Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Proverbs 4:23
Our culture teaches us to follow our heart. We see something we want, and rationalize and justify whatever it takes to claim it. We see that all the time in broken marriages, relationships, business practices, politics. We bend truth or redefine it, reject godly principles and replace them with new, self-centered values.
Think about the new words and phrases that have crept into our culture’s daily use and what the real underlying message is:
pro-choice
misspeak
political correctness
quality of life
alternative lifestyle
pragmatic harm reduction
assisted suicide
We want what we want and we want it now and we don’t care what we have to do to get it.
Our hearts are deceptive. They lie to us all the time. We see people compromise truth in every arena of life and witness the results all around us: broken marriages, shattered families, addictions, business scams, political maneuvering, wars.
Predators frequently use social media and appeal to the hearts of vulnerable, young girls (and boys) searching for love. They cast the net, draw their victims in, entrapping them in bondage.
When we let down our guard, temptations pour in. We become what our minds dwell upon.
“Everyone is doing it.”
“No one is going to know.”
“No one is going to get hurt.”
“I have a right to do what I want.”
God made us to love. The commandment to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength protects our hearts. When He is the center of our lives, we surrender our hearts completely to God, and He gives us the desires of our hearts in ways that far exceed our expectations.
Guard your heart. Love the Lord. If you do, God will protect, guide, and fill your life with purpose and blessings.