If you were to walk into my apartment building, you’d probably be stopped at the entrance. A security guard would check your “gate pass”—a notification on an app that deems you’re pre-approved to enter the building. If you don’t have the gate pass, the security guy will take your name and the apartment number you plan to visit, and he’ll wait for the homeowner’s okay on the app. It’s only then that he’ll give you a supercilious nod. You’re good to go.

To the uninitiated, don’t worry, I have not been incarcerated in a maximum-security prison. This is just the system at most apartment buildings in Bangalore where I live.

At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. If, however, you look confident enough, act like you live in the apartment, and walk in without hesitation, you’re unlikely to be stopped. The security guy will let his guard down because he’ll believe that you belong in the building. With about 150 flats, they don’t always know who is a resident and who isn’t.

If you’re familiar with my blog, you’ve guessed by now that this is a long-drawn-out analogy. Your guess would be right.

As I read Proverbs 4 this morning, I was struck by verse 23:

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

(The analogy is slowly starting to take shape, isn’t it?)

Proverbs 4 goes on to say that we should be careful with the words we speak, the things we look at, and the paths we walk on. But, above all these eternal behavior patterns, the author of Proverbs says to his readers (and to us): Guard your heart.

God cares about the state of our hearts, not the sum of our actions. In Scripture, we see this repeated emphasis on our hearts.

So, how do we guard our hearts? What does that mean, exactly?

Proverbs also points out that “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7).

Guarding our hearts therefore involves guarding the thoughts in our hearts.

Let’s go back to our security guys analogy.

Our thoughts are like visitors who come to the gate of my apartment. We are called to be radically exacting about what we let through that gate. Think of a mustached, uniformed, somewhat burly, definitely irritable Indian guard. Not much gets past him.

Firstly, we ought to examine the thought that’s at the gate. Look at its “gate pass”—is it pre-approved to be there? Does it make the Philippians 4:8 test of things that are true, noble, right, pure, excellent, praiseworthy, lovely, and admirable?

Secondly, if it doesn’t have the gate pass, we ought to ID that thought a fair bit more: Where is it coming from? What’s its name? What business does it have on the 9^th floor (that would refer to our “lofty” minds)?

Only if we can identify and approve the thoughts, do we let them into the building and up the elevator to our minds. Because once they’re in, they tend to make themselves comfortable.

The problem is that some thoughts waltz in, don’t they? Like those fake residents without a gate pass, they have an air of confidence. They’ve visited us before—way too many times.  They have created their own neural pathways—we typically call it our wiring—in our brains. We’re accustomed to them. We let them hang out. We let them define our day, our week, our habits, our character, and, eventually, our lives.

Here’s an example:

Thought = I’m doing a terrible job on this project. I am only here because my boss hasn’t had a chance to fire me yet.

Next stop on the neural pathway = I am incompetent at work.

At the next pitstop = I am useless at pretty much everything I try to do.

We end up defining ourselves and our character because of one work project.

But here’s the thing: God empowers you to take captive your thoughts. Through the Holy Spirit, you can show those thoughts the exit gate. And through His Word, you can renew your mind.

Can we take the time to identify and name the specific thoughts that have slipped through without a gate pass?

Can we recognize that those negative, sinful thoughts simply do not belong in our minds/ hearts?

Can we fill the storehouse of our minds with the truth of God’s Word?

Can we allow the Spirit of God to rewire our brains so that when the thought barges in, we redirect it to the truth of God’s Word?

Can we dwell in the new truth about who we are in Christ?

That’s how we can guard our hearts—by fiercely guarding the thoughts we let reside in the core of our being.

Sure, we can regulate our actions and modify our behavior. But above all else, we are called to guard our hearts.

 

 

---

If this blog resonated with you, SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter for FREE so you get my posts delivered to your inbox. I would love a Facebook or Instagram follow or share if you’re on social media. Thanks a ton for stopping by!