Guarding Your Heart

Guarding Your Heart

Our heart determines the outcome of our life, therefore we all should learn how to guard our heart.

Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

1.   Why should we guard or keep our heart?
Because out of it comes the issues or outcome of our life.
Issues: outcome, result, decision
Our decisions come from our heart, therefore who we become as a person comes from our heart.

Matthew 15:18-19 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

        We don’t want to be defiled.
“Garbage in, garbage out”=If you put good things IN your heart, good things will come OUT, if you put BAD things your heart bad will come out.

2.   How are we to guard our heart according to Prov. 4:23?
With diligence: Steady, earnest, energetic effort, painstaking
Steady-Have daily time with God in prayer and Bible reading
Earnest effort-Memorize verses (This puts good garbage in)
Painstaking-Cut out things that hurt your heart (bad garbage)


3.   How else can we guard our heart?
Prov. 4:24 “Put away a forward mouth and perverse lips” 
Forward=disobedient, willful, intentional
Perverse=Corrupt, turned away from what is right or good

James 1:26-27 “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”

Guard our words (You can say things that aren’t true about yourself until you really believe its true but in reality its not who you are, you are deceiving yourself).

Jeremiah 17:9-10 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.
        Don’t go by feelings, trust God.

Psalm 139:23-24 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.


Ask God to show you your heart.  And then be willing to change when He shows you your sin.  Do this self-checkup often.


4.   How can we guard our heart while dating?

Song of Solomon 3:5 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Don’t stir up love before marriage (ex. When dating a week saying ‘Are you gonna marry him? Have you kissed him yet? Talking of your future life together too soon is NOT guarding your heart.)
Staying pure.  Not asking how far is too far, but how pure is too pure?  “Kiss” means to ignite, arouse, awaken.
Watch what you talk about, dream about, think about. Be careful what kind of movies you are watching.  Do they leave you daydreaming about an unrealistic Prince Charming?

5.   How can we guard our heart while married?
Be open and honest with your spouse about everything.
Pray over your marriage for protection daily.
Date your spouse and keep the fire burning.

6.   How can we guard our heart as a Christian?
Garbage in, garbage out.  Watch what you are putting in your heart through media, television, movies, magazines, books and put good things in your heart through devotions, godly influences, etc.

Prov. 4:25-27 25 Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.

        Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Don’t get distracted.

“You will be the same ten years from now as today except for what books you read and the people you hang out with.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.”  Bad company corrupts good character!

So let’s guard our hearts by guarding our mouths and minds.  Guard what is coming into your life so that there will be purity flowing out of your life. 😊

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