We put a lot of emphasis on guarding our bodies. We buy shin guards in soccer, mouth guards for football. We wear helmets when riding our bikes. We do everything we can to keep our bodies safe and healthy. We spend tons of money every year for things that keep us safe. However, many times we give very little thought to guarding our heart.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. – Proverbs 4:23
This verse tells us to guard our heart above all else. That means we should make it more important. It should be more important than guarding our body. Guarding your heart means protecting it and not giving it away too easily.
A few years ago I was on a missions trip and I carried a large amount of money and my passport everywhere I went in a secret pouch under my clothes. I always knew where that money was because it was important to me and I was guarding it. When you guard something you take care of it. You know its important and you don’t want anything to happen to it.
Many times in dating relationships we don’t guard our hearts. We give away too much of our heart to someone we don’t know that well, and don’t have any safeguards in place to keep our hearts from being hurt. Your heart is an important part of you, and its too valuable to get destroyed by relationships that aren’t right. So here are a few safeguards to put into place in your relationships.
- Guard your words. – Pay attention to what you say. Don’t promise too much or say things that you aren’t going to carry through on. You can hurt your heart and the heart of others by the words you speak. Choose to speak words of life to others.
“Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish life. ” (NLT) – Proverbs 18:21 - Guard your imagination. Its easy to get carried away in a dating relationship. You might go on three dates and think you’ve found the ‘one’. In your imagination, you’ve named your first three kids and have decided what your house will look like. However, this isn’t healthy. Its not good to spend lots of time imaging a relationship and where its going. You can set yourself up for heartbreak if you don’t guard what you allow yourself to dwell on.
- Guard who you date. Don’t just date anyone. Make sure their values line up with yours. Make sure they feel like you do about important issues. Don’t just date someone because they like you. Make sure you have common ground.
- Guard your purity. Don’t give this away. Wait until you’re married. Giving up your purity is a great way for you to experience heartbreak.
Make sure you put some safe guards on your heart. Don’t give your heart away too easily to someone. Be sure that you’ve taken the time to get to know them and that you’ve prayed about the relationship. The more effort you put into guarding your heart and making wise decisions in your dating choices, the less heartbreak failed relationships will bring.
If you need some encouragement from God when it comes to your relationships, we’ve put together an awesome set devotions to strengthen your walk with God. You can download them below.
