How to Guard Your Heart
You can guard your heart by practicing these three steps:
Examine
Take time to examine your heart. Consider the things that have been going on in your life that are potentially damaging to your heart (your spirit, your outlook on life, etc) if you interpret them without faith. For example: loss of a job, relational strife, physical difficulties, rejection, betrayal, loss, doubt, mistakes, sin, etc.
Let me encourage you to try an exercise that I do from time-to-time. It helps me get a grip on what's going on inside while providing direction. Grab a piece of paper and pretend that it's your heart. On one side of the paper write down the "things" that have entered your heart that you find troubling or polluting.
Maybe these things have happened in the last few months or the last couple of years. Or maybe some of these were dumped in many years ago. Perhaps you are suffering from distrust, isolation, anger, paranoia, etc. Realize that all of these dark things will destroy your heart, your thoughts, your relationships, your outlook, your sense of joy, and the course of your life. Identify them as pollution. Then...
Empty
Take time to ask for God's help to transform or remove the junk in your heart. One-by-one, begin to partner with God to pull out every piece of pollution you can find. Ask him to gift you with perspective. Ask him to help you either remove them or transform whatever pollutants are floating or buried at the bottom of your heart. If you need help to dive deeper, ask God to bring the right person or persons into your life to help you.
Encourage
The next question people ask is "How does God remove or transform these things?" He transform or replaces them by pouring into you his nature - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Now, turn over that piece of paper and write down some of the
spiritual nutrients you need in your heart to deal with the things you
wrote down on the other side of the piece of paper. Don't limit
yourself to the list above because you may need the power to forgive or
the courage to confront. God's list of nutrients are never ending.
Whatever you need, write it down.
Now, ask God for what you
have written. And ask him every day before you start your day. He will
give you what you need by pouring himself into your heart. But he will
not do that until you give him your heart. In other words, your heart
is under your control until you give up control.
When you're in control your animal instincts take over. When you feel threatened you either retreat or attack. You're not directed by the nature of the Creator, you're directed by the nature of the creature.
You're not directed by the nature of the Creator, you're directed by the nature of the creature."
Instead, ask God to be who he wants to be in your life. The Bible says that Jesus is that living water we all seek. He is the one that brings us into community with God: Father, Son, and Spirit.
According to Scripture, Jesus Christ is not only co-creator; he is our judge, our savior, and our friend. For those who follow Christ, we need to keep our hearts pure. For those who have not made the decision to follow Christ, it starts by receiving a new heart. Whether you are in a place where you need cleansing or a brand new life with God, he is ready and willing to help you - just ask.
