How to Guard Your Heart
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
“Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts.”
Hebrews 4:7b (NLT)
We’ve increasingly become more heart-conscious today. It’s a good thing and causes me to consider what I’m eating more than before. Is it heart-healthy? Will it increase my cholesterol? What’s the fat content? We read all the labels and try our best to make the best decisions for ourselves and the ones we love. But, beyond the physical condition of our hearts, there is a much deeper issue. Maybe it’s not what you are eating that’s having the worst impact on your heart, but what’s eating you! How can you guard your heart from hardening? I used to think that a hard heart was something only people without God suffered from. Pharaoh certainly had a hard heart against God and the people of God in Moses’ day. Israel even suffered from hardness of heart and lived forty years in the desert as a result of it. The religious leaders who rejected Christ specialized in it and missed their Messiah. Jesus even told His disciples that they had hard hearts when they forgot the miracles He had done. The truth is none of us are immune to our hearts becoming hard and calloused. The older I get, the more intentional I must be in keeping my heart tender and open to God and others. If we are going to guard our hearts, we must know the warning signs of a hard heart. Recently, I came across a list that Pastor Carey Nieuwhof put together. And I really connected with it. Here are the warning signs he gave for a heart becoming hard and calloused:
1. You don’t really celebrate, and you don’t really cry. Well, you might on the outside, but in reality, you don’t feel it.
2. You stop genuinely caring.
3. So much of what’s supposed to be meaningful feels mechanical. From your personal friendships to your family to work, the feeling’s gone.
4. Passion is hard to come by. For anything.
5. You no longer believe the best about people. Even when you meet someone, you’re thinking about what’s going to go wrong, not what’s going to go right.
These symptoms are subtle and almost imperceptible at first. Left unchecked, they can lead to a hard heart where you no longer hear from God and lose your passion for life. If you recognize any of these symptoms, it’s time to take action. Acknowledge it to God and ask Him to soften your heart. Listen to what He says and respond. Take time in worship this weekend to give yourself a heart check-up. Let God revive your heart.
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.