Guard your heart. That’s something we’re told a lot, isn’t it?

I remember being a teenager and being told in a class that I had to guard my heart. That the world was wicked and that man was cruel, so I’d better guard my heart and make sure not to get too attached to anyone, lest I face the horrors of heartbreak.

But then I was faced with a question…

What the heck does “guarding your heart” even mean? Like, practically, how am I supposed to do that?

Heartbreak and Sorrow

Despite my valiant attempts to guard my heart, heartbreak and sorrow did, in fact, come. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, that relationship just doesn’t work out. That friendship ends. You get fired from that dream job. You get rejected from that group or etc. etc. sorrow sorrow blah blah blah. You get the picture.

I came to a point in my walk with God where I started asking this question. How am I supposed to guard my heart? Not dating didn’t work. Dating didn’t work. Not getting too attached to friends was pointless. Nothing I did or could think of doing or that I’d been told to do, was working. So what was I supposed to do?

In the back of my mind, I started asking that question. Then I started to actually ask that question in prayer. I started talking about it with my pastor and with my friends. If you’re walking with God, and you never have any questions about God or life, you’re walking wrong.

The answer came to me in a single, brilliant moment with Jesus.

When the Holy Spirit Crashes Through Your Ceiling

The month was February, the year 2025. I was two and a half weeks into a new relationship with this guy. I liked him well enough, but deep, deep inside, I was terrified. What if this guy turned out to be a jerk? What if he lulled me into a false sense of security, and then, once I was married to him, revealed his true colors? What if he turned out to be a serial killer or a creep? What if I regretted dating him?

I had a lot of fears. So, there I was, in my kitchen, home alone, making lunch. I was singing some praises, having a good moment, when those fears started to creep in. Those thoughts and insecurities began swarming my mind, so finally, I put my spatula down, looked up, and whispered, “I don’t know how to guard my heart, God. Please, would you teach me how?”

In an instant—in a way I’ve never felt him before—Holy Spirit literally crashed through the ceiling. I don’t know how else to describe it than that. One moment, I was having a chill prayer time, getting ready to eat lunch, and the next I was literally on my knees, completely and totally overwhelmed by his presence.

“Trust me with your heart,” He whispered. “Let me guard your heart. It’s not up to you to do it, it’s up to me.”

Mind. Blown.

In that moment, I had a choice: Trust God or continue to rely on my own understanding.

I hymmed and hawed about it, going back and forth, until I decided He was right. It wasn’t even my heart to begin with, right?

I mean, once you give your life to Christ, you give him everything—your whole life. Your heart is just a portion of it, and it isn’t yours anymore; it belongs to God. Might as well trust him with his own stuff, right?

The Results Of Trusting God

A week later, this guy I was dating turned out to be a bit of a jerk. I quickly discovered that he’d lied to me about some pretty major stuff and decided to break up with him. Despite the fact that the relationship had lasted less than a month, I was still pretty bummed out about it.

I laid awake that night, wondering if I was just doomed to be single the rest of my life, when I recalled that conversation I’d had with God about protecting my heart.

“Hey!” I snapped, sitting up. “I trusted you with my heart, dude! Look what happened! Why did you let me date that guy, huh? Aren’t you supposed to be protecting my heart?”

Moments later, deep conviction pierced me to my core. Because I’d broken up with the guy. I’d asked God to protect my heart, and not even a week later, I was shown that this guy I was dating wasn’t who I thought he was. Yes, it stung a little, but better now than six months into the relationship, right?

Pain Happens

It’s a broken world. Having God protect your heart doesn’t mean you’ll never be sad again. If it had been up to me and me alone, I might have stayed in that relationship far longer than I was supposed to. I might have excused his behaviors and tried to love him regardless of his actions. But God didn’t want that for me. He guided me toward ending the relationship. He was protecting my heart.

Guarding your heart is still something I’m figuring out. Practically, it looks like actively giving your heart to God. It looks like trusting him with his timing. It looks like studying the word and finding out what he says about things. It looks like prayer and praise. But I know God has more for me here. He probably has more for you, too. 🙂

How do you let God guard your heart? Comment below!

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A great way to guard your heart is to protect it from lies against the enemy! Check out my free devotional on affirmations and build the truth in your heart!