May 5th, 2025
“Above all else, guard your heart,
For everything you do flows from it.”
If you’ve ever been to the airport, you know that the most dreaded part of the experience is getting through airport security. Did you know there was a time in history when you could get through the security process in minutes? There was a time when you wouldn’t even need to show ID or your boarding pass to anyone in security, just walk through one metal detector. So what happened to cause such a drastic change to airport security? One huge factor was the tragic events of 9/11 in the United States.
If you don’t know the story, on September 1st, 2001, a terrorist group by the name of al-Qaida hijacked four jet airplanes, walking through the lax security of various American airports, and flying these planes into the two towers of the World Trade Center, killing thousands of people. Since this event, security in airports has intensified dramatically. Bags are scanned through an X-ray scanner, shoe removal and liquid bans are required to prevent bombers, full body scanners, multi-checkpoints, and an enlarged security staff are just a few of the added security measures. Airports go to great lengths to protect their facilities because there are grave dangers that, without these security measures, are likely to threaten the airport and individuals flying. This example of going to extreme lengths to protect what is valuable is the type of intensity we need to have when protecting our minds and thoughts.
Today's verse of our devotion reminds us of this truth: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
More important than a nation’s safety or the safety of passengers on a flight, the scriptures call us to protect our hearts (which involve our thoughts, emotions, and choices), for our hearts are, in many respects, the control centre of our lives. When we think about the impact of our thoughts, we see that what we think influences how we behave. Our inner life projects into our outer life. When we think anxiously, we act afraid and timid. When we meditate on thoughts of anger, it manifests in rage or hatred towards others. If we think about sexual thoughts, it shows up in lust and sexual behaviours. Jesus notes this pattern of a person's inner life showing up in their outer life when speaking to the Pharisees, in which he says, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).
What we allow to shape our thoughts will inevitably shape our lives. Thus, guarding what we think is vitally essential, beginning with being mindful of external and internal influences.
As we spoke about on Saturday, the Christian faces external enemies, Satan and the World, both of which are attempting to conform and threaten the thought life of the believer with lies and deception. As believers, we faithfully guard our hearts against these influences, protecting ourselves from sources that contradict God by rejecting their advice. We refuse to conform to media, music, thoughts and opinions against God by the power of the Spirit (Romans 12:2).
We also fight the internal influence that results from the flesh, our desires that, when full-grown, lead to sin (James 1:15). We resist the old nature that desires to sin, the part of us that wants to react in pride or finds fulfillment in selfish pleasures, by submitting our lives to Christ and finding transformation in him. This leads to new hearts that can resist sin and reject the lies of the enemy.
The threats that are levied against our hearts are far worse than any human terrorist attack. We fight against Satan’s terrorism against our hearts. We must be vigilant to guard our thoughts.
However, guarding our hearts doesn’t end here. Not only are our hearts to be protected, but the best defence for the heart is filling it with the right things so that it overflows with the right stuff. How do we do this? We will discuss next week!
Challenge For This Week
Spend time filtering your social media accounts. Look through TikTok, YouTube, or any social platform you use predominantly. Hide suggestions that don’t reflect Christ, and encourage your algorithm through follows or likes to suggest Christ edifying content.
Remember these questions while evaluating!
1. Does this content exemplify the fruit of the Spirit as described by scripture?
2. Is this content true, honourable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy in accordance with scripture?
3. If God were to watch this content, would he approve of it?
4. Does this content help me be more like Christ or celebrate the goodness of his creation?