Guard Your Heart and Mind
It is during times of weakness you need to guard your heart and mind so that you don’t allow negative thinking to take root.
All Christians, at one time or another, experience weakness. We could be tired, sick, experiencing loss of some kind, etc. It is often during these times when the enemy strikes and tries to manipulate our weakness.
I have been experiencing a real lack of sleep lately. I have had my dogs for 7 years now and all of a sudden, after starting my blog, they have begun waking me up in the middle of the night…every night.
I am a very light sleeper, unlike my husband who sleeps like a rock. So I wake up at even the slightest of noises.
I have one dog that has to move to various parts of the room throughout the night and his nails hit the hardwood floors like tap shoes!
Then the other dog has to lick his paws for what seems like an eternity. He does it so long it wakes me out of a sound sleep. I am convinced that is the most annoying sound on the planet!
Once I am awake, my brain thinks it is time to start thinking of EVERYTHING I have been too busy to think about during the day. Next thing I know, an hour has passed and I am still awake!
After this goes on for DAYS, it leaves me depleted mentally and physically. I find it difficult to focus during the day and even my prayers change.
I can’t tell you how many times I will be in prayer and just throw up my hands and say “Sorry Lord…I am just wiped out. I’ve got nothing! I don’t even know what to say!”
After some time it can lead to feeling depressed because you feel like you just can’t keep up with life! You feel like you let everyone down because they want to do things and you just don’t have the energy. You feel like life is just getting away from you.
Then that despondent feeling just affects everything else and starts a vicious cycle.
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Why It’s Important to Guard Your Heart
It is so vital during these times to keep guarding your heart and mind.
Proverbs 4:23 says:
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
The Hebrew for “guard” here is “natsar” and it means “to keep, observe, guard with fidelity, watchman”
Watchman!
Watchmen in the Bible guarded the cities. They kept a watch out for enemies and alerted those in the city of any threat!
The Bible says of the heart “everything you do flows from it”!
Everything I do flows out of my heart! When I fail to set a guard, a watchman, over my heart, I let the enemy trample right in through the walls!! It is like leaving a city unguarded from its enemies!
What are you doing to set a watchman, a guard, over your heart?
'Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.'Click To Tweet
Watchman On The Wall
Philippians 4:6-7 says:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The peace of God will guard your hearts and minds IN CHRIST JESUS!
We have direct access to God through Christ Jesus! We can approach Him at any time. The veil of the temple was torn in two giving us direct access to the Holy of Holies and yet so often we sit outside and wait for the enemy to attack before we run to Him.
When The Enemy Strikes
We have failed to set watchmen. We wait until the weakness comes, we wait until the attack comes.
I wasn’t doing anything to prevent the attack from coming until AFTER it took place. By then I was exhausted and worn out.
What an ingenious plan for an enemy isn’t it? Wait until the army is exhausted and worn out and then wage the battle!
I need to seek God and His peace before there is a lack of sleep! When we are in the ministry of any kind, the enemy is going to attack our weaknesses. Mine is lack of sleep! But I didn’t cover myself in prayer for it until AFTER it was an issue!
I did not set watchman on the wall!!
Out of our heart, EVERYTHING we do flows from it. It affected everything..especially blogging! I told a friend I was tapped out! I couldn’t write! I had topics, I had ideas but the words wouldn’t come! I had a block and nothing I did worked! My writing flows from my heart, but my heart was left unguarded!
Be sure you are guarding your heart and mind!
Set a watchman on the wall and don’t wait for the attack to act!!
We have failed to set watchmen. We wait until the weakness comes, we wait until the attack comes.Click To Tweet
Bloggers..don’t forget to link up below!
I highly recommend this book on Watchman Prayer by Dutch Sheets
Some other posts you might enjoy:
DROPS IN THE BUCKET – RECOGNIZING SUBTLE ATTACKS OF THE DEVIL
SPIRITUAL WARFARE- BEING MORE THAN A CONQUEROR REQUIRES A BATTLE
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When we are lacking and not at our strongest we are attacked. Lack of sleep will do that for sure. Remember your prayers and ask for help always. Seek strength and keep on reading scriptures and studying.
Thank you Candy! Yes I have to get better at asking for help…from God and from others!
So good that you are sharing truths. I have found in my times of weakness when the enemy is trying to get me through those whispers. Running to the truth of God’s word is my safety!!
Amen!! You can never go wrong running to the Word!!
Amen. Whatever it is that’s in our heart, I believe God has planted it to be there. Therefore we must listen to it with the constant guidance of the Word. Thank you for this ❤️
Thank you Hazel!! You are so right!!
I love this…watchman! I’m going to be pondering this all day, thank you!
Thank you so much Michelle!!
While reading this it reminded me of the parable of the women with the oil. Only the ones who were prepared had enough oil to last the night and were the only ones to enter the wedding feast. It seems like it’s a similar idea with the watchmen. We need to be prepared – guarded – before anything bad happens, like our oil running out. Or our sleep cycles interrupted!
Thank you Colleen!! It is so funny that you mentioned the virgins and the oil…I was just thinking of that last night and pondered writing a post about that!! You may have just provided confirmation!!
Thank for this post I have been struggling with my sleep lately and never considered how this can affect me physically and spiritually! Definitely going to stick to a sleep pattern.
I am so glad you found it helpful!! Sleep definitely does affect everything doesn’t it!?
I am also a light sleeper–sleep deprivation is such a downer.
It helps me to remind myself when I’m sleep deprived that I’m not seeing things clearly. It takes extra grace, but God has plenty.
Amen! Yes He does!! Thank you Michele!!
I’m also a light sleeper! I can’t even let our cats sleep in our room anymore. I love the picture of watchmen for our hearts. When I’m exhausted it spills negatively into all parts of my life, and I’ve got to change that.
I’ve always admired how Jesus healed people all day, fed 5000, spent time in prayer mourning his cousin, walked on water, then healed the next day too! He must have been tired to the bone, but he’s isn’t get grumpy like I tend to, he served and he loved.
Yes and that is a great point…He prayed and served no matter how tired He was. The enemy also tried to use hunger and exhaustion to tempt Him! Great examples for us to follow and goes along with setting a guard…pray and speak the Word just like He did!! Thank you for that!!
I felt like you were writing this post just for me. I, too, suffer bouts of sleeplessness. Maybe it just comes from getting older. After a few consecutive nights, I am just worn out, cranky and restless. I also think about EVERYTHING when I can’t sleep.
I never heard of the word “natsar” before, but I do need to set a watchman, especially when I haven’t slept properly. That is a great image to remember.
Thank you!! I think you are right..it may come with age. I never had this problem before when I was younger!!
I love this and needed this today. Thank you for posting.
Thank you Stephanie! I am happy it encouraged you!!
Depression is a real side effect when you feel like you can’t keep up with life. Giving it to God and setting a watchman is definitely a great strategy. Putting on the armor of God is the way to set a watchman.
Amen Julie!! So true!!
Yes! Great post…I’ve been focusing lately on being intentional about what I am thinking about. “Guarding my mind.”
Thank you Sharla!! It is so important for us to do yet I know it is one thing I often forget!
Thanks for the great post Diane. I’m glad you went into the Hebrew as well. I completely relate to thinking of everything I can possibly think of at night. My mind seems to be permanently active and has trouble switching off. I think for people like that, where we can allow our thoughts to run rampant, it’s especially important to guard our minds and hearts. I know that I can go down a certain path of thinking about something in a particular way, which then allows the enemy to play on those fears or feelings. It’s really easy for him to stir the pot and get caught in a negative mindset. We need to think on whatever is good, true and lovely, otherwise we can allow these negative thoughts to become toxic and build resentment towards others or God.
Thank you Robert!! Yes!!! I know for me, having anxiety makes it tough when I get into thinking at night because I tend to worry about things that typically never happen!! The enemy loves to use those times!!
This is a valuable warning for me in my life right now. laurensparks.net
I am glad you found it helpful Lauren!
Mercy, it is SO TRUE! Coming up with a protection plan AFTER the attack only gets us so far — and we’re always playing catch up. It would be MUCH better if we would think about how to guard our hearts and minds BEFORE Satan decides we’re vulnerable, but we so often think we’re good, that nothing could shake us badly enough to have us questioning our faith. And yet, it does. Something happens that we could never have anticipated, and it brings us to the end of ourselves. Thanks for this reminder, Diane!
Thank you Laura!! I agree!! I think sometimes for me, I get to thinking I need to pray for everyone else and I know other people cover me that I forget I still need to make sure I cover myself!!
You are a trooper for allowing the dogs in your room. I too am a light sleeper. I don’t usually sleep with our dogs, but when we travel, I do. We had one that moves all night long. One night every time she moved I thought she had to go to the bathroom. I was up all night long. One time I was so tired I went out in my pj’s missed the curb, and there I was in the hotel parking lot flat on my back in pj’s I might add grumbling.
Next time I travel with them, I will remember to pray first and guard my thoughts.
I too need my sleep.
Maree
Oh no!!! I definitely feel your pain (literally)…one of mine is 13 years old and basically blind so I seem to get hurt every time I take him out at night…which thanks to my husband isn’t often!! Yes, we let them sleep in our room because they would be at the door all night if we didn’t! They are both rescues so they are a little needy and they are both 13 so they are old now. But if we ever get more dogs when these guys leave us they will NOT be in our room LOL
I love this! It is so important to be alert and pray before we are spent. I have felt convicted in this area with praying for protection for my family and me lately too, as we watch everything break all around us!
Are you developing What you pray as a watchman. I’d love to read that too!
It is VERY important..its funny how we can easily pray for others but we often forget ourselves!!
I am also a light sleeper and get easily frustrated when I don’t get the sleep I need. I find the enemy strikes the hardest on church days or bible study days. Its so important to know that those are from the devil and fight the thoughts of staying home.
Yes!! Amen!!!
Oh I needed this reminder! I have definitely been letting my guard down lately and need to re-focus my heart on Jesus.
I am so glad you found it encouraging Bailey!! We focus so much on others at times, we can easily forget to make sure WE are protected!
Preaching to my heart tonight with this post! Visiting from Lori Schumaker’s link party and so glad I stopped by. Thank you.
Thank you so much and I’m so glad you stopped by!
I agree. Nails on a chalkboard. Nails on a hardwood.
There is no difference lol.
I feel a lot of what you said resonates in more way than one, thank you for sharing so openly about a very common struggle and how we can be alert to what’s happening, or could happen.
You’re so right!! There really is no difference LOL Thank you!!!
I was just thinking of this yesterday. This is so important to our own peace of mind in the day to day affairs. I saw myself wiped out after overdoing it. Thank you for this wonderful reminder. (P.S. That wall art was super cute.) #GraceandTruthLinkup
Thank you so much Brittany!! And yes, I loved that wall art so wanted to share it!!
Thank you for these truths and for sharing at #TellHisStory. 🙂
Thank you Mary!
That’s why I love studying the Hebraic meaning to Scripture. It brings about a new understanding and honestly helps me to walk out what I read. Thank you for sharing this aspect of guarding our hearts.
Thank you Michelle! Yes it definitely makes a big difference!!
This is so good! As a mommy to a toddler and a newborn, I can’t remember the last time I’ve slept through the night so this really resonates with me! My husband and I have found that when we don’t make time to rest by spending time in His Word, the battles seem so much bigger. I love the concept of being a watchman for both ourselves and each other!
Yes that’s so true and I think that’s why the enemy enjoys making us exhausted!! Thank you Jordan!!
Very important truth to be sharing!! The enemy is so crafty in his deceit and if we aren’t taking time to draw strength daily from His truth’s then we are most definitely only going to make ourselves weak and then as you mentioned when another element is added to the mix like sickness or fatigue, the lion is ready to pounce!! Guard your heart and mind daily…..good stuff!!
Amen!! Thank you so much April!!
If we aren’t intentional about keeping a guard on our heart, our heart can easily wander from God.
Amen Karen!!
So happy to have clicked over from BVN 🙂 Thank you for this reminder. I forget the watchmen all the time! I go, go, go thinking I can (and should) get it all done. But God never called us to that. WE need to seek protection along the way too.
Amen!!! So glad you popped by!! There’s a link up on the site as well each Wed!