How to Guard Your Heart with All Diligence Today
To guard your heart with all diligence, you must think about how to do that. None of us expect others to clobber us with their words or actions but when they do we wonder what happened.
As a Christian, you learn sooner or later that the enemy works through others to hurt you. If you miss that fact, he hurts you a lot.
Ephesians 6:12 (AMP)
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) places.
You can move forward by meditating on guard your heart scripture like this one.
Proverbs 4:23 (AMP)
“Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life”
Even so, some days when you watch over your heart, it feels heavy. To overcome those instances, you must understand what’s behind satan’s schemes.
Guard Your Heart with All Diligence Because Satan Attacks
Many times the wounds you carry in your heart got there by a loved one Satan used to discourage you.
The enemy knows full well how the spiritual heart works. It’s the intellectual, moral, and emotional hub of your inner being. The ebb and flow of life generate in your heart because every thought and action begins there.
In one fatal swoop, satan uses people and circumstances to damage your heart, spirit, and emotions. In fact, when a loved one hurts us, it’s hard to get up and keep going. The phrase, “kick you while you’re down” is how satan prefers to deliver deadly blows again and again.
He wants you to recount words a loved one spoke that literally knocked you off your feet. Those cruel, heartless, and lower-than-snail-snot blows incite anger inside you and me. We want to retaliate against the person with full force. Rather than do that, Christians bow to wisdom and recognize that the antichrist spirit is behind every attack.
That’s because satan’s ultimate goal is to hinder your relationships with the triune God, family, and friends.
Once you figure out what he’s up to, you can make changes to guard your heart with all diligence.
Guard Your Heart with All Diligence: Your Responsibility
You are responsible for your heart’s condition. To keep it means to guard it (protect, defend, and watch over). For example, hummingbirds watch over and defend bird feeders from other hummingbirds. They see them as territorial intruders and stand guard as sentinels so other birds don’t consume their guarded food reserves.
You must view your heart the same way by staying watchful, ready, and alert so your heart isn’t an open target.
Moreover, just because satan uses people against you doesn’t mean you’re powerless. Spiritual knowledge is power. Jesus told believers they have power over the enemy.
Luke 10:17-19 (AMP)
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like [a flash of] lightning. Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.
Every time you use your God-given authority over the enemy through the Holy Spirit, you agree that Christ’s work at the cross is final. Using Jesus’ name, you counteract satan’s evil and destruction.
Just know that satan won’t crawl away into the dark and forget about you. He continues to release fresh dozes of disappointment. However, you can limit how often that happens. Your blueprint for success against him is to meditate on scripture and “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
Plus, you can do other things.
Tips to Guard Your Heart with All Diligence
- Never lower your shield. Our shield of defense and protection is The Word of God. When there’s less intake of God’s Word daily, you’re vulnerable to more frequent attacks. Not only do Christians need frequent doses of God’s Word but meditating on it puts it deep in the heart. Scripture is a shield and defender against satan’s blows. If the shield is high (words of faith), blows bounce off. If words of faith are low, blows penetrate the deep recesses of our minds and spirits.
- Guard means just that. You actively patrol your spiritual territory. When you do, your spiritual and natural senses heighten to draw strength from God moment by moment. You sense when an attack is imminent.
- Use wisdom. The loved one standing in front of you who brought pain doesn’t usually know satan used them to harm you. Rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness routinely use people to bring us down. Evil spirits move in the dark because there’s no light in them and use weaker vessels to do their dirty work.
- Run to God. Don’t make the same mistake that many Christians do. They consult with people before they ask for God’s counsel. A spiritual problem requires a spiritual answer for victory.
- Capture negative thoughts. What you dwell on in your mind can separate you from loved ones. It does little good, if any, to confront someone satan uses. Pray first before you do anything. Don’t listen to what your heart says. It’s usually wrong all the time! Instead, exercise temperance, patience, wisdom, and love before you allow your emotions to rule and spew out venomous words. Learn to let God lead you because His timing is of utmost importance. That doesn’t mean you won’t feel anger and other emotions. Just don’t respond to how you feel. Wait, and let the Holy Spirit guide your next steps.
- Get up! Go forward! I know. None of these tips are easy or anything you and I want to do when our hearts are broken. When someone stomps all over your heart, your first thought may not be heaven-inspired. But, serious God-seekers don’t move ahead of Him. They forgive quickly, stay humble, and let the Holy Spirit help them sort through a range of feelings.
To Guard Your Heart with All Diligence Is Hard
I don’t have any trouble listing truth on a page. However, I fail to successfully combat the enemy when wounds tower larger than faith. But determination is on my side. Trust sets me free every time I take authority over satan’s attempts to kill, steal, and destroy. My goal is to apply The Word of God consistently in every situation to have unbroken fellowship with God and live victoriously in this life.