Proverbs 4:23, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This is where we start for any desired or necessary change because this is where every single thing in your life originates. Your heart. Any issue you have is from a heart issue. Any battle you fight within is a heart battle.

NLT: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
KJ: Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.

It’s so easy to think we need to start by working on our habits or change our circle of influence, but the first and most important thing we must do is check our heart. Otherwise, it’s like putting new rims on a car with a blown engine. What good is that? What good is the rhinestone steering wheel cover when half of your engine fell out on the street? Engine first, then the other stuff can follow. Without the engine, your car is absolutely no good. Without a healed heart, all these other changes are temporary.

The Hebrew word for heart is Lev. It means your inner self, your core. It is your control central. There is no Hebrew word for mind, only heart. This is the source of your thoughts, your desires and your actions. If the heart is damaged, every aspect of your life is negatively affected.

Why should you guard your heart? Because the enemy is attacking it. Plain and simple, your inner being is his target. Girl, you can have great hair and he doesn’t care. You can have fabulous legs or a perfect smile and it’s of no concern to him. But that heart of yours is a real issue for Satan. If he can damage your heart, he twists your thoughts. If he can damage your heart, he corrupts your desires. If he can damage your heart, he has you acting as his puppet.

And that’s why scripture says ABOVE ALL ELSE, GUARD YOUR HEART. Your heart is the most important part of you. Everything in your life is flowing from your heart. If your heart is pure, then your thoughts are pure, your desires are pure and your actions are pure. But if it is polluted, every thing else is polluted and eventually ruined.

THIS IS A HEART ISSUE. It was always a heart issue. And it is always a heart issue. Change the heart and everything that flows from it naturally changes.

A new heart comes from God. It is his gift to us through Jesus. We don’t earn a new heart, we simply accept it.

The new heart offered by God is healed of all past damages. It is no longer wounded. It has been made brand new.

The new heart offered by God is not reminded of it’s past wrongs. It is not weighed down by shame or chained by guilt. It is free to beat without burden. It has been made new.

Now, protect this new heart God is offering you because the enemy sure wants to poke at it. A poked at heart thinks negative thoughts of worry and fear. A poked at heart is overwhelmed and uncertain. A poked at heart beats shallow and plays little. And let’s be clear, that’s not God’s desire for the heart Jesus died to give you.

If you’re struggling with an addiction, whether it be an addiction to alcohol, addiction to your phone, or addiction to attention from men – it’s a heart issue. Honey, your heart has been poked at. Either you’re functioning from an old heart that’s never been made new by God, or you’ve allowed the gift of your new heart to be bombarded by the attacks of Satan.

If you’re watching someone you love go down the wrong path and make horrible life choices, at the core of it they’re dealing with a heart issue. Their heart has been damaged, now the thoughts and actions coming from their core are twisted. They’re simply off. They don’t need a rhinestone steering wheel to look cute, they need an engine overhaul by a heart mechanic.

Jesus is our heart mechanic. He can fix this. And truly, only he can fix this. Everything else you do is a temporary fix that will soon falter.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of temporary fixes. I’m tired of diets and hacks and 21 day formulas. I want to deal with the real issue so this is fixed at ground zero. MY HEART.

The new heart God promises us is a heart that is tender and responsive to him. That means in our core we will know God’s will and WANT to respond to it. We won’t fight it. We won’t be so darn stubborn and make our messes like we used to.

The new heart God promises us is empowered by his Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that is a spirit of “power, love and self-discipline.” This is how we make changes that we could never make before. This is how we have breakthroughs where we were always held back. This is how we overcome, then never come back again.

God, go to work on my heart. Make it new, then show me how to guard it. Where have I left open doors to the enemy that are allowing his attacks on my new heart? Where am I failing to protect my heart and therefore suffering in thought, desire and action that has been infected?

Father, how can I partner with you in healing in the hearts of others? I don’t want to be on the attack team poking on hearts causing more damage. I don’t want to be part of the shame squad. I want to be a conduit of the Holy Spirit who empowers your girls to receive their healed, whole heart and a changed life.

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