We often hear the phrase follow your heart, in fact it is cliché! But ever wondered what the Bible says about the heart? and what does the verse guard your heart mean? Join me as we explore this further.
What does the Bible say about our hearts
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
Since the heart is deceptive, following our hearts does not seem to be very good idea. Following it blindly can be dangerous. When we become christian, or get saved, God changes our hearts and we begin to fear him (see Proverbs 28:14).
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. The question then is how do we guard or hearts? That is what this blog post seeks to answer.
How do we guard our hearts?
1. Staying in Prayer
Jesus in Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.
jesus often withdrew fom the crowds to pray. If Jesus who did not sin, the son of God prayed, how much more should we pray? May God strengthen us to pray without ceasing.
Spending time in prayer changes us. It has often been said prayer changes things. And I believe it to be true completely, but not only does prayer change things, it changes us. As we cast our cares unto the Lord through prayer we find His peace that surpasses all understanding. As we surrender to his leading, we are led and find direction for our lives.
2. Be Led by the Holy Spirit
One of the ways we guard our hearts is not grieving the Holy Spirit but allowing Him to lead us.
Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. How do we grieve the Holy Spirit? By constantly ignoring or despising his leading when He speaks to our conscience or through the Scriptures. This what happens when we sin; we grieve the Holy Spirit.
God’s will is for him to lead our lives and the Holy Spirit does this work in our lives. He instructs us in teh way we should go.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you.
Let us not be stiff necked or rebel against the Spirit of God in our lives because then we
Psalms 32:8-9 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt fo: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding; whose muth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest hey come near unto thee.
3. Keep godly friends
Godly friends steer us towards God. They help us draw closer to Him. My dad often warned me about the dangers of wrong company and how they can cause us to depart from the ways of the Lord.
He would tell me stories of people he grew up who were influenced negatively by their friends and they led them astray and unfortunately most of them left them to pick up the pieces of their ruined lives.
Paul offers a warning for us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 when he says bad company destroys good morals.
Proverbs 13:20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
4. Keep God’s Word in my heart
Study the Scriptures and memorizing the verses guards our heart from evil influences. As we read it daily, our attitudes and preferences begin to change. I found that I become less interested in ungodly films and music as I read the word of God.
At first, I never seem to see any change but the more I read, studied the word and prayed, I enjoyed his presence more and films with ungodly themes made me uncomfortable and I stopped watching them. God’s word once in a while pops into my mind when I find myself in different circumstances (both good and bad) and it is usually what I need for that moment.
5. Purpose like Daniel not to defile myself
Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself (Daniel 1:8-16).
I learn from Daniel the importance of making this decision. He chose to make pleasing God his main goal even when it would offend the king. He believed that go would help him through this. He relied on God’s faithfulness. Make a deliberate decision before challenging situation to live in holiness.
Today, it is increasingly difficult today to make this intention and we will all be tested but God gives us his holy Spirit to help us and the strength to live in holiness.
Conclusion
How do I guard my heart? Is it even possible? Yes, it is possible to guard our hearts, God’s word provides us with the tools and the Holy Spirit which enables us to.
The 5 ways we have looked at are staying in prayer, being led by the Holy Spirit, keeping godly friends, keeping God’s word in our hearts and purposing like Daniel not to defile ourselves.
Jesus taught us perfectly well when He said You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind (Matthew 22:37). The bottom line is if we love our Lord we will do what pleases him and when we do so, we then are able to guard our hearts.
Any other ways I missed out? Please feel free to share it below.
Other Related Content:
- How do I trust God when times are hard?
- How To Deal With Anxiety And Worry The Christian Way
- What does The Bible Say About Debt?
- How To Live Well With Your Neighbour
Shalom
