Through the psalmist, God instructs us in Proverbs 4:23 to make it a top priority in our lives to guard our hearts. He tells us that everything we do flows from our hearts. As women, we pick up on this very early, and it’s mostly because in the beginning of our foray into significant relationships, we give our hearts away very easily. It’s not until heartbreak and betrayal that we learn we need to be more discerning and wiser when it comes to who we give our hearts to. Some of us go a little overboard with guarding our hearts because we haven’t learned to do it God’s way. We put up walls of fear that behave like a shield. The thing we fail to realize is that not only does the wall of fear we’ve put up around our hearts keep the bad ones away, but it also keeps the good ones away as well.
We not only build walls to keep harmful relationships with men at a distance, but some of us also do this with other friends or family relationships as well. When someone hurts us, we feel it’s best to keep ourselves separated from them. If someone dislikes us or we dislike them, we don’t want them anywhere around us, but Jesus Christ never behaved this way, and he is our example. The way he lived and loved people when he walked this earth is the pattern that you and I, as his followers, should be applying to our own lives.
The wisdom of Proverbs 3:1(NLT) says, “My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart.” This is the way we guard our hearts according to God’s standards. He instructs us to store His Word in our hearts. It’s living the Word, it’s digesting it, and meditating on it that guards our hearts. When we do as God commands, He will make sure that we are protected. Our responsibility, privilege, and call is to do the Word, to put it on in our hearts and minds every chance we get. Proverbs 3:2 tells us that if we store God’s Word in our hearts, we will live many years and our lives will be satisfying. This is His promise!
Then He instructs us in Proverbs 3:3(NLT), “Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.” We are to write God’s Word on the tables of our hearts so that it never departs. We are to wear the loyalty and kindness of our Master Jesus around our necks so that we have an ever-present reminder of who we are in him. This is how the heart should be guarded, it should guarded with the love of Christ.
The amount of people that were against Jesus Christ and came after him was absolutely astounding. He is the embodiment of our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ walked in the Father’s love every second of each day. If anyone had a right to wall themselves off from people, it was him, but he didn’t do this. Christ did not build a wall against or away from those that rejected him, instead he loved them all. God’s goal for every believer is to demonstrate this level of love. Through the Apostle Paul, Heavenly Father instructs us in 1Corinthians 11:1 to be imitators of Christ, even when it comes to those who do not like us.
This isn’t the easiest thing for some of us today. Our first instinct is to sever ourselves from anyone that means us no good. And yes, indeed there are those that are not helpful to our journey forward in the Lord, and we need to keep a safe distance, but we must never close our hearts to anyone. We must remember that God allows interactions with certain individuals for a reason. Even if it is a brief interaction or encounter, we have the privilege to pray for the person’s salvation and ask the Lord to work in such a way that His Will is done in this person’s life.
Jesus Christ said about us in Matthew 5:13(NLT), “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” We must never lose the flavor of Godliness that God has given us through Christ. Our whole reason for being on the earth is to fulfill God’s purpose and do the things He has called us to do. Everyone isn’t going to be nice to us, some will be very mean towards us. They hate the light of Christ that shines in our hearts, but we must always remember that God’s love is powerful. If we make the choice to love through Christ, with wisdom and compassion, and not wall ourselves off, we will see God’s power manifest in an undeniable way.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
“Protect Your Heart through God’s Word”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.