READ: PROVERBS 4; GALATIANS 5:13-26; EPHESIANS 4:17–5:20

Guard your heart

Guard your heart

Everything you do

Flows from it through you

From your lips

Past fingertips

Where your feet may go

Every thought God knows

Self-improve

Won’t help you

Let the Spirit lead

God knows what you need

So guard your heart • Savannah Coleman

• Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” What do you think it means to guard your heart?

• It’s tempting to try to do better and think better by relying on our own strength. This may seem to work at first, but the truth is, we all struggle with sin and none of us can live a perfect life. Thankfully, Jesus lived a perfect life on our behalf, then He died on the cross and rose from the grave so we could be forgiven and brought near to God. And 2 Peter 1:3 tells believers that Jesus’s “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God’s wisdom, spoken of in Proverbs 4, reminds us to rely on His strength, not our own, for transformation. The more we get to know Him, the more we’ll grow like Him. How could these truths free us to follow God, not out of fear, but out of love?

• Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Part of guarding our hearts includes thoughtfully discerning if the things and relationships we allow into our lives help us walk in step with Him. What we view with our eyes will affect our hearts, so will what we listen to, and where we go. This doesn’t mean we should avoid being friends with non-Christians or never watch non-Christian movies or listen to non-Christian music, because each person is different and each situation is unique. Instead, God invites us to talk to Him about all these things. He will help us discern how He is calling us to follow Him through His Holy Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern what to allow into your life, and when, and how?

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)