The Bible teaches that human beings are made up of body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The heart represents the innermost part of our being – our thoughts, motives, desires, and will. Proverbs 4:23 tells us to “guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” This verse emphasizes the importance of protecting our hearts because our heart condition drives our actions, speech, relationships, and ultimately our destiny.
The heart’s central role in the human condition
According to the Bible, the heart is central to our human condition and existence. It is the source of our being from which everything else flows (Proverbs 4:23). Our heart reflects who we truly are – our character, motivations, desires, and will. Jesus said that “out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew 15:19). Sin and corruption originate from the human heart when left unguarded. That is why God examines people’s hearts rather than outward appearances (1 Samuel 16:7).
The Bible describes the heart as the seat of human personality and mind. It is the origin of our thoughts, discernment, understanding, reasoning, wisdom, and plans (Psalms 139:23, Proverbs 2:10, 15:14). Our emotions like joy, cheerfulness, anxiety, and sorrow also flow from the heart (John 14:1, Proverbs 15:13, Proverbs 12:25). The heart is also the fountain from which our attitudes, beliefs, values, ambitions, and loyalties arise. Whether we live for self or for God depends on our heart’s orientation (Matthew 6:21).
Furthermore, the spiritual condition of our heart affects our relationship with God. We can only love God with our whole heart (Deuteronomy 6:5). A heart filled with idolatry, pride, and sin leads to spiritual blindness and deafness to God’s voice (Psalms 95:8, Zechariah 7:11-12). But a heart that is fully devoted to God leads to intimacy with Him and living in His blessings (Acts 13:22). That is why Scripture exhorts us to circumcise our hearts and rend our hearts before God (Deuteronomy 10:16, Joel 2:13).
Dangers of an unguarded heart
When we fail to guard our hearts diligently, the consequences can be severe. Jesus said that it’s not external things that defile a person, but the evil flowing from within the heart (Mark 7:20-23). An unguarded heart is vulnerable to the enemy’s schemes and temptations that can lead to moral failure and bondage (2 Corinthians 2:11, 11:3). For example, David’s unguarded heart led him into a sexual sin with Bathsheba, murder, and a departure from God for a season (2 Samuel 11).
An unguarded heart can also lead us astray into false beliefs, heresy, and idolatry as we begin to follow the desires of our sinful heart (1 John 2:15-16). The Apostle Paul warns against those whose minds have been corrupted from the simplicity of the gospel because of impure hearts (2 Corinthians 11:3). When our hearts wander away from God, we can easily be enticed by the fleeting pleasures of sin, worldly values, and false philosophies contrary to Biblical truth (Mark 4:19, Colossians 2:8).
Moreover, an unguarded heart often becomes filled with pride, envy, bitterness, resentment, greed, and hatred towards others (Matthew 15:18-19). These toxic emotions erode our integrity and godly character. A corrupt heart distorts our view of others, God, and ourselves. We lose discernment between right and wrong, truth and lies. Our moral compass becomes dysfunctional as we begin justifying and rationalizing sinful behaviors that once repulsed us. Without protecting our hearts, we drift further into corruption and darkness.
How to guard your heart
Scripture offers practical guidance on how to guard our hearts diligently:
- Pray for cleansing and renewal of your heart (Psalm 51:10).
- Meditate on God’s word to shape your heart (Psalm 119:11).
- Examine your heart motives and thoughts honestly before God (Psalm 139:23-24).
- Reject and turn away from sinful desires brewing in your heart (James 1:14-15).
- Be vigilant and sober-minded against the enemy’s schemes (1 Peter 5:8).
- Avoid things that defile the heart like sexual immorality, greed, and impurity (Mark 7:21-23).
- Fill your heart with godly virtues like love, joy, peace, kindness (Galatians 5:22-23).
Ultimately, we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to guard our hearts from our own sinful nature and Satan’s attacks. As we walk in step with the Spirit, He produces His fruit in our lives and renews our hearts to desire God above all else (Galatians 5:16-17, 22-25). We must cooperate with the Spirit’s work in transforming us into Christ’s image (Philippians 2:12-13, Romans 12:2).
The blessings of guarding your heart
Diligently guarding our hearts brings tremendous blessings:
- We experience intimacy, joy, and peace in our walk with God (Psalms 73:25-26).
- We live with integrity, wisdom, and honor (Proverbs 2:6-11).
- We avoid shipwrecking our faith and lives through sin (1 Timothy 1:18-19).
- We fulfill God’s purposes as our heart motivations align with His will (Acts 13:22).
- We avoid corruption and spiritual blindness from sin (Matthew 6:22-23).
- We receive strength to withstand trials, temptations, and storms of life (Psalm 112:7-8).
- We leave a godly legacy for others to follow (1 Kings 2:1-4).
In contrast, failing to guard our hearts leads only to pain, destruction, and emptiness in the end. King Solomon concluded at the end of his pursuit of worldly pleasures that everything apart from fearing God and keeping His commandments is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Guarding our hearts until Christ returns
Guarding our hearts is a lifelong endeavor that requires diligence, sober-mindedness, and reliance on the Holy Spirit. We must continually examine our hearts and lives in light of God’s truth so that sin will not harden our hearts (Hebrews 3:12-13). This includes being watchful in prayer, renewing our minds in Scripture, fleeing temptation, and cultivating spiritual disciplines.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we look forward to the day when our hearts will be fully transformed and glorified at Christ’s return. 1 John 3:2-3 tells us that when Jesus appears, we shall be like Him because we will see Him as He is. The struggle with sin will be over, and our hearts will no longer be prone to wander. What a glorious future we have in Christ as we walk faithfully with Him now, guarding our hearts until the Day of His return.