Have you ever seen a close friend, acquaintance, or family member fall for someone that’s not good for them?

Maybe it has even happened to you. Usually, the individual would put their boyfriend’s needs above their own.

Some may even give them their hard-earned money or support their illegal or bad lifestyle choices- All in the name of love.

Just as we ought to guard our mind/heart during romantic relationships, we should also guard our hearts emotionally and spiritually. In the Bible, we see that Satan wanted to get Job, and Jesus himself let us know the devil wanted Peter.

He is after every believer that professes faith in Jesus Christ. And the way that he gets to us is by influencing the decisions that we make.

It is out of the heart that evil imaginations can come to life, but if we guard our minds against evil, we can spare ourselves many errors.

I have already given 3 reasons you should guard your heart, but knowing why is not the same as knowing how.

Here are some practical steps you can follow.

 

5 ways that you can guard your mind/ heart and keep it spiritually healthy:

1. You can guard your mind by ‘Choosing your companions wisely.

 

1 Corinthians 15:33; Proverbs 22:24-25; Psalms 1:1; Proverbs 12:26; Proverbs 18:24

The Bible is clear when it tells us to choose our companions wisely because the company you keep determines the type of person you are. Maybe they are doing things that you don’t do, but you condone it once you know it. That means you are just as guilty.

The law of the land believes the same. Anyone found hiding evidence from the police is held as an accessory to the crime committed.

Your chosen companions should be friends who love Jesus. Look for friends that will tell you when your heart has made a wrong choice. Don’t choose friends that will support your wrong motives and intentions.

Your heart will be led astray if you allow your life to be flooded with a companionship that doesn’t allow God to direct their heart’s desires. Any advice given by those friends would go against what the Word says.

 

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2. Flee when all else fails

 

James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Are your motives and intent aligning with what God wants you to have?

What is your heart desiring? You know exactly what it is.

If someone told you the ice-cream truck was giving away free ice-cream, but you had to walk through a den of lions to get there- would you go?

You know what you want, but you can also see the destruction it will cause. There may be death and disaster to get what you want.

Are you still going to take that route?

There are things in your life that you have to run from. Sometimes you are not spiritually mature enough to handle the situation. Other times you are not fully equipped to handle difficulties.

The Holy Spirit will let you know when those times arrive. Turn from the evil imaginations of your heart and run to Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to pursue righteousness and call upon the name of the Lord.

Sometimes things arise in our hearts that we think we can handle on our own. My friend, nothing good can come from trying to handle these things on your own. Instead of walking headfirst in battle, turn around and flee (run). Let God fight the battle for you because it belongs to him, not you.

 

 

 

3. You can guard your mind by ‘Reading the Bible.’

 

Everything that you do flows from the heart. (Proverbs.4:23) If that is the case, where do you learn what is placed in your heart?

Where do your wisdom and knowledge come from? Everything that you now know you have learned at some point in your life.

We go to school, and we learn to read. When we want to learn something new, the majority of the information we devour comes from books.

The greatest book of all time is the Bible, the word of God. All that is written within is for your benefit. The Bible is the manual for your life. The best way to guard your heart and mind is to hide the Word of God there.

Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. (Psalms 119:11) Hiding God’s word deep within your heart is a great defense for your heart. If God’s word is written on your heart, you can expect it to flow from your heart.

What you put in will come out.

When evil imaginations pop up, you can quote scripture to resist yielding to temptation.

Joshua 1:8 tells us to meditate on the word of God and give us the benefits of doing so. You will be prosperous and have good success if you do so.

Also, Hebrews 4:12 lets us know about the power that is found in God’s word. It can discern the thoughts and intents of the heart. The word of God will tell you if the imaginations of your heart are righteous or not.

Read your Bible. Get to know the one who loves you more than anyone else ever could. The Bible will help you to guard your heart and mind.

 

Related Post: PRAYER Bible Study Method

4. Pray without ceasing

 

Women are always to pray and not faint. (Luke 18:1) God wants us to speak to him. Not just when things are going bad but persistently. In every situation, in season and out of season, he asks that we pray without ceasing.

Another way that you can guard your heart is by praying. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. You are free to tell him all your problems, your thoughts, and how you feel.

When something arises in your heart, whether it is doubt or vain imagination, you can ask him for help.

One way that you can ask for help is to remind him of his promises.

Once you have the word of God hidden in your heart, these are the times that you can pray scripture back to God.

Look at this beautiful prayer and psalm:

“Give ear to my words, oh God, consider my meditation, harken unto the voice of my cry, my king, and my God. For unto thee do I pray, my voice shall thou hear in the morning. Oh Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will lookup.” Psalms 5:1-3

God can help you guard your heart, and he can do so when you ask him in prayer. He longs to assist you because he loves fellowshipping with you.

5. Please don’t do it in your own strength.

 

You can turn it all over to God. There is no need for you to fight a battle without the power and help of God. He is in total control, and he resides in your heart. He knows what is happening, and he sees you fighting to guard his place of residence.

Allow him to have full control over your heart, your thoughts, and your will. It is scary turning everything over to God. You don’t know what will happen or what he will do.

But you can rest assured that God can do exceedingly, abundantly, above all you can ask or think according to the power that works in you. (Ephesians 3:20-21) God, in His sovereignty, will give you his grace and strength to make it through. Guard your heart because God resides there.

Protect the place that will help you to remain focused on God. And turn it all over to him so that he can give you his strength to resist the temptation that will come your way.

My friend, you cannot do it on your own will power. You will fail every time. Allow God to have preeminence and let Him lead the way.

 

Call to Action

 

Remember to Guard your heart and mind you have to:

• Choose your companions wisely.
• Runaway from trouble
• Read your Bible
• Pray always
• Let God lead you

Will it be easy? No. But thanks be to God that we have the Holy Spirit to guide us.

Is there another concept that you can implement to guard your mind? Let me know in the comments.

Do you know of someone that can benefit from this post? Please share it with them.

Read more about guarding your mind and controlling your thoughts.

I love you with the love of Christ. 🙂