Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

In this proverb from King Solomon the Hebrew word for heart is “leb”. It refers to the inner most part of a person, their soul, their mind, knowledge, conscience, desires, emotions, passions, and their courage. It is a word that represents the person. King Solomon said the heart should be guarded for those inner most parts determine a person’s course of life.

How many of you as a child was given the responsibility to watch after an item but either misplaced it or broke it? Most children are not mature enough to handle major responsibility. It is why many of the proverbs speak to parents about guiding their children in the proper way of life. But what happens when a child is not guided through life? What happens when the home is full of dysfunction or sin? The child cannot guard their heart because they have not been taught how. The course of life the child should have followed gets off course. Maybe they fall into sins that will affect them throughout adulthood. Maybe they bear the scars of pain that keeps them from the right relationships. Romans 6:16 tells us that we become a slave to that which we choose to obey. As a child we often had no choice, but as adults we do. Maybe we need to examine our past and seek what God wanted us to be instead of where sin led us. Pray for God to reveal your course of life. Ask Him to help guard your heart from future sins. Pray that you would become the person God desires you to be.