Take Care of Your Heart

King Solomon was the wisest man that has ever lived, we’ve all been encouraged by his proverbs. When he said “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23) he certainly knew what he was talking about. God made women to have strong hearts, but we must guard our hearts or the world will certainly try and damage it, leaving us battered, bruised, and scornful.

The heart is more than just that beating organ in your chest. The word “heart” is used over 1,000 times in the Old and New Testaments combined. The Old Testament uses the word heart, and the New Testament often uses its synonym of strong desires. A simple Biblical definition of the heart is: “The inner man in contrast with the outer man.” The heart is the mind, emotions, and the will. The heart has thoughts- meaning it imagines, it dwells on things, it fantasizes, and it has ideas. The heart has intentions- meaning it has insights, wants, needs, drives, plans, desires, and has passion. Another definition for the word heart is, an appetite. The heart of a person is what they are hungry for, like approval and praise. It’s what drives a person. It’s what a person will allow their life to revolve around or not revolve around.

As women, our first job in life is to get to know ourselves, and in order to do that we must be encouraged to get to know our Creator. If not, the world will happily define us. When the world gets a hold of a young woman's pure and sweet heart, after it has had time to expose her to the wrong types of people and situations, what we can get is an angry, mean, isolated, skeptical and scornful woman. This is the opposite heart to the heart of God. This type of woman can easily struggle to live up to her full potential of being the loving being she was created to be. Aligning our hearts to the world can be something we easily fall into if we aren’t careful. When we lean into our Creator’s heart and align our hearts with what concerns Him, His heart swells with joy. Getting to know our Creator and His heart is key for a life where we are spirit led and not senses led.

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The Issues of Life

When Solomon wrote, “For out of it flows the issues of life,” (proverbs 4:23)  this is key. When our hearts aren’t aligned with the heart of God our mental strength is challenged. Our hearts can become a breeding ground for revenge, anger, depression, and scorn of every kind.

When we chase the wrong ambition; we can find ourselves surrounded by the wrong types of people who could take advantage of us. It’s the enemy’s goal to distract us from being a sword (Zechariah 9:13) here on Earth for God’s Kingdom. The enemy wants to distract us from sharing the Gospel, to dissuade us from following the call of God has on each of our lives, and for us to not guard our heart. The enemy uses the wrong people and wrong ambitions to distract us. If he can get you off course with the wrong people, we can become angry and bitter, not wanting to trust people, and this could hinder our motivation to follow through with healthy ambitions.

God reminds us in His Word that we have complete control with His help to steward our own hearts. Yes, others can try to control it and hurt it, but it is our responsibility to guard it. We decide what and who comes into it. If we as women train our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7), then we will possess effective swords for our Creator.

So what does guarding your heart look like?

Guarding your heart to me means cultivating a relationship with your Creator- being in His Word, knowing Scripture, aligning our desires and heart with the heart of God, reminding ourselves who we are, being in constant prayer, having Godly women of all ages in our core groups who give advice about the topics or people that may be trying to make the issues of  life a big mess. This means to be on guard and aware. Recognize it but don't react right away. If you’re unsure- observe it, pray about it, get advice, and watch to see what happens over time.

God made women to have strong hearts and if we as women don't guard our hearts, the world will certainly try to damage them. We are women on a mission for the Kingdom of our Creator.  We must remain exclusively His. I encourage you to shift your mindset in your view of your Creator, and to walk with boldness in how much He loves you and will protect your heart. When we allow our Creator to define us, we exercise due diligence in protecting our heart. Through this growth, we allow ourselves the opportunity to stand tall with our sisters in Christ to be a mighty weapon against the enemy that desires for our lives to become a mess.

Ally Portee   

Originally from the American South, Ally Portee has lived in Spain, England, and Germany- all places that have influenced her writing. She’s passionate about women’s empowerment, women’s ministry, and refugees. She is the Founder and Editor of http://www.seelemag.com, a magazine that bridges faith, cultures, and people. Aside from these things, Ally loves meeting people and cooking for friends. You can find Ally on Instagram as @seelemagazine