Everything you do flows from your heart!

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23 NIV)

The heart is regarded as the center of a person’s inner life—the core of one’s thoughts, desires, choices, and emotions.

In both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the word heart is used to refer to the whole inner person, not merely the emotions. Biblically speaking, the heart is made up of three parts: the mind, the will, and the emotions. It is the control center of who you really are.

Everything you do flows from your heart

Believers are instructed:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” (Proverbs 4:23–26 NIV)

Guarding your heart

When Solomon refers to guarding the heart, he is talking about protecting the inner core of a person—your thoughts, desires, motives, will, and choices. The Bible tells us that our thoughts shape who we become (Proverbs 23:7; 27:19). A person’s mind reflects who he really is, not merely his outward actions or words.

That is why God looks at the heart and not merely the outward appearance:

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)