Proverbs 4:23, which reads, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” And that’s the New King James Version.

But I’m going to read it again, and this time I’m reading it from the New Living Translation, which reads, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

In my preparation, I read a commentary from Warren Wiersbe, and this is what he wrote:

“Whatever the heart loves, the ears will hear, and the eyes will see. If we pollute that wellspring, the infection will spread before long. Hidden appetites will become open sins and public shame.”

Guarding our hearts is about protecting ourselves from external and internal factors. We must be mindful of the things we think about, the things we set our affection on, and the things we give our attention to.

David in Psalms 139:23 asks God to search him and to know his heart. If it wasn’t that important an aspect of our present world, it would not have been mentioned in the first place. See, God knows our desire to serve Him but things can get in the way, and we don’t even realize it.

The prophet Jeremiah 17:9-10, writes,

“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind.”

You see, the heart is the seat of our emotions. It is our inner compass, which represents what we truly care about. While the mind rationalizes and analyzes situations, the mind may override the heart’s desire for rest, leading to potential regret.

Colossians 3:2 states that we are to set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth.

But let’s be honest. In our hearts of hearts, we know we want to follow God. We want to follow the Word.

But how many times do our hearts wander off thinking about what is happening in the world or even in our country? And instead of praying, we end up in a rabbit hole, thinking of things we can’t control, which eventually may bring us to a point of worry and anxiety. When the Word of the Lord tells us that we should be anxious for nothing, we should be anxious for nothing. Philippians 4:6. And neither should we worry about what we are going to eat or drink. Matthew 6:31, but yet, we still do it. Guarding our hearts takes discipline. You can’t allow any and everything to enter it, because it will take us down paths we don’t want to go.

The heart drives our actions and influences our thinking and behavior. You know, you guys know that I like to talk about myself, so I’m going to share something with you about me. There are many times my brain moves that way—moves as fast. Many times a thought will come into my head, and before you know it, I have written a story and a sequel to the story. And then when I catch myself, I’m wondering, how did I get from this little thought to developing such a story? I have to quickly redirect myself, because my thought process in this kind of scenario sometimes brings on anxiety and fear and doubt. And we have to remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, found in 2 Timothy 1:7.

Of course, the scenario I just shared—that’s about me, because I know nobody else in this room has those kinds of experiences, of course, because I’m just unique like that with my thought process, thinking that quickly. But if you look at Philippians 2:5, it reminds us, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Whatiss in our hearts can lead us to a path of righteousness or a path of destruction. And this is where the shifting of the mind must take place.

When we guard our hearts, we are taking responsibility for our mental, psychological, and spiritual well-being. We protect ourselves from sinful influences that interfere with our spiritual growth, as stated in Hebrews 12:1–3, that we are supposed to lay aside every sin that easily ensnares us and run with endurance the race that is set before us. What’s in our hearts propels us to become who God has designed us to be. Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Not guarding our hearts will allow sinful influences to take root in our hearts and hinder our relationship with God. What are some of those sinful influences, you may ask? How about we start with a struggle to pray, and we only show up when the heat is on? What about not reading the Bible, so that when the fiery darts come, we have nothing to stand on? And as a result, we could even become or feel distant from God. What about fear, anxiety, and doubt? These are all part of sin.

When you allow fear, doubt, and anxiety to rule, it’s like you’re telling God that you don’t trust Him.

In my preparation, I found a quote from an article, and the author mentioned John Bunyan’s allegory. For those of you who don’t know John Bunyan, he’s the same person who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress.

And he has this book called The Holy War. It pictures the heart as a city called Mansoul. The quote went on to say man’s soul is obtained through five gates: eye-gate, ear-gate, mouth-gate, feel-gate, and nose-gate. But Mr. Godly-Fear is in charge of the gatekeeping, and all of Diabolus’s attacks on Mansoul are repelled as long as Godly-Fear is the gatekeeper. And how do we keep the gatekeeper in place? That’s why guarding our hearts is with the Word of God, prayer, fasting, and even solitude. Yes, sometimes solitude is necessary.

Not guarding our hearts can have a significant impact on our relationship with God, as it can either draw us closer or push us away from Him. But guarding our hearts will bring about the shifted mind we need. It will teach us how to meditate on the Word of God. Psalms 1:2: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

Meditating on the Word of God will radically transform our mind so that we can experience peace and contentment in Christ through His abundant life, John 10:10b. Guarding our hearts shifts our minds to rely on God’s peace, which serves to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:6–7. Guarding our hearts shifts our minds from walking in the flesh, Galatians 5:19–21, to walking in the Spirit of love, peace, joy, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, Galatians 5:22–23. When you guard your heart, you can empty yourself of all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, with all malice, and fill yourself up with being kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31–32.

As was stated before, our hearts are not just the seat of our emotions. It is the core of who we are, and if it’s not guarded, it will lead us away from God.

God in our hearts will create a shifted mind, where we can create space for God, which is in alignment with Romans 12:2, because we are being transformed by the renewing of our mind.

A shifted mind teaches the principles of presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God. A shifted mind encourages us not to be conformed to the world. Yes, we are in the world, but not of the world, John 18:36. Our citizenship is in heaven, Philippians 3:20, and therefore, we cannot live like the world. That doesn’t mean we don’t take care of our responsibilities. But a shifted mind is not double-minded, as outlined in James 1:6–8.

This was taken from the New Living Translation:

James 1:6–8

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.  Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.But when you ask Him, be sure that your faith is in God alone.

Further scriptures that warns against a double heart is Psalms 12:2, talks about a hard, heart, Proverbs 28:14, a proud heart. 
and Proverb 21:4, and unbelieving heart, Hebrews 3:2, a cold heart, and Matthew 24, a cold heart, and a clean heart, is found in Psalm 51:10. A shifted mind is on God and God alone.