The Bible tells us that we are supposed to guard our heart, but what exactly does that mean?

Have you ever seen a security guard standing outside the door of a room in which a celebrity is staying? Maybe you have seen it in a movie where fans try to come into the place where the star is waiting, and as they try to barge in, the solid muscular security guard keeps them back. The security officer is in charge of keeping the wrong people out and allowing in only those approved.

In Proverbs 4:23, it says, "So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life."

In the same way the security guard stands guard over the celebrity, we are to guard our hearts because the issues of life flow out of it.

The word heart in this verse is the word lêb, which means your mind, will, or understanding. Out of my mind, will, and understanding flows the issues of life.

This means as a Christian we need to be guarding our mind. We need to be watchful over it, keeping careful attention to our thought life.

The first step to guarding your heart and watching your thought life is to ask these questions:

What are you watching? Are you watching shows or movies that are building you up, or tearing you down spiritually?

What are you listening to? Are you listening to gossip, doubt, and unbelief? Are you listening to music that glorifies fleshly desires?

What are you thinking about (or meditating on)? Are you meditating on the Word of God, or all the problems in the world around us and in our own life? Philippians 4:8 tells us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

We still live in the world, though, and there are things that we will hear and see that we don’t want to hear or see.  However, we can limit our contact with them by intentionally making an effort to be careful what we allow our eyes to see, what our ears hear, and what we meditate on. Just as diligently as that security officer watches over the entrance to the celebrity’s room, that is how diligently we should guard our heart because what we allow in the door is what has the power to shape our life, either for good, or bad.