The Proverbist taught that we must prioritize protecting and guarding our heart. While it is very important to guard our physical organ called heart, Proverbs 4:23 actually speaks about your spiritual heart, your inner man, your soul, your mind, will and emotions. In the same way that if the natural heart stops beating, the body cannot exist, so we need a healthy heart to live. The spiritual heart must also be guarded with all diligence, because “out of it are the issues of life” (ASV). Another version says “for it is the source of life”(HBSC). Romans 10:8-10 reveals that in order to be saved, one must believe with the heart and confess with the mouth. Notice that several facets of the spiritual heart are included there, mainly, the mind and the mouth. So the Scriptures are not speaking about the physical organ, but your spiritual heart, the real you. One of the ways to guard your heart is found in Phillipians 4:7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving allows the peace of God to guard our hearts and minds. This must not be a once in a while practice. It needs to be a daily discipline and part of your love walk with God in Christ. Thanksgiving might just be a national holiday that is celebrated once a year for many. But for us, it is part of the way that we guard our spiritual hearts each and every day!
Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life”
