A number of weeks have passed since I was last able to participate in Five Minute Friday. But tonight, the rain canceled our bicycling plans, and I am home. I missed the Five Minute Friday Party on Twitter, but at least I was able to write for my five minutes! It feels good to be back.
If you’ve never tried writing on a one-word prompt for five minutes, without editing, or if it’s been awhile, I invite you to join in. Even if it’s on a piece of paper at home. Feel free to write your five minutes in the comments section below. I’d love to read it and encourage you! Those of us who blog, gather at Kate’s place to share and encourage. Check it out!
This week’s word:
–PROTECT–
GO.
We have an alarm system that protects our home.
While bicycling we wear helmets to protect our heads.
We wear seat belts while traveling by car to protect our lives.
We obey traffic signals, speed limits, and cautions on the road to protect us.
We lock what’s valuable, and take care of what’s important.
But what about our hearts? How do we protect them?
I’m not talking about our physical, beating heart that resides in our chest, but the heart of who we are. The heart that encompasses our inner being.
Above all else, watch over your heart; diligently guard it because from a sincere and pure heart come the good and noble things of life. Proverbs 4:23 VOICE
What can we do to guard our hearts?
Read God’s Word. Soak it in to let it sink deep to keep our hearts aligned with His.
Pray. Ask God for His protection, wisdom, and guidance.
Follow the remainder of Proverbs 4…
24 Do away with any talk that twists and distorts the truth;
have nothing to do with any verbal trickery.
25 Keep your head up, your eyes straight ahead,
and your focus fixed on what is in front of you.
26 Take care you don’t stray from the straight path, the way of truth,
and you will safely reach the end of your road.
27 Do not veer off course to the right or the left;
step away from evil, and leave it behind.
Can you think of anything else we can do to protect our hearts??
If God says our hearts are worth protecting, we can take His word for it. May we be about spurring one another on to keep doing so, and may we be teaching our children to do the same.
STOP.
I went seven minutes, and could have kept going!
Bless you, and thank you for being here, friend!
Julie
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Great post, Julie…and I addressed something similar.
To my way of thinking, one thing you have to do to guard your heart is to know the truth about yourself, and not to build a fictional ‘you’ that others don’t really see…and can shred in an instant.
#1 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/06/your-dying-spouse-175-protecting-who.html
Great addition, Andrew. Yes… to be real. I appreciate my friends who allow me to be real with them, and who are real with me. You are one of these special people. I’ll be over to read your post. I’m behind in my reading from last week! Bless you, brother!
Julie, I love your writing. Thank you for staying faithful and steadfast in your calling. 🙂 And oh. my. word. this post nailed my day on the head. If there were words for a vigorous head nod… well I’d be writing them right here! Nothing guards better than the truth of His word and the love found in His presence.
Thank you friend! Happy Fourth to you!
Hey friend! It’s wonderful to see your beautiful face here! Thank you for coming by. I appreciate your words of love and encouragement, as always. I pray we stay fixed in His Word and continually rest in His presence. Hope you had a wonderful 4th! God bless you.
Julie, I love your words on protecting our hearts, who we are. One thing I would add is to be careful who you share your depths with. We don’t want to share all of ourselves with everyone (no filters on our words) because some people will misunderstand and/or use our words, intentions, thoughts against us. I’m not sure if I’m making sense.
I encourage my boys not to share everything in their hearts with everyone in their lives because most kids their age don’t you have the discretion to keep personal things quiet. I think we always need to have those few safe people in our lives we can share deeply with. But that won’t be everyone. Okay, now I’m rambling.
Great post, Julie!
Good addition, Jeanne. I agree wholeheartedly. You’re such a wise mom, and the way you are raising up your boys honors God in so many ways. Keep up the great work, my friend. Hope you are doing well! Thanks for sharing this. Powerful words!
Thanks for this encouragement today, Julie. These scriptures were exactly what I needed to answer a reader’s question about her troubled marriage and how to keep faith. God used you in my life today, sweet friend! Blessings!
Sabra, I appreciate you sharing that, and I thank you for the encouragement in your words. You are doing a mighty work for our Lord. It’s a gift to journey alongside of you in our ministries. Praying for you today!
Julie, it is so true. May we be as diligent to protect our hearts as we are to protect so much else. Great word you brought today!
Hi Joanne! Thank you. Yes, may we encourage each other to protect our hearts. Bless your week, friend.
great post julie:) it’s nice and to the point about how to guard/protect our hearts. great job:)
Thank you, Martha. I needed the reminder. Hope you are well! I’ll stop over to your place soon!
Great post friend! I’ve missed you all too!
Hey, friend! I’ve missed you. We need to meet one of these days! Have a great week.