Most people, when asked, are likely to say that they want a good, long, healthy, and satisfying life. What separates and divides people is not so much the goal but the means of getting there. For those of us who look to the Bible for God’s help in this will find some concise advice here in the Book of Proverbs. 

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

Proverbs 4:23‭-‬27 NLT

Let’s break it down.

Guard your heart.

The heart, its desires, longings and ambitions determine your present and future. Or as Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). What you treasure & value will be what you steer your life towards, so guard that jealously – be very careful and diligent about those deep longings of the heart. Don’t let what is merely good become the ultimate thing. Or, if you prefer it as a law, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Watch your mouth.

If your words (or your postings on social media) tend towards the mean, spiteful, critical or simply unkind; or towards envy, gossip, flattery, then we should wonder what is going on in our hearts. Jesus warned us that, “A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.” Notice the clear connection between heart and mouth. 

Fix your eyes.

Determine what you will, and will not focus on. This could, of course, be something as simple as what you see on the many screens in your life, but more importantly, it’s about determining your direction in life. Having settled what is of utmost importance in our hearts, we then need to fix our eyes on that. It can help to have a clear idea of what God has put in our hearts and dreams so that we can play our part in God’s kingdom.

Plan ahead.

Making a straight path and keeping to it, requires a little bit of planning. We don’t and won’t get there by accident, it won’t simply just happen that one day you will wake up wiser without having done anything wise. Just as, sadly, I won’t wake up fitter without having done any exercise. What changes will we need to make to our daily life to prioritise, to help us grow in the things we love and value? What simple habits, rhythms and routines can we adopt that will build up in our hearts that we desire most? How can we point our souls in the direction of the one we love?

Trust your feet.

I’ve got two illustrations from this. When I was learning to ride a motorbike, I remember being told repeatedly ‘look around not into the corner’. So you had to turn your head and where you were looking is where your bike would go. If I looked into the hedge in the corner and not on the road bending away, then that’s where I’d end up! Secondly, when I’m travelling at slower speeds and am out for a run in the woods, there are often plenty of roots and rocks to trip me up, but the key is not to stare right down at your feet but keep your head up and looking at the path ahead. Again by doing that your feet just tend to land where they should. So how do you keep you from being sidetracked and your feet from following evil? By keeping your eyes and heart fixed on their true destination.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

– Hebrews 12:1-3

What has helped you guard your heart? Steve & Karin Ferris did a great job of talking this through with us at Grace Church. You can watch their talk here.