What it Means to be a Disciple: Guarding Your Heart

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." – Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

Basically, you can group people into two categories – those who make lists and those who do not. The “list makers” are those people who prepare a list everyday of what they need to accomplish. These people usually take great pride in checking off the things they do each day. Other people detest lists and try their best to remember the important things on their schedule without being bound to a “to do” list. No matter which category you fall in, a thriving Christian needs to make guarding his/her heart a daily activity. God’s word tells us in Proverbs 4:23 that the rest of life -- “everything you do” --  depends on this one thing.

What does it mean to guard the heart? We guard our hearts by choosing the things we focus upon. Just like a basketball player carefully guards the ball, trying his or her best to keep the ball away from opponents, Christians must diligently protect the heart. Take note of things that encourage or discourage your spiritual walk. Work to avoid anything that discourages your faith in Jesus Christ – this could be certain friends, certain websites, certain movies, etc. Jesus said that this world “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” but that He came that we “may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Guarding our hearts requires us to identify things that influence our hearts and carefully select only those which encourage our faith in Jesus Christ. Make it a point to guard your heart today.