Proverbs 4:23 NLT | “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.”

I consider your heart as your personal space. You take it with you wherever you go. You can distance yourself from your loved ones, your colleagues and the society. You may even decide not to commune with the Holy Spirit, but there’s no escaping your heart. It is the little room you carry with you wherever you go. Its atmosphere decide what you do and how you view things. In fact, another translation puts the above verse this way:

Proverbs 4:23 RSV | “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life.”

What does the writer of Proverbs mean by the springs of life?

God’s word tells you that the just shall live by faith. And faith happens in your heart. You hear the word of God and faith is birthed in your heart. Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower makes this clear:

Matthew 13:19 | “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.”

The word of God contains the divine life of God. This word is the spring or river of life. God deposits this spring in your heart. From your heart, this word flows out and shapes your experiences. So, your heart is such a delicate space. You can’t allow anything to pollute your heart. Anything that pollutes your heart will pollute your life.

What are these pollutants? Doubts, anger, pride of life, lust of the eyes and flesh, greed, bitterness, guilt, to name a few. They are toxic to your heart, your faith; and therefore, your chance at bliss.

Ask the Holy Spirit today to search your heart and weed out any pollutant. Ask Him to help you guard your personal space against toxic influences. Pray this prayer of David:

Psalm 139:23-24 | “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”