Early one morning in 2012, labor pains brought me out of a fitful sleep, and my youngest daughter was born just a few hours later.  Those first moments will be forever etched in my memory. My heart brimming over with love, pride, and fierce protection, there would be no sacrifice or obstacle too great to ensure her safety.

God calls us to protect our hearts just as I protect my daughters. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” From this verse, I imagine a fortress, mightily defended with a divine shield.

In 1 Corinthians, we read, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” (16:13-14). I absolutely love these verses. We must be courageous, strong, ready, firm in the faith. It reminds me of strength training. Training for physical fitness requires courage and faith that what I do today will matter tomorrow. Strengthening my faith is much more valuable than strength training, but the principles are similar. We must work diligently to get stronger, be willing to sacrifice now to reap blessings later, saying “no” to ourselves when a lack of self control would sabotage those efforts, both physically and spiritually.

There’s a saying in our home about clutter. “If it blesses you, keep it. If it doesn’t, don’t,” (Flylady maybe?) We love the calm from a clean and clutter-free home, so we make decisions often about what we have and what needs to go. In the same way, if your habits are blessing and fortifying your soul, keep them. If they are weakening your faith and leaving your heart unguarded, remove them from your life.  We have to watch what we’re watching, and be cautious what we give our minds over to for the sake of entertainment.

I believe Satan does the most damage on our souls slowly, as if he’s not in any hurry, hoping not to startle us into realizing how far those ungodly decisions are leading us away from the Lord.  “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).  When we weigh our decisions against the principles the Lord has so lovingly prepared for us, our hearts will be strengthened and we will stand ready to share our Savior with those around us.

We make a myriad of choices every day. Let this day’s decisions be governed by your guarded heart.  As we naturally protect our children, let’s also shield our hearts in the Lord, helping one another as we journey together to reach our final goal, heaven.