6 Ways to Guard Your Heart

Man are we living in a crazy time right now? Between the coronavirus and the economy, everyone is on edge right now.

Or maybe you’re completely unfazed by the current events of the world because you’re too deep in your own mess to feel anything else.

Hear me out, God is faithful even in the midst of it all.

We’ve all been there. So anxious, with a heavy heart that we can’t seem to remember that He is our source, not the world. He created the world and even though sin has found its place here, it doesn’t have control of it.

From the moment we accepted Christ as our Savior, we were accepted into His beautiful family, under His wings with His faithful promises as our armor and protection (Psalm 91:4). Our job is to simply live in His shelter and rest in Him.

This means that even in moments of calamity, we’re expected to trust and believe that He’s got us.

But when the noise of the world gets so incredibly loud, it’s so easy to forget that you’re already covered. Here’s the thing though, in these moments you’re not separated from Him. You just need to guard your heart so that it can be realigned to His.

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1. Worship — It never fails. For me, playing worship music is the easiest thing I can do to realign my heart and mind. When the weight is so heavy that it’s hard for me to mentally do anything, I can easily cut on a worship playlist on my phone that’s almost always nearby. Worshipping Him, until you are in a place of complete vulnerability like David (2 Samuel 6:15-22) or until the chains fall as they did on Paul and Silas (Acts 16), realigns your heart and mind on what matters. I shared my Spotify worship playlist on a previous post, but I’m also sharing with you my current Youtube playlist.
2. Pray— Remember, prayer doesn’t have to be this perfectly structured program with advanced languages. Some of my most powerful prayers come in moments of literally just crying out to him my most basic feelings. In those moments, I’ve learned to just simply cry out “God help me, I’m overwhelmed.” That’s it. That simple. And in those simple moments of feeling like my head is underwater, He comes through. It never fails. So start there if you’re anxious. He hears our cries and delivers us from ALL of our troubles. And once you’re able to address what you’re feeling, ask Him how to be delivered from those feelings and for the wisdom to remove or add the things that will realign your heart back to His (James 1:5; Proverbs 3:6). You’ll never know how to fully guard your heart against the troubles of the world if you don’t seek Him to find the answers on how.
3. Fasting— Sometimes getting rid of anxious feelings means cutting the cord on distractions through fasting. While I think it’s extremely important to fast from food, I think it’s equally important to fast from other things that keep our attention from Him. I know this can be painfully hard, but it’s only hard because it pushes your heart out of this world and into His. In the end, it’s always worth it. Are you spending too much time reading the news and obsessing over the symptoms of the coronavirus? Consider fasting from the news. Not feeling productive? Consider fasting from screen time and using your phone. There’s so much junk we fill our hearts with on a daily, so intentionally taking time to redirect your attention to Him makes a world of difference.
4. Hearing the Word— In seasons of fasting from certain triggers and distractions, you have to fill that void time effectively. These days listening to the Word couldn’t possibly be easier. You can read the bible on your phone, you can listen to a sermon on Youtube and you can even have your app read the bible for you out loud, you have so many options! Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). To have faith that He’s our rock, our savior, healer, provider and so much more we have to consistently pour His word into our hearts. 
5. Accountability — Contrary to occasionally spilling my heart on my blog, I’m not always an open book. I don’t always like to share the things I’m going through with the people around me. Those closest to me usually can pinpoint what’s wrong with me far before I can. I thank God every single day for placing those people in my life because they often keep me on track. You must find those people in your life and talk to them about helping you lean on Him more. It’s just as important that when you’re feeling your best, you’re that person for those around you as well. It’s super important to place yourself around people that will face you towards Him. That makes it easier for you when you’re trying to guard your heart. I’m not saying completely cut people out of your life, but once again being intentional with your time. Intentionally placing yourself around those who make you stronger because only iron can sharpen iron (Proverbs 27:17). 
6. Practical Distractions— With everything going on currently with the Coronavirus, you have to be careful to not place yourself in a fear-bubble. I have enough sense to know now isn’t the ideal time to go strolling in the isles of Target with a 2-year-old that struggles to keep her hands out her mouth, but I refuse to be glued to the news studying the symptoms of everyone around me. So instead, we’re spending a lot more time outside, playing with Raelynn’s water table and running through the sprinklers. We’re taking advantage of this time to stop and enjoy each other’s company and finding healthy distractions. This theory works in any phase of life. Get out of the house, go for a walk, pick up a new skill and do about anything that will clear your mind. Swallowed in fear, anxiety or grief? Work towards healing those feelings, but make sure you’re finding time to still stop and smell the roses. Sometimes redirecting and guarding our hearts involves turning our eyes to places that we can easily see Him in. You may not see Him in your current situation but you have to trust that He’s there. Take a break, find Him in other places to relearn what His peace and presence feels like. 

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Our place on this Earth was never purposed to be run by our feelings or sin. That’s why Jesus was sent! He bore every sin and all the pain of the Earth when He died on the cross. And when He rose again, He victoriously overcame it all. Will bad things happen? Absolutely. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. This world is still filled with sin. But He delivers from them all. We’re free in Him. Always remember that and do your best to walk in that freedom by guarding your heart against the perils of this world.

XO

Michelle