I remember getting this advice numerous times from my leaders when I was a baby Christian. Someone would see me tweet about my crush and she would reply “uy, GYH.” And I thought to myself “does GYH mean not tweeting about my crush?” or “does it mean not having a crush at all?”

You see, I don’t remember intentionally following this even though I trust the people giving me this advice. I don’t follow not because I don’t want to but because I don’t really know why and how.

Guarding your heart is biblical. There are two scriptures that speaks of it. One tells us why, and the other one tells us how.

WHY?

“Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

Above. All. Else.

There was an obvious emphasis. The writer of Proverbs, King Solomon, is telling us to guard our hearts more than we guard anything else because it is the “wellspring of life.”

The dictionary defines wellspring as “an original and bountiful source of something.” So it’s safe to say that life flows from our hearts. Beside its literal meaning that the heart pumps blood which causes us to be alive, here’s what that scripture is telling us:

More than protecting your emotions, guarding your heart is a call to protect your character.

He didn’t say “beware of your emotions” or “don’t invest your feelings in the wrong places.” Your heart is so much more than the source your emotions, it is the core of your whole being. It is the essence of who you are. If your heart is not okay, you are not okay.

In old times, when there were rivalries across kingdoms, there were some kingdoms that would poison the wellspring of other kingdoms because they know that it was their only source of water. Hence, it will bring them to destruction and devastation. And in the same way, your wellspring is under constant attack. You wouldn’t need to guard it if it’s not.

As a follower of God, you have an enemy who enjoys seeing you fall and would do everything to steal your heart. The enemy knows its value that’s why it’s the first thing he attacks. Do you know your heart’s worth?

Your heart is so valuable that it has cost Jesus’ blood to win it back. He sees your heart worth dying for. Do you see it worth guarding?

HOW?

“Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

Paul, the writer of Philippians, tells us that by prayer, the peace of God results to a guarded heart. In other words:

Prayer is the key to guarding your heart.

The process of prayer alone will result to peace and comfort in Him.

This verse is a prayer promise, that whatever we need, we pray. And whatever the outcome, we are at peace because He alone is enough.

A guarded heart is a heart so satisfied in God that it doesn’t want anything more than His presence.

If you came here in hopes of getting practical steps to guard your heart, let me tell you this:

prayer is not only practical but also the most fundamental step to guard your heart.

But since my heart is to help people with these struggles, I’ll be posting some more articles about it. But please, if you’ve been struggling with this for a time now, go talk to your leaders