and new life by way of the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:3-5 NLT
Though we’re outfitted with the thoughts of Christ, it’s crucial to know that our two mindsets are ALWAYS combating in opposition to each other:
I counsel you to obey solely the Holy Spirit’s directions. He’ll let you know the place to go and what to do, and then you definately received’t at all times be doing the flawed issues your evil nature needs you to. For we naturally like to do evil issues which are simply the alternative from the issues that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the nice issues we wish to do when the Spirit has his approach with us are simply the alternative of our pure wishes. These two forces inside us are continuously combating one another to win management over us, and our needs are by no means free from their pressures.
Galatians 5:16-17 TLB
Since our minds are our hearts, no matter mindset we’re obeying or catering to at any given time will management our ideas, phrases, and actions.
The Satan Targets Our Hearts Continually
Together with the inner wrestle that goes on inside our hearts, our non secular enemy, the satan, additionally targets our hearts continuously.
Keep alert! Be careful in your nice enemy, the satan. He prowls round like a roaring lion, in search of somebody to devour.
1 Peter 5:8 NLT
In relation to concentrating on our hearts, the satan has at all times had one key technique – lies and deception.
When addressing the non-Christian spiritual hypocrites of his day, Jesus referred to them as youngsters of the satan and known as the satan himself ‘the daddy of lies’:
For you’re the youngsters of your father the satan, and also you like to do the evil issues he does. He was a assassin from the start. He has at all times hated the reality, as a result of there isn’t a fact in him. When he lies, it’s constant along with his character; for he’s a liar and the daddy of lies.
John 8:44 NLT
We see this attribute of the satan from the very starting within the backyard when he tempted Adam and Eve:
Now the serpent was extra artful than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He stated to the lady, “Did God actually say, ‘You have to not eat from any tree within the backyard’?” The girl stated to the serpent, “We could eat fruit from the timber within the backyard, however God did say, ‘You have to not eat fruit from the tree that’s in the course of the backyard, and you have to not contact it, or you’ll die.’” “You’ll not actually die,” the serpent stated to the lady. “For God is aware of that while you eat from it your eyes will likely be opened, and you can be like God, figuring out good and evil.”
Genesis 3:1-5 NIV
The satan is aware of He can’t steal our salvation or place in Christ, however he’ll do something and all the pieces he can to make us as ineffective as potential for God. To take action, he’ll use no matter lies or deceptions are essential to get us to query God, His character, and His Phrase.
Discover his phrases to Eve: “Did God actually say . . .” After which he flat out known as God a liar when he instructed her, “You’ll not actually die”. He then goes on to make disobeying God (sin) look good by interesting to the underlying wishes of their hearts (desirous to be like God). And everyone knows how the story ends. They rapidly fall for his lies.
We mustn’t ever underestimate the unfavourable influences that Devil can have in our lives. Though he’s not equal to God nor omnipresent like God (in all places directly), he’s a formidable foe and a strong drive within the non secular realm. The Bible refers to him because the ‘god of this world’. His attain is world as a result of his affect is in all the pieces and everybody that’s NOT of God (non-Christians).
- Devil, who’s the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those that don’t consider. They’re unable to see the fantastic mild of the Good Information. They don’t perceive this message concerning the glory of Christ, who’s the precise likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT
- Don’t love this world nor the issues it gives you, for while you love the world, you shouldn’t have the love of the Father in you. For the world gives solely a yearning for bodily pleasure, a yearning for all the pieces we see, and pleasure in our achievements and possessions. These usually are not from the Father, however are from this world. And this world is fading away, together with all the pieces that folks crave. However anybody who does what pleases God will dwell perpetually. 1 John 2:15-17 NLT
There’s a motive Scripture describes the satan as “artful” and compares him to a roaring lion in search of somebody to devour. Lions are identified to be very affected person animals, as they may actually lay in look ahead to hours for his or her prey. They’re additionally identified for his or her stealth-like assaults, as they have a tendency to take care of the factor of shock (regardless of their measurement) earlier than they prance on their prey after which devour them utterly.
The satan doesn’t deceive folks in apparent methods. He’s at all times extraordinarily refined and affected person. He’ll cater to the internal wishes of our particular person hearts. He’ll discover methods to supply us the issues of this world that we wish and crave most after which tempt us to sin or doubt God’s Phrase to get them. And if we aren’t cautious, similar to Adam and Eve, we are going to fall proper into his traps.
We Are to Guard Our Hearts Above Every little thing Else
Since we all know that our personal hearts are naturally sinful, at all times in fixed opposition to our new Christian mindset, and inclined to fixed assault from the satan, we should be taught to heed the decision of Scripture to protect our hearts:
Above all else, guard your coronary heart, for all the pieces you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
In response to Webster’s dictionary, the phrase guard means to guard from hazard by watchful consideration, to make safe, to protect, and to guard.
We MUST be taught to do all the pieces we will to guard our hearts accordingly. And see that the verse says we’re to do that above all else. Guarding our hearts must be a precedence! I wish to record the identical verse from different bible translations right here for larger emphasis:
- Watch over your coronary heart with all diligence, for from it movement the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 AMP
- Preserve your coronary heart with all vigilance, for from it movement the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 ESV
- Watch out the way you assume; your life is formed by your ideas. Proverbs 4:23 GNT
- Above all else, guard your affections. For they affect all the pieces else in your life. Proverbs 4:23 TLB
- Guard your coronary heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Why is it so necessary that we guard our hearts? As a result of our hearts basically manifest by way of our ideas, which can dictate to a point all the pieces we are saying and do.
It’s going to have an effect on the form of folks we’re in relation to our household, associates, co-workers, authority figures, and strangers. It’s going to decide the alternatives we make in life about relationships, funds, schooling, well being, careers, and all the pieces else.
So, the query is, how will we guard our hearts?
Learn how to Guard Your Coronary heart
Guarding something requires motion. And on the subject of guarding our hearts for Christ, we completely have to be intentional about it.
Sometimes, guarding something comes right down to preserving and defending the nice and worthwhile factor(s) and preserving the unhealthy stuff out. Guarding our hearts isn’t any completely different.
Fill Your Thoughts With God’s Phrase Recurrently
If we really wish to guard our hearts in order that our Christian mindset can repeatedly defeat our sinful mindset and stand in opposition to the lies of the satan, then we should feed our Christian mindset repeatedly. And the best way to try this is with the Phrase of God.
The truth is, Scripture teaches very clearly that we want God’s Phrase to assist us guard our hearts:
- Jesus answered, “It’s written: ‘Man shall not dwell on bread alone, however on each phrase that comes from the mouth of God.’ Matthew 4:4 NIV
- Like new child infants [you should] lengthy for the pure milk of the phrase, in order that by it chances are you’ll be nurtured and develop in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment]. 2 Peter 1:2 AMP
- All Scripture is impressed by God and is beneficial to show us what’s true and to make us notice what’s flawed in our lives. It corrects us once we are flawed and teaches us to do what is correct. God makes use of it to organize and equip his folks to do each good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT
- Your phrase is a lamp to information my toes and a lightweight for my path. Psalm 119:105 NLT
Simply by waking up every single day, we’re inclined to the satan and his affect throughout us, whether or not we depart our properties or not! Even should you sit alone in a room all day and stare at a wall, you’ll nonetheless be left together with your ideas. And guess what? In case you don’t fill your thoughts with God’s Phrase (God’s fact), I promise you that the majority, if not all, of your ideas will likely be these of your sinful mindset.
How can we give attention to the constructive issues about God and life that Scripture teaches us if we don’t spend time studying His Phrase? Sure, we’ve the thoughts of Christ, which allows us to know non secular issues and see issues from a brand new perspective by way of the ability of the Holy Spirit. However Scripture is obvious: We MUST domesticate the Christian mindset that God has given us.
We don’t magically know the Bible with out ever studying it. We have to be intentional about spending time with God, after which and ONLY then will we reap the various advantages of doing so (non secular development, knowledge and steering for all times, peace and luxury, hope, endurance, discernment of fact, blessings, and so on.)
- You’ll preserve in good peace all who belief in you, all whose ideas are mounted on you! Isaiah 26:3 NLT
- Set your thoughts and preserve centered habitually on the issues above [the heavenly things], not on issues which are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. Colossians 3:2 AMP
- And now, expensive brothers and sisters, one closing factor: Repair your ideas on what’s true, and honorable, and proper, and pure, and beautiful, and admirable. Take into consideration issues which are glorious and worthy of reward. Philippians 4:8 NLT
- My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me in accordance with your phrase. Psalm 119:28 NIV
How can we repair our ideas on biblical truths and the dear guarantees of God’s Phrase if we solely devour the unfavourable and sinful issues the world gives? No marvel why so many Christians are overly harassed, depressed, unhappy, offended, anxious, nervous, pissed off, and even suicidal.
For this reason it’s crucial that we devour God’s Phrase repeatedly!
Proactively Filter What Your Thoughts Consumes
Simply as necessary as filling our minds with the proper issues is, we should additionally be taught to protect ourselves from consuming the flawed issues.
Since we all know that the satan targets us by way of all types of leisure (TV, films, and music), social media, the web, the information, folks, and plenty of different issues on this world, we should be taught to take the required steps to remove and keep away from a few of these outdoors influences when obligatory.
As a result of we’re all completely different, what could also be a hindrance for you will not be a hindrance for me, and vice versa. It’s all about figuring out your downside areas of affect.
A straightforward approach to do that is, is to take a while to ask your self the next questions:
- Do any of the issues I do in my free time tempt me to sin or trigger me to really feel unfavourable feelings?
- Does something I view, learn, or take heed to repeatedly tempt me to sin or trigger me to really feel unfavourable feelings?
- Do the folks I affiliate with repeatedly (in individual or just about) tempt me to sin or trigger me to really feel unfavourable feelings?
Make sure you give sufficient thought to every of the questions and be trustworthy with your self. After doing so, you can be at a very good start line to guage the belongings you repeatedly devour in your thoughts. These folks or issues which are tempting you to sin or inflicting you to really feel unfavourable feelings are issues you might want to discover methods to proactively filter out of your life.
Subsequently, since we’re surrounded by such an enormous crowd of witnesses to the life of religion, allow us to strip off each weight that slows us down, particularly the sin that so simply journeys us up. And allow us to run with endurance the race God has set earlier than us. We do that by preserving our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our religion. Due to the enjoyment ready him, he endured the cross, disregarding its disgrace. Now he’s seated within the place of honor beside God’s throne.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT
You will have to take a while away from social media. You will have to unsubscribe to some TV channels or streaming providers for some time. You might have to restrict or limit your web utilization. You might have to cease watching the information for a month (I did this as soon as, and it labored wonders for my psychological well being).
You might want to decide on new hobbies or devise alternative routes to spend your free time.
You will have some relationships that you might want to placed on pause or some folks you might want to unfollow or unfriend on social media. You will have some those that you might want to reduce out of your life altogether.
Something or anybody in your life that’s hindering your obedience and repair to God must be evaluated and handled accordingly. That’s the essence of guarding our hearts for Christ.
Pray for Knowledge to Guard Your Coronary heart
We’ve got realized that as Christians, we’ve two opposing mindsets which are at all times at work inside us and that the satan, by way of his affect on this world, targets our hearts continuously. Subsequently, guarding our hearts is important and must be our precedence.
That’s not to say that will probably be simple. The truth is, I can virtually assure that when you begin deliberately guarding your coronary heart, your sinful mindset will start to combat even tougher to regulate you. The satan will spew much more lies, and the temptation and deception from the world will enhance.
However I can even promise you that spending time in God’s Phrase repeatedly can have a profound impression that can strengthen your Christian mindset exponentially! It’s going to construct your non secular endurance, arm you with fact and discernment, and fill you with God’s peace not like anything. And the excellent news is that you just don’t must attempt to do it on their lonesome.
The struggles will come all through our complete non secular journey, however we will ask for God’s assist and knowledge alongside the best way. Considered one of my favourite verses written by the Apostle Paul is:
Don’t be concerned about something, however in each state of affairs, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, current your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 NIV
As we pay extra consideration to our ideas, establish which mindset we live by at any given second, be careful for the deception of the enemy, fill our minds with God’s Phrase, and filter what we permit our minds to devour, we are going to discover ourselves usually praying like David did:
Could the phrases of my mouth and the meditation of my coronary heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 NLT
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Demetra is a busy, self-employed, single mother who loves Jesus and is a fanatic about prioritizing her time with God! She created Within the Mirror of God to assist different Christian ladies learn the way repeatedly wanting into our non secular mirror (the Bible) equips us to domesticate a deeper relationship with God, assume biblically about all the pieces, conquer the challenges of on a regular basis life, and really take pleasure in life to the fullest, the best way God supposed. Go right here to be taught extra about her story, or go to her contact web page to ship a fast message.
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