Living By Faith Blog

Icon

Biblical, battle-tested, real-life help for "living by faith in the Son of God" (Galatians 2:20). — Steve Fuller

How to Guard Your Heart

Heart Monitor from Publisher Clipart

Guard Your Heart

This morning I met with some men who are committed to strengthening each other’s faith in Christ.

We talked about how important it is to guard our hearts, based on Proverbs 4:23 –

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (NIV)

Here is how the ESV translates it —

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Here is what we saw from this verse —

See the Importance of Your Heart

The heart is crucial because it is the wellspring of life, which means that everything you are and do flows from the heart.

So if your heart is worried about money, or jealous towards someone, you should not ignore it.

You should not grit your teeth, pretend that everything is fine, and get on with your day – because your worry or jealousy will flow out of your heart in sinful words, attitudes, and actions.

That’s why we must keep watch over our hearts with all vigilance.

Be Aware of Your Heart Condition

To keep watch over your heart you must be aware of what is happening in your heart. You must notice what you are feeling.

Specifically, you must notice when you are not feeling peace or joy in the Lord, because either of those show a problem with your faith.

They show that there is some promise in God’s word that you are not trusting.

For example, yesterday morning I got an email which caused my heart to fill with fear and worry.

At times like that it’s tempting to say “Don’t be concerned.  Everyone worries from time to time.  After all, fear is a natural emotion.”

But God’s word says that fear or worry shows that sinful unbelief is growing in my heart (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:40).  And sinful unbelief is serious.

Imagine that you go to the doctor because of pain in your heart.  The doctor takes x-rays, notices a shadow next to your heart, but misinterprets that shadow.

Instead of understanding that this shadow is a dangerous tumor, and removing it surgically, he concludes that this shadow is just a normal part of the heart, and sends you home.

That could cost you your life.

So we must learn to notice what we are feeling in our hearts, and we must understand those feelings biblically.

But that’s not all. It is also crucial to –

Take Steps to Change Your Heart

That’s what the psalmist does in Psalm 42:5 –

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him.

The psalmist is keeping watch over his heart with all vigilance, so he notices that his heart is feeling cast down and in turmoil.

But not only does he notice what he is feeling, he understands these feelings biblically.

The reason I say that is because he calls himself to “hope in God.”  In other words, he understands that his discouragement and turmoil show that he is not hoping fully in all of God’s promises.

So he notices what he is feeling, he understands these feelings biblically, and he urges himself to put his hope in God’s promises.

But How?

We can’t move from discouragement to hope just by urging ourselves to do so.  And the psalmist knows this.

That’s why, in Psalms 42 and 43 (they are connected) —

  • he pours out his soul before God, admitting how he is really feeling (Psalm 42:4)
  • he prays for God’s light and truth to change his heart (Psalm 43:3-4)
  • he reminds himself of God’s past faithfulness (Psalm 42:4, 6-7)
  • he assures himself that in spite of his unbelief, God will be merciful (Psalm 42:8, which God can do because Jesus was punished for our sins)
  • he meditates on God’s promises (Psalm 42:5, 8, 11; Psalm 43:4,5)

So that’s what I did yesterday morning —

  • I poured out my soul before God, admitting how fearful and worried I was
  • I asked God for more of his heart-changing power
  • I reminded myself of ways God has been faithful in the past
  • I assured myself that because of Jesus’ death, God fully forgives and welcomes me (1 John 1:7)
  • I meditated on promises that touched on my fear and worry (like Romans 8:28; Psalm 50:15; Jeremiah 29:11)

As I set my heart on who God promised to be, I could feel the Spirit change my heart.

My fear and worry subsided.  Peace and joy in Christ grew.  My unbelief was overcome.

That’s why it is so important to guard your heart.

Questions? Comments?

I’d love to hear them, although I might not be able to respond.  Leave a reply below —   thanks.

If you know someone this would help, email it to them using the “email” button below.  Or use the other buttons to share it on your favorite social media.

If you would like to interact with others who are seeking to live by faith in Christ,  visit our Forums page.

If you would like to receive a Saturday email summarizing the week’s posts — go to the top right of this page, fill in your email address, and click the “Submit” button.  (I will only use your email address for Living By Faith Blog communications, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)

And here are some related posts you might find helpful –

 

(Picture is from Microsoft Publisher clipart.)

Category: Fearful or Worried?, Strengthening Your Faith

Tagged:

12 Responses

  1. Jev says:

    This is exactly what I needed. I was reading more about how we need to stop accepting fear as a part of us because we weren’t born with such a spirit.

  2. jpeirson says:

    Thanks Steve – just what I needed today!

  3. That was a very helpful post, Steve. Who of us would not know fear and worries?

    Thanks for sharing your experiences so frankly and for presenting the proper Scriptures – as always. 😉

    In Christ,
    Susanne from Bavaria

    PS
    I hope everything goes well with that (very) hot country you now live in. 🙄

  4. Dave Wood says:

    Thank you for this helpful and practical post. This is a subject I have been pursuing for several years. We must be intentional in this as a first priority. Bob Saucy has made an excellent and helpful study of the subject (Minding the Heart:The Way of Spiritual Transformation by Robert Saucy, Kregel Pub.)

  5. Noko Emmanuel says:

    I was blessed by this post but am still terrified about my health, is it unbelief for me to properly seek medical attention or to reli on God for miracle only having taking some medication to know avail?

    • Steve Fuller says:

      Hello Noko —

      I do not believe there is anything wrong with seeking medical attention.

      It’s just like our need for food. God promises to provide all we need, but he still calls us to work and plant seeds and harvest food.

      In Christ,

      Steve Fuller

  6. hannah says:

    thank you very much….the right words for my day

  7. Joanna says:

    Hi Bro. Steve. Thank you for your sharing. This is the answer of Lord Jesus to my prayer when I surrendered to Him last night the condition of my heart. Through this, my thoughts and feelings will be processed so that my faith and hope in our Lord Jesus will be strengthened. Please include me in your prayers. Thank you and God bless!

Leave a Reply

Join 3,436 people who receive Living by Faith updates —

More Help for Your Faith

  • RSS Feed
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Feedback

"I just found your blog recently, and I've NEVER found such clarity, understanding and comfort before." (Sarah)

"AWESOME. Going to mangle this sin tonight with the Promises of God." (Alec)

"If I could subscribe to only one blog, yours would be it." (Lyn)

"I think you are really on to something with this blog. I don’t know of anything else like it." (Doug)

"Excellent comment. Really well put and wisdom that is strangely lacking in much evangelical thinking." (John)

"Thank you -- I needed to hear this. So clear and concise yet captivating." (Stacey)

"Such a helpful post. I’ve bookmarked it and reread it two or three mornings just this week." (Doug)