Thanks for sending through your questions. While we endeavour to answer all questions submitted, this week, we will be focusing on just one- what does it mean to guard our hearts?

To check out last episode’s questions click here, and for Jim’s foreword on answering these questions click here.

QUESTION 1.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN PEOPLE SAY “GUARD YOUR HEART”? BOTH CONCEPTUALLY AND PRACTICALLY.

The expression to “guard your heart” comes from a few passages, but most prominently from [Prov.4:23]

Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

If you heard other people say that expression, I can’t tell you what they meant by it. You’ll have to ask them. Often it’s used in dating or relationship with opposite sex, to not overly invest under uncertain terms. But I suppose it can be used in many other contexts as well.

But the Bible mainly means to keep your heart free of bitterness, hardness, fatigue and all kinds of other sinful conditions that inhibits your ability to love and worship God. The reason the heart needs to be guarded is because there are many factors that assault our emotion (heart) that causes us to react negatively. But for the sake of our relationship with God, it is vitally important that our hearts remain soft, sensitive, joyful, and resilient in order to engage with the Holy Spirit in real, meaningful and powerful ways

If you have ever wondered about topics such as these, are curious about the how’s and why’s of Christianity or have any other questions in general ask Pastor Jim anything here.