Guarding Our Hearts at All Costs

Scripture: Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” 

When we come to Christ, we give him our hearts in worship. This lays the foundation for all that follows in life. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9–10)

As soon as we trust in Jesus Christ, alone, as our Lord and Savior, we are sealed by the Spirit of God, and we are justified and made acceptable to Almighty God. Now that we are secure in him, we are in a position to do the works he has prepared for us to do.

We are counseled to “Let the message of Christ dwell among [us] richly as [we] teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in [our] hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)

In Kingdom of God, we do this through practicing the principles embodied in SOAK, SOW, and FLOW. If our hearts are filled with his Word, it will help expel the things that would lead us astray, such as wrong attitudes, desires to sin, and the lures of the world.

The way we think, act, and talk all reflect what is in our hearts. What we nurture in our hearts will to a very large extent govern our behavior. This is why the Scripture calls us to guard our hearts above all else since it is essentially the source of everything we do.

We want to be filled with Christ and his Word. Remember, the Word of God is living and powerful. It works in those who receive it as the Word of God, not as the word of man, and trust in it.

Today, ask yourself:

Am I filling my heart with the Word of God as I am instructed to do in the Scriptures? Can you fill your heart and guard it with one or more of the Scriptures mentioned in today’s commentary?