4 Ways to Guard Your Heart

The Bible tells believers to guard their hearts, but what does that mean and how can we practically do that? In today’s video, Christina shares 4 biblical ways to guard your heart. Enjoy!

Our hearts, not the physical muscle pumping blood through our bodies, but the heart of our being that makes up our desires, thoughts, and motivations is frequently referenced in the Bible.

• We’re told to seek and love God with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13 and Matthew 22:27)
• It’s in our hearts that we make our plans (Proverbs 16:9)
• It’s through our hearts that we believe and are saved (Romans 10:10) 
• It’s in our hearts where Christ’s peace is allowed to rule (Colossians 3:15)
• It’s the heart that God looks at to judge man (1 Samuel 16:7)

With so much capacity that the heart holds, Proverbs gives this wisdom:

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

It’s our heart that gives us courage and strength to do and endure many things in life,and at the same time, it’s our heart that can be the most delicate and fragile part of our being. 

The plans we make, the words we speak, and the actions we do all start in our hearts. What’s in our heart is what will manifest in our lives.

This is why the scripture tells us that we should diligently guard this part of our being because it’s our heart that sets the path for everything in our lives. 

Think about it. You haven’t achieved anything good or bad that you haven’t decided to do first in your heart. It’s very important that we take heed to the scriptures when they tell us to guard our hearts. As I shared before, it’s with our heart that Jesus tells us to love God. So when I say guard our hearts, it means preventing our hearts from leading us away from God and His perfect will.

So, here are 4 biblical ways we can guard our hearts.

1. Watch what you hear.

The Bible is clear that believing comes by first hearing the Gospel. What you hear has a significant impact on what you believe in your heart and in turn, how you act out on that belief. Think of a runner who selects upbeat music to inspire them to run faster, stronger,or longer. They understand that what they hear impacts how they perform. What we listen to, whether it’s advice from a friend, a sermon on the internet, or our own thoughts in our heads have the power to influence our hearts and in turn, the direction of our lives. If we want to protect our hearts, we must ensure that what we are listening to is in alignment with God’s truth. 

2. Watch what you see.

We are visual creatures and must be aware of what the Bible calls the lust of the eyes. (1 John 2:16) This is our desire for the things of this world. The Bible, however, tells us to walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) If we are too distracted looking at all the things the world glorifies, our hearts may soon turn to them. We see this with the Israelites in the Old Testament and their struggle with false idols made by the hands of men. They wanted a God they could see. They wanted a God they could control, which then turned their hearts away from the One True Living God. So to guard our hearts, we must remember God is greater than what is only seen. We must not make idols to fill the void in our hearts that only God can satisfy.  We do this by looking to Him. We behold His beauty as King David, a man after God’s own heart, did in Psalm 27:4 when he says:

“One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.” (Psalm 27:4 ESV)

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, as we’re instructed to do in Hebrews 12:2,  we guard our hearts against the fleeting and temporary desires of this world.

3. Watch what you say. 

The words that come out of your mouth are indicators of the condition of your heart. Too often, we fail to realize how powerful our words are. But think about it. We are made in the image of the God who spoke creation into being. Our words are powerful not because of what we say, but because of the source of those words which reflect our heart and intention.

Jesus teaches:

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 ESV)

When we watch what we say, we gain a clear understanding of the condition of our hearts.

• Complaining speech may be a sign of an ungrateful heart.
• Sarcastic speech may be a sign of a bitter, unforgiving, or cynical heart.
• Overly critical speech may be a sign of a prideful heart. 

If our words reveal any negativity in our hearts, we can take the matter to God and allow Him to then transform our hearts. 

4. Watch what you think.

Just like our words, our thoughts have so much power over our lives. A simple thought can make our hearts glad, like when I think of my kids, or frustrated like when I think of all the things I didn’t get done yesterday that I planned to do. We can see the connection between our thoughts and the condition of our hearts in Philippians 4:6-7 that reads:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7 ESV)

Anxious thoughts prevent the peace of God from guarding our hearts. When we take our minds to a place that we can’t control, we become open to more emotional and mental attacks. But when we pray, recognize that although we are not in control and God is, and remain thankful, God’s peace will guard our hearts. 

Guarding our hearts does not mean being hard-hearted and cold. It means  surrendering our hearts to God’s will and plan for our lives, because there is no safer place for your heart than the will of God. He can and will protect your heart more than anyone else. 

Now I’d love to hear from you, Beloved. What steps are you taking to guard your heart? Let’s encourage each other in the comments.

Want to learn more about overcoming an anxious heart and living a life of less worry and more faith? Join Beloved Women to receive my free video Bible study called “Worry-Free” to learn the 3 lies feeding your worry and the truth to keep in our heart to set you free. Download for free today at belovedwomen.org.

If you liked this video, I also want to invite you to check out my video Bible study series “Matters of the Heart '' a Bible study on emotional wellness through the book of Psalms. Click here to learn more and study with me.

As always, thank you so much for watching! Until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and beloved.