How To Guard Your Heart As A Christian?

How To Guard Your Heart As A Christian
How to “Guard Your Heart” (Proverbs 4:23) – Real Verse Meaning & Importance Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

  1. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.
  2. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil ( ).
  3. How does God intend for us to live? The book of beautifully takes practical matters, interweaves the spiritual, and makes life the beautiful thing God wants it to be.

When a person knows God and is right with God, they will find they live a perfectly natural, intensely practical, and deeply spiritual life all at the same time. That’s what God intends.

Contents

What does it mean to guard your heart as a Christian?

The Watchman – As I pored over Scripture, light bulbs were flipping on right and left; for nowhere in the Bible does God command us to keep or guard our hearts in our own strength. The Lord means for us to guard our hearts by filtering our emotions, desires, thoughts, and responses through his Word.

He is the watchman that protects our souls. And what’s his primary means of defense? The sword of Scripture. The task is simple: We are commanded to keep ourselves in his Word, and he keeps our hearts. keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

(Jude 21) This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 18:30) How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9) He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones.

How do you protect your heart according to the Bible?

Proverbs 4:23 says we should guard our heart with all diligence because from out of it flows the issues of life. This scripture implies that whatever we allow to enter our hearts, if not examined and evaluated properly, will undoubtedly be expressed in our lives and our actions – in positive or negative ways.

But guarding and protecting our hearts from sexual sin is becoming increasingly challenging. We’re relentlessly bombarded with sexual images seemingly wherever we turn. So, is it even possible to protect ourselves as men? I say, “Yes,” but it must be done on two levels: on a spiritual as well as a practical level.

Let’s start with the spiritual. If we want to guard and protect our hearts from sexual sin, we have to focus on three spiritual things:

How do you guard your heart in a Christian relationship?

When you read most Christian dating books, one of the key pieces of counsel they provide is to “guard your heart.” They establish that guarding your heart is an essential component of correctly pursuing any dating relationship. The verse they generally appeal to is Proverbs 4:23, which says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” However, these generalized calls to guard your heart in the midst of dating fall short in three ways:

They tell you to guard your heart, but they don’t tell you how. They tell you to guard your heart, but they don’t tell you why. They tell you to guard your heart, but they don’t tell you how long.

How do you guard your heart? If you are supposed to guard your heart in dating, how do you do it? There is only one other verse in the Bible that uses the phrase “guard your heart.” That verse gives us the answer to the question of how to guard your heart in life and, particularly, in dating.

In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul says, “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.” Paul tells us that prayer is the pathway to guarding our hearts and minds with the peace of God.

Peace comes as a comfort rooted in our trust in God that is expressed in the process of prayer. So, guarding your heart is the result of clear communication. It begins with prayer to God (as Paul lays out in Philippians 4:6-7) and overflows into communication with the other person.

In other words, the key to guarding your heart is to talk to God about the relationship before you talk to the other person about the relationship. When do hearts become unguarded? First, hearts become unguarded when you move too fast in the relationship–becoming too vulnerable too quickly. You must lay a foundation of friendship before building a house of intimacy.

Second, hearts become unguarded when you are not seeking God’s desires for the relationship. Instead of depending on your own understanding and priorities for the relationship, you must seek God’s heart. Third, hearts become unguarded when there is poor communication about the relationship.

This can include poor communication with God in prayer or poor communication with the other person in discussion. If you are too afraid to talk to either of them about an aspect of your relationship, then you probably shouldn’t be involved in it. Why do you guard your heart? To understand why you should guard your heart, you must understand what Israel would have understood Solomon to be saying in Proverbs 4:23.

Most importantly, they did not understand this passage to have anything to do with Americanized dating. While we view the heart as the seat of our emotions and our will, Israel understood the heart to be the center of the whole person—not just the source of emotions and will but also of wisdom and perspective.

  • In essence, the heart referred to who you are as a person.
  • Solomon rightly realized that what you do flows from who you are.
  • That’s why he instructs Israel to guard the heart (who you are) because the wellspring of life (what you do) flows from it.
  • Therefore, it is essential for you to guard your heart in dating because what you do in a dating relationship flows from who you are in a dating relationship.

Most books on dating treat the idea of guarding your heart as if it merely involves protecting yourself from too much intimacy with someone of the opposite sex. But guarding your heart is so much more than this! It’s a call to protect your character in all that you do.

Unless you catch this kind of vision for why you need to guard your heart, it will remain a legalistic, minimalistic endeavor in your life. How long do you guard your heart? Since most Christian dating books put such a premium on guarding your heart, the result is that it often leaves people paralyzed as a relationship develops.

Instead of following God’s leadership in how much vulnerability to allow, they seek to set up rigid boundaries on emotional, physical and spiritual intimacy. Let’s be honest—people like rigid boundaries over seeking the Lord because it seems easier; that is, until you realize it doesn’t work.

  1. Am I saying that building boundaries into a relationship in order to guard your heart is wrong? No.
  2. What I am saying is that these boundaries should flow from your relationship with God.
  3. Paul tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 that prayer, not boundaries, is the means of guarding your hearts.
  4. How you approach your relationship with God is going to directly impact how you approach your relationship in dating.

How long do you guard your heart? It depends on how you define guarding your heart. If we are talking about the type of guarding your heart implied by Christian dating books, then the answer is: guard every aspect of your relationship until God confirms it’s wise to move into deeper relational intimacy.

  1. Obviously, the only go-ahead for physical intimacy is in the context of marriage.) In other words, it’s a progressive process.
  2. But if guarding your heart means protecting who you are so that you can influence what you do, then “How long?” is the wrong question.
  3. You should always be protecting your character.

In other words, it’s a perpetual process. Guarding your heart is one of the most important yet least understood facets of Christian dating. It can paralyze you, or it can liberate you. Guarding your heart is the key to saving yourself for your future spouse in a way that honors God.

Can Christians harden their hearts?

DEVO: The Danger of a Hardened Heart The Bible says that if you can hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart. We want to keep a tender heart. I had a pastor friend years ago that attended a Billy Graham Crusade in Portland, OR, and after Billy spoke, they got in the car and were driving away.

He loved one point that Mr. Graham had made, and he turned to the back where he was seated with his son Franklin. He said, “Billy, I loved your point when you said Christ can re-sensitize your conscience,” and that’s exactly what God can do. Your heart may be a little hard, but Christ can re-sensitize your conscience and He can soften your heart.

Practical Principles The hardening of one’s heart can happen to anyone. Every time you hear the gospel, every time you hear God’s offer of forgiveness and you reject it, your heart gets a little harder. The devil’s a good imitator. He floods the market with all kinds of cheap imitations, making it harder for a person to know what the truth is.

Our world is filled with all kinds of religious ideology and gurus and self-proclaimed prophets and other religious leaders all saying they have the truth. What is the genuine article? The Christian faith. Everything else is an imitation. Pharaoh made his decision and the Lord strengthened him in it. You make your choices, then your choices make you.

But Pharaoh was culpable. Pharaoh was responsible. And if your heart gets hard, it’s because you chose to harden it yourself. One of the easiest places to get a hardened heart is in church. The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay.

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Relevant RemindersIf you face opposition all around, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing the wrong thing; it probably means you’re doing the right thing.The moment you become a Christian, you enter into a spiritual battle.There’s nothing wrong with complaining or lamenting in your prayers as long as you’re not crying out against God, but crying out to God.Sometimes the Lord will bring our gods down so we will understand there’s no god but Him.Applicable Actions

Let me ask you today, Christian, do you have a hardened heart? How do you know? One way is you just stop caring. You don’t care about your spiritual growth. You don’t care about your Christian brother or sister. You don’t care about lost people. You don’t want to worship.

How does God fix your heart?

No matter how different we are, chances are if you have a heart, at one point in your life, it has or will be broken. Maybe someone you loved betrayed you. Maybe you were rejected. Maybe you lost love in one way or another. I want to remind you today that we serve a God who is a healer and is in the business of restoring that which is broken and making it into something beautiful.

  1. In today’s video, I’m sharing 7 ways God heals a broken heart that you may find wholeness and joy once again.
  2. READ TODAY’S VIDEO: My most popular video on YouTube is called “God’s Promise for a Broken Heart.” I created that video as part of a Bible study series through the book of Psalms, not knowing that it would resonate with so many people.

No matter how different we are, chances are if you have a heart, at one point in your life, it has or will be broken. Maybe someone you loved betrayed you. Maybe you were rejected. Maybe you lost love in one way or another. Either way, when your heart is broken, it often feels like it can never be repaired.

  1. The pain, hurt and anguish may be so deep you’re tempted to think you’ll never be happy again and you will be forced to make it through the rest of your life with this heavy burden of carrying your heart around in a million pieces.
  2. I can tell you that although things may not be the same, we do serve a God who is a healer and is in the business of restoring that which is broken and making it into something beautiful.

So in today’s video, I’m sharing 7 ways God heals a broken heart that you may find wholeness and joy once again.7 WAYS GOD HEALS A BROKEN HEART

Truthful Vulnerability

The first way God heals a broken heart is with truthful vulnerability. When I say the truth, I mean our ability to admit to God that we are hurting and broken in the first place. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, we are encouraged to cast our cares on God. The verses read: “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 NKJV) Why is pouring out our hearts to God and casting our cares on Him important to our healing heart? Because healing can’t occur if we can’t admit that healing needs to happen in the first place.

  • Be it because of shame, pride, or guilt, we face the temptation when our hearts are broken to deny our brokenness.
  • In an effort to appear strong, we may act like we’re not weak.
  • We avoid vulnerability to protect ourselves from further hurt.
  • But acting like we don’t need to be healed is not healing,
  • We don’t have to be strong in front of God, but we can be honest about our hurt and brokenness with Him because a hard heart is not a healed heart,

The gift that God grants us in our relationship with Him is the ability to be honest with ourselves and Him. We can lay all our broken pieces at His altar and allow Him into the most fragile parts of our hearts. Jesus tells us it’s the truth that will set us free (John 8:32) and 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that love rejoices in the truth.

1 Corinthians 13:6) No matter how bad the situation that caused our broken heart, we can honestly take it to God knowing He can handle it with love, grace and gentleness. The second way God heals a broken heart is with forgiveness. God grants us the power to forgive those who caused our brokenness. Now you may be wondering: how can letting that person off the hook help me heal? We have to remember that forgiveness is not for the other person, but for you.

Forgiveness helps you to let go of the offense so you can heal and carry on with your life. Unforgiveness on the other hand, breeds bitterness, resentment, and prolonged anger that only further harms us. We can find the courage to forgive when we keep a few things in mind:

God called us to forgive just as we have been forgiven. (Ephesians 4:32) It is God’s desire that we remember we too need forgiving and extend that same grace. God will fight our battles for us. (Romans 12:19) It’s better to allow God’s justice to prevail than to seek out our own revenge. Forgiveness is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight, but something we experience as we seek God for strength and power. Sometimes the forgiveness we need to extend is not to another person, but to ourselves and God’s grace is available for that too.

The third way God heals a broken heart is through gratitude. Bitterness can cause us to miss how God is blessing us even in the midst of a broken heart. I think of Naomi in the book of Ruth who traveled from Moab to Israel when her husband and sons died.

  • When Naomi arrives in Israel, she told everyone not to call her Naomi anymore but to call her Mara which means bitter because, in her words: She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
  • I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty.

Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” (Ruth 1:20-21 ESV) In her bitterness, Naomi failed to realize that God blesses her with a faithful daughter in law Ruth who stayed by her side (she was not alone), it was harvest season when she arrived in Israel (she was not hungry), she had a home to go back to, (She was not lost) and God had a plan even when she couldn’t see it yet (Her God was still faithful).

  • If you’ve read the book of Ruth, you know the Lord miraculously provides for Naomi and Ruth, even in their heartbreak.
  • I know it’s hard to look on the bright side when everything feels dark.
  • When our hearts are broken, it’s easy for jealousy, resentment, bitterness and defensiveness to fester.
  • But when we take time to pause and really see how God was and is moving and protecting us, even in our heartbreak, we can move our hearts towards gratitude.

We can slowly take our focus off the pain alone and see God’s love and goodness to begin healing. The fourth way God heals a broken heart is with love, Many times, our broken hearts come from a love lost. As much as that may hurt, we can’t forget that although we may lose the love of people, we will never lose the love of God, and that is something we should cherish and never take for granted.

God is not like man. (Number 23:19) He keeps His promises, He’s faithful, and He’s beyond patient, forgiving, kind and gentle. It’s Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross that proves God’s love for us. We are loved and there is nothing anyone can do or say to ever take that away. The fifth way God heals a broken heart is with purpose.

When our hearts are broken, life can feel like a waste. We may think what good is it when we’re experiencing so much pain. But we must remember that God can turn our brokenness into beauty and our pain into purpose. Not only can God heal us, He often then uses our testimony to help others.

You are not the only one who is experiencing this type of heartache and you won’t be the last. When we trust God to bring us to healing and wholeness, we become a beacon of hope to others navigating the same dark season that they too can make it out. I’m not going to pretend to know why God has you going through a particular heartbreak, but I do know that when we lean into Him for healing, He has the power to turn any situation around for His glory and our good (Romans 8:28) because His Word says so, and His Word is always true.

The sixth way God heals a broken heart is with His presence. Psalm 34:18 tells us: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34: 18 ESV) We are so blessed to serve a God that walks with us through our valleys. Because Chrst knows suffering to the fullest, He completely empathizes with our pain.

(Hebrews 4:15) No matter how heartbroken we are, we are never alone. In fact, it is the heartbroken who God is near to. When we can quiet our souls and really pay attention, we can find healing in knowing God is always with us and He will never leave us. The more we make much of God in our hearts and believe that His presence is more than enough, we find hope despite anything we may have lost on this side of eternity.

The seventh and final way God heals a broken heart is with hope. Hope reminds us it won’t be like this forever. Roman 15:13 encourages us: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13 ESV) Hope gives us the will to keep walking in the dark until we find the light, because we believe there is light at the end of this tunnel, even if we can’t see or feel it right now.

Hope helps us not to stay stuck, but gives us reason unseen to believe the best and keep walking towards the light. And God is that light for us. He gives us reason to wake up in the morning and to continue to believe for the best. If God has given you breath today, you have hope for tomorrow because that means He’s not finished with you.

Now I’d love to hear from you Beloved. How has God helped to heal your broken heart? Let’s lift one another up in the comments. Before you go, I want to invite you to this year’s Beloved Women’s Conference, an online event filled with speakers, worship, fellowship, and more to replenish women like us who do so much for our families, churches, and communities, so we can continue to build better futures for ourselves and those we love and serve.

Learn more and join us at Belovedconference.org, For more Beloved encouragement, the Beloved women mobile app offers hundreds of Biblically encouraging videos, bible study series, and authentic sisterhood. Download the Beloved women app today in the Apple or Google Play stores to renew your mind, encourage your heart, and satisfy your soul.

If you enjoyed today’s video, please be sure to like and share with a friend because you just never know who may need some Beloved encouragement today. As always, thank you so much for watching and until next time, be beautiful, be blessed, and be loved. Christina Patterson is a Bible teacher, author, and speaker passionate about empowering women in the love of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s Word. Through sound biblical teaching and a true passion for women’s ministry, Christina is compelling women to find freedom, wholeness, and satisfaction in Jesus Christ.

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What does it mean to protect my heart?

The Purposes of Guarding Your Heart – media.rbl.ms

To keep out the people, things, and experiences that mean harm.To allow in all of the people, things, and experiences that mean well.To set a standard so others know how they must approach or (if their intentions aren’t aligned) not to approach at all.To protect your focus and freedom.

To many, guarding our hearts is a manipulative game of cat-and-mouse, always calculating to make sure that at best we don’t get hurt and at worst we hurt them first. This actually robs us of the ability to guard our hearts. Being more concerned with never getting hurt than with experiencing life and love fully and wisely, pushes us toward romantic extremism and self-sabotage.

How do you keep Jesus in your heart?

How to keep Christ in your heart, mind all year, not just during holidays The best way for me to keep Christ in my mind and heart is to include Him in my daily activities. There are some things that have helped me do that: Make Jesus a real part of my personal prayers.

  • I know that without Jesus and His atoning sacrifice, the door could not be opened and I would not be able to return to live with Heavenly Father.- Make Jesus a part of my every-day decisions.
  • Long ago in Primary, I was taught to make decisions by asking myself what Jesus would do in similar circumstances.

I have to make decisions every day. Choosing what He would do not only helps me make the right decisions, but also affords me daily opportunities to include Him in my life. Share Jesus with others each day. This is easily done as we verbally give Him credit for our happiness and blessings.

Instead of telling my friends, “I’m sure glad that,, ” I like to say, “My Savior sure has blessed me with,,” Pray and study to understand the atonement. This makes Jesus a partner when partaking of the sacrament, attending temple sessions, participating in other priesthood ordinances or attending Church meetings.

Remember Jesus as you look at His creations. I see Jesus as I walk outdoors, as I look at my children and my eternal wife and even as I look in the mirror. Jesus created everything that is good, even me. Serve others. As we serve others, we are serving our God.

Remember Jesus as we strive for perfection. The only way to reach perfection, as the scriptures command us to do, is in Jesus Christ. He is the only way to Father. Our exaltation depends on keeping Christ in our heart and mind at all times. – Michael W. Fritchen, Fort Leavenworth, Kan. What we did: Gift of life One Christmas I received a little keepsake from a lesson in Church.

On this card was written a beautiful message that I will never forget and have used many times in my life. The message was this: “Your life is a gift from God; what you do with that life is your gift to God.” When special people in our lives give us gifts, we like to thank them.

How can we thank our Savior for all He has given us? By giving our lives to Him, by serving and loving others, trying our best to live the commandments each day, following Christ’s example in all we do. We need to give each day to the Lord, just as He has given us each new day. Don’t let a day pass without remembering the great gifts our Savior has given us, and most of all don’t let a day pass without showing your gratitude for those gifts.

If we remember to do this, Christ will always be in our thoughts and hearts. – Sherrie Robinson, Sao Lourenco, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil Christlike love The key for me has been the words of Moroni in chapter seven. He says in verse 47: “But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.” We can be assured of the Savior’s love forever as one who has served us, redeemed us and purchased us with His blood.

Verse 48 says: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ.” The pure love of Christ is a gift for which we can ask in prayer with all energy of heart and we can receive when we are true disciples.

This love will bless our lives with peace, comfort and a great sense of well-being. This love will then bless the lives of those with whom we come in contact because we will be able to see others as the Savior sees them.

  • It is a challenge to seek this gift of love that will bring abundant spiritual blessings and joy throughout the year. – Ann Kartchner-Hauley, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • `Peace of God’
  • The three ways I use are the following:

Reading the scriptures. I study and ponder them often. Even only a verse gives a spiritual thought for the day and something to ponder at night should sleep be elusive. Praying. This is our most vital link with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

(See D&C 42:16 and John 17:3.) Listening to music and talks. Christmas music, tapes, videos and other media that pertain to Christmas renew the feelings enjoyed during the holidays and draw me closer to our Savior. All of these strengthen my testimony and bring me joy – “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” (Philip.4:7.) – Virginia A.

Terribilini, Penngrove, Calif. Daily scripture study To keep Christ in our hearts and minds all year, not just during the holidays, we must study the scriptures daily, not just one but all of them. Christ is in every sacred book. We must attend our meetings.

  • Here we learn more of Christ and receive spiritual uplift for the week.
  • Listen to inspirational music.
  • Watch the glories of God’s world – the birds, the animals, growing things, the glistening snow and the towering mountains.
  • Above all, pray daily to your Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ and thank Him for His goodness and mercy.

He will listen and be with you every day. – Gilda Sims, Evanston, Wyo. Christmas in July Having been married only a few weeks, I followed my new husband to a small town where he was attending the university. I went to work immediately in a local hospital where I met a most incredible woman.

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She taught me a great lesson in regard to the Christmas spirit. It was a hot July morning, and I was feeling especially lonely for family and friends. There in the corner of Mary’s hospital room was the most beautiful Christmas tree that I had ever seen. Mary explained to me that this year she would not be around to enjoy the Christmas season.

She had simply decided that she would have her Christmas in July. That was 23 years ago, but a July never passes that I do not think of Mary and that wonderful Christmas feeling that she shared with me during a very lonely time. I have learned that the Christmas spirit can be felt any time of the year.

It is a feeling that we nurture in our hearts and then cannot help but share with those around us. – Constance E. Stull, Milwaukie, Ore. Warmth of His love Feeling the warmth of my Savior’s love on a regular basis comes from developing a close relationship with Him via keeping His commandments, praying and studying the scriptures, attending Church faithfully and committing and being willing to do all He asks of me as far as in my power.

As the Lord thus begins to teach us spirit-to-spirit and we marvel at what we learn and how He is working in our lives, we feel His love and know that it is indeed the most pure and delicious fruit there is. This love of Him and feeling His love for us can keep us warm and “Christmasy” all year round.

  1. How to checklist:
  2. 1 Involve Christ in your daily life; live the gospel.
  3. 2 Develop charity, the pure love of Christ; serve others.
  4. 3 Express, show daily your gratitude for God-given gifts.
  5. 4 Remember the Savior as you look at, enjoy His creations.
  6. WRITE TO US:

Dec.23 “How to feel peace and contentment today, rather than always looking to the future for happiness.” Dec.30 “How to apply the two great commandments (love of God, love of fellowman) in your life.” Jan.6 “How to increase gospel knowledge through daily study of the Book of Mormon.” Jan 13 “How to help yourself or a loved one break the cycle of compulsive behavior.” Jan.20 “How to help young people want to dress modestly and with dignity.” Jan.27 “How to be more effective in your occupation.” Had any good experiences or practical success in any of the above subjects? Share them with our readers in about 100-150 words.

Write the “How-to” editor, Church News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110, send fax to (801) 237-2121 or use internet E-mail:, Please include a name and phone number. Contributions may be edited or excerpted and will not be returned. Due to limited space, some contributions may not be used; those used should not be regarded as official Church doctrine or policy.

Material must be received at least 12 days before publication date. : How to keep Christ in your heart, mind all year, not just during holidays

How do I know if my heart is hardened towards God?

What are the 7 signs of a hardened heart? – A hardened heart is basically a heart that is unmoved by things others would be compassionate about. It is a heart that is rebelling against God. But, there’s more. Here is a list of 7 strong warning signs that a heart has hardened and needs repair:

  • Lack of ability to perceive, remember, or grasp events or ideas coming from God.
  • Insensitivity to sin, sinfulness.
  • Failure to follow God’s commands, the way of Jesus, the voice of the Holy Spirit.
  • Arrogance and pride.
  • One is easily offended, resentful, lacks ability to forgive.
  • Indifference to the Word of God.
  • Unbelief, drawing away from God.

And, if we think a hardened heart only occurs in someone who does not believe in God or perhaps in the most notorious of hardened hearts owners, Pharaoh, we’re mistaken. Yes, Pharaoh was the ruler described in the Book of Exodus in the Bible who would not let the Israelites leave their slavery and his country, Egypt.

What did Jesus say about the heart?

As Jesus is giving His famous sermon on the mount, He says is, ‘ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God ‘ (Mt.

What does it mean to protect my heart?

The Purposes of Guarding Your Heart – media.rbl.ms

To keep out the people, things, and experiences that mean harm.To allow in all of the people, things, and experiences that mean well.To set a standard so others know how they must approach or (if their intentions aren’t aligned) not to approach at all.To protect your focus and freedom.

To many, guarding our hearts is a manipulative game of cat-and-mouse, always calculating to make sure that at best we don’t get hurt and at worst we hurt them first. This actually robs us of the ability to guard our hearts. Being more concerned with never getting hurt than with experiencing life and love fully and wisely, pushes us toward romantic extremism and self-sabotage.

What does the Bible mean by Guard your heart above all else?

‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ (The Bible–Proverbs 4:23) It would require more than a complete lifetime to fully grasp the wisdom found in the Proverbs. Fortunately we can glean some of the wisdom found there with just a little focus.

  • We begin our August exploration of the Proverbs with Proverbs 4:23.
  • Please take a moment to read it again.
  • Read it slowly one phrase at a time.
  • Above all elseguard your heartfor everything you do flows from it.
  • Whether we realize it or not, most of the things we do in life flow from our inner beliefs.
  • We don’t always act in harmony with what we SAY.

We don’t always act in harmony with our PLANS. But we nearly always act in a way that reflects our inner beliefs, our core beliefs. I think that with rare exception, people behave in a way that’s consistent with what they believe. Someone long ago put it like this: Belief determines behavior.

It begins with a warning. Above all else, guard your heart. The word ‘heart’ does not refer to the muscle in our chest that pumps blood. It refers to the essence of the self. The center of our total personality. It refers to who we are at core. The real you. The real me. When we say that someone has a ‘big heart,’ we mean they’re generous or kind. That’s their personality. When we say someone has ‘heart,’ we mean they care. It’s their personality. We often contrast the head and the heart when we speak. We say, ‘His head told him to go ahead, but his heart had the final say.’ We understand well enough that our actions are more likely to flow from our heart than from our head. Even when we respond seemingly from the head—it’s really our heart’s desire that spurs us into action.

So the Proverb says that we should guard our heart. And we should guard it above all else. But why? The answer comes in the next phrase For everything you do flows from it. Our heart is the motivator if not the determiner of our actions. It’s the deciding factor in whether we go or stay, whether we continue or stop, whether we buy or sell, whether we work or rest.

If our heart (our inner emotional and true self) is what motivates us to do what we do—then how very important it is that we guard that heart. Mostly we must guard our heart from harmful beliefs. Remember, we act out of our core beliefs. So by guarding the heart, we shield it from harmful beliefs. But what are harmful beliefs?

Beliefs that are not true about ourselves Beliefs that are not true about others Beliefs that are harmful to others Beliefs about the world that are not true Beliefs about people that are not true

It’s really quite simple. If what we do flows from our heart—our inner and true self. If our heart believes what is not right, or not true, or not helpful, or not beneficial—then our ACTIONS will reflect the same. We guard our heart so we will act out of what is right and true and good.

The other day I was on the phone with a computer technician, trying to resolve a computer issue. At one point the technician had me type in my screen name so we could share the screen for the diagnosis. But there was no response. And it made me angry and frustrated.

The technician said, ‘Why don’t you double check your screen name, you may have typed it incorrectly.’ I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, right, a name I’ve typed 1,000 times is incorrect!’ But I looked anyway. Sure enough, I had typed it incorrectly. OOPS! The fact is, the computer was responding PRECISELY to the command I gave it.

And sure enough, we nearly always respond according to the way our heart commands us. That’s why it’s so important to guard your heart above all else.for everything you do flows from it. Now that we’ve gotten to the heart of the matter, take heart. Have a heart with others.

It will do your heart good. Cross my heart. And by the way, this would be an excellent Proverb for you to learn by heart. → You can receive Quotation Celebration automatically in your email inbox by clicking the “follow” button at the bottom of this screen and leaving your email address. →If you have comments—feel free to share them.

Thank you for reading Quotation Celebration. Copyright © 2016 by Samuel Rodenhizer A ll Rights Reserved : ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ (The Bible–Proverbs 4:23)