Guard your heart

In Proverbs 4:23 the Bible says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." When I think of guarding, I think of the middle ages. I think of a treasure guarded in a stone castle with a moat surrounding and a thick wall. Something that is guarded is not readily available and not easily seen. It is protected and kept secure. We are to guard our hearts.

Why are we to guard our hearts? Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked..." Our hearts are fickle and easily swayed. We cannot trust them. That is why our hearts need to be guarded.

This is completely counter to our present society. In movies, books and television, we are constantly told to follow our hearts. Unfortunately when we do this, we do not encounter the happy endings we see in movies. We are left with baggage, single mothers and broken families. Following our hearts is not the reality media portrays. In contrast to following our hearts, the Bible cautions us to guard our hearts. Do not put them out there. Do not wear your heart on a sleeve. Guard it. Keep it secure. Song of Solomon 8:4 cautions "do not stir up nor awaken love" until it is time. When is it time? When the Lord says it is. We will only know if we are connected to Him. May God give us the courage to follow His way and not the world's.

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