Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." The heart that Solomon wrote about is not the physical organ beating within our chests. He is speaking about that invisible seat within our soul from which our emotions, desires, affections and intents flow. The heart is the cockpit or dashboard of the soul. The writers of the Bible refer to this part of our lives as "the heart" because it mirrors the importance of our physical beating heart. Everything else in life flows out of it. All aspects of our lives rely on a healthy spiritual heart, and Solomon tells us that we should be guarding our heart.

We are to guard our hearts because the "issues of life", pour out of it. The word used for "issues" here refers to anything that comes from or out of another thing. The importance is clear when he says everything else comes out of the heart. As believers, how should we handle our heart and why?