Guard the Gate: Why Your Heart Matters Most
Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
If there’s one truth I keep coming back to as a dad, a husband, and a leader—it’s this: what you let into your heart ends up steering your life.
Think about how you lock up your house at night. You check the garage, the front door, the windows—because you care about what gets in. But you ever wake up and realize you left something unlocked? There’s that pit in your stomach: what got in? That same instinct should apply to your inner life. When our hearts are left unguarded, things sneak in—small compromises, subtle lies, distractions that don’t seem like a big deal at first.
But over time, they shift how we think. How we treat people. How we show up at home, at work, in conflict. I’ve lived it. I’ve watched it play out in my own life—where lack of boundaries let non-truths take root. And those lies? They don’t always show up as obvious falsehoods. Like John Mark Comer says in Live No Lies, we rarely fall for the blatant ones. We fall for half-truths. Lies that are 95% believable.
“You’re behind.”
“You’re not enough.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.”
Those are the ones that shift the trajectory of your life without you even noticing. And before you know it, you’re not living in truth anymore—you’re reacting, performing, isolating, numbing.
Solomon’s warning in Proverbs 4 is a father’s voice to his son: Son, guard your heart. Not casually. Not when it’s convenient. But above everything else. Because your heart drives everything else.
So how do we do that?
Start with awareness. Ask yourself:
- What have I let into my life that’s shaping me in the wrong direction?
- What lie have I started living like it’s true?
- Where do I need a mental, emotional, or spiritual reset?
Then take action. Cut one thing that’s clouding your heart—whether it’s a podcast, a relationship, a social feed, or just the voice in your own head. And replace it with space for truth. I recommend 10 minutes. Sit still. Let the distractions rise, let them pass. Focus on what’s good, pure, right. Philippians 4:8 kind of stuff.
Build this into your daily rhythm. I do it every morning—between quiet time, physical exercise, and asking God to reset my mind. It’s the difference between drifting through the day and leading through the day.
Because here’s the thing: no one else is going to guard your heart for you. That’s your job. And it’s one of the most important jobs you’ve got.
Let’s not just hope we stay on track—let’s choose to.
Father, help us guard the door of our hearts. Keep us alert. Give us clarity and strength to lead from truth.
