Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
I think Valentine’s Day has ruined the biblical understanding of the heart. Hear me out. On Valentine’s Day, you spend a significant amount of money and time buying gifts, dinner, and romancing your spouse. Besides the fact that this should be done regularly, the creators of this holiday added a fat angel with a bow. Cupid shoots you, and you fall in love! Nope, not how it happens. The holiday is filled with images of a heart. It is one of the first shapes kids learn. Biblically speaking, the heart involves a lot more than love. It is the locus of a person’s thoughts, will, and emotions. It is also the place where our conscience is formed. This is the reason so much of the Bible focuses on your heart. Jesus tells us the most important commandment is to love God with all your heart. This proverb encourages us to guard our hearts; older translations use the phrase “keep your heart with all diligence.” But what are we to protect our heart against? As Warren Wiersbe says, “The Bible warns us to avoid a double heart (Psalm 12:2), a hard heart (Proverbs 28:14), a proud heart (Proverbs 21:4), an unbelieving heart (Hebrews 3:12), a cold heart (Matthew 24:12), and an unclean heart (Psalm 51:10).” We guard our hearts against the dangers of sin and disobedience. We guard our hearts against the influences of satan and the world. David Guzik says, “There will be many opportunities to give our heart to a person or a path that wisdom would warn us against.” We guard our hearts by watching what we read, watch, and listen to. We protect our hearts by seeking the wisdom found in Scripture and godly counsel. We guard our hearts by opening our lives up to biblical accountability. All of this requires community. Your heart determines the course of your life. Make sure you have biblical guardrails up to direct your steps.
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Photo by Patrick Robert Doyle on Unsplash
Scott Maxon 