Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
PROVERBS 4:23
Protecting our heart is so important that the Bible tells us to guard it above all that we guard! In the Hebrew, this word guard alludes to a very aggressive protest. So, it’s not like the kind of guarding you might do when someone is trying to take a bite of your hamburger; it’s the kind of bulldog tenacity by which you guard the last few bites of your piece of dark chocolate cheesecake!
It’s no wonder God gives us such strong advice because our destiny flows directly out of our hearts. When our hearts are healthy, whole, and right with God, then it won’t be difficult to keep our destiny on course. But if we let down our guard and allow bitterness, unforgiveness, lust, greed, fear, or anxiety to take root, our hearts will become clogged, thus slowing or potentially halting our ability to flow smoothly from one season to the next. It’s time to take an inventory of what kinds of things we might be harboring in our hearts. We must allow the Holy Spirit to bring healing to every part.
If we keep our hearts locked up with toxic thoughts and emotions, they will become diseased and damage our every decision and interaction. Sometimes we respond in certain ways to certain situations and are not even sure why. If we take the time to examine our hearts, we will often find that the root cause of a particular reaction stems from an unresolved issue there. We must remember that the goal of our faith is not behavior modification but heart transformation. If we allow the Holy Spirit access to every area of our heart, we will see results in every area of life.
MOMENT OF REFLECTION
What area of your heart needs healing?