Our hearts shape our whole lives, so they are worth guarding carefully.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)
What does “Guard your heart” mean in Proverbs 4:23?
In Hebrew thought the heart is the center of thinking, feeling, and choosing. Issues here means the sources or springs, so the verse says life flows out from the heart.
Going deeper
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. A father is giving his son advice, and he puts this above all other instructions. Every word we say, every choice we make, and every habit we form begins in the heart. If the source is polluted, the stream will be too. That makes the heart the most important thing to protect.
Guarding the heart is not the same as hiding from the world. It means paying attention to what we let in and what we let take root: what we watch, what we read, whom we spend time with, and which thoughts we allow to settle. Try asking each evening what you took in that day and how it affected your heart. Then make one adjustment. Add something that fills you with truth and peace, and take away something that stirs up bitterness or fear.
Reflect
What is one thing you could add or remove to guard your heart better this week?
Pray
Lord, help me to guard my heart with all diligence. Fill it with what is true and good, and keep out what harms it. In Jesus' name, amen.
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