7 Ways to Guard Your Heart from Evil Today

1. Read the Bible Consistently & Let God Guide Your Steps (Psalm 119:105)

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” We can guard our hearts by consistently reading the Bible daily and allowing God to guide our steps. The only way to truly allow God to guide our steps is by obeying His Word. Obedience to God means that you love Him (John 14:15-17). God is not a God of rules and legalism; rather, God is a God of love, and He knows what is best for us.

We can guard our hearts by being present while we are reading His Word and truly focusing on what He says in His Word. Reading the Bible mindlessly will only cause the true meaning of the passage to be lost on us. We have to be intentional, stay present, and allow God to speak to us through His Word. The more we read the Bible, the more we will learn about God and this in turn, will cause us to know how to guard our hearts better.

We will begin listening to what God says instead of what the world says. Not only this, but we will turn away from temptation and find more joy in obeying God rather than the short pleasure of something sinful. The more we read about God and learn about Him, the more we will see the necessity of keeping our own hearts safe. This is why it is vital to be consistent in our Bible reading, to retain it, and allow God’s Word to be a light to our path.

Photo Credit: @priscilladupreez 

2. Follow Paul’s Example in Philippians 4:6-9

The Apostle Paul tells us, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Paul gives us clear instructions here on how to guard our hearts—to go to God in prayer, petition, and thankfulness, and present our requests to Him. Once we do this, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and our minds in the Lord.

As we continue reading, we also see Paul point out more vital truths to us. He says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:8-9). 

By reflecting on these things instead of negative things, we will also be able to guard our hearts. This is because we are focusing on beautiful, lovely, and peaceful things rather than the worries of the world. Our hearts will be guarded and protected as we learn to regularly keep our hearts focused on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Keep your heart and mind focused on these things today.

Photo Credit: Sparrowstock 

3. Put on the Full Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Putting on the full armor of God is a third way to guard your heart from evil today. It can be difficult to put on the full armor of God everyday, yet it is essential to our overall Christian walk. The full armor of God is detailed in Ephesians 6:10-18 and includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and pray in the Spirit. Each of these parts of our spiritual armor are needed in order to keep our hearts protected from evil. 

The belt of truth refers to God’s truth. This is the first piece of the armor of God because you cannot put on the rest of the armor without it. The second piece of armor is the breastplate of righteousness and this is the righteousness that was given to us by Jesus. Not that we are righteous, but rather that we are declared righteous in the Father’s eyes by placing faith in His Son. 

Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace refers to both the defensive and offensive parts of the Gospel. We need to be ready to take the Gospel anywhere as well as we need to defend the faith. The shield of faith is exactly what it sounds like—the faith we have in Jesus. With it, we can extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one. 

The helmet of salvation refers to our salvation in Jesus Christ. By putting on the helmet of salvation, we are not unaware of the devil’s attacks. We know our eternal home will be with Jesus, and we don’t have to fear anything. Since we have been given salvation, there is nothing for us to fear. No matter what battle we are facing, we can go out with strength. 

The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, the Bible. By reading the Bible every day, we will be able to extinguish the lies of the devil. We will replace his lies with the truth of the Bible. Lastly, to pray in the Spirit means to present all of our prayers and requests to God. It also refers to praying for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world.

Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Massonstock 

4. Rejoice, Pray, and Give Thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Paul tells us these vital truths, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). As Paul tells us, we need to rejoice, pray, and give thanks. By doing these things, we will be guarding our hearts. Instead of giving the devil a foot in the door, we will be completely dismantling his attacks.

Rejoice in the wonderful salvation the Lord has given you. Pray in all circumstances and tell God all of your worries, fears, and concerns. Give thanks to God for everything in your life, and even if it seems there is nothing to be thankful for at the present time, you can always be thankful for God. The Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will guard our hearts if we keep on thinking of good things. The moment we start shifting toward sin or evil thoughts, we will be opening our hearts to the attacks of the evil one.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Kieferpix 

5. Consider Having an Accountability Partner

While we normally only think of having an accountability partner when it comes to alcoholism, giving up smoking, or stopping drugs, we can actually have an accountability partner for anything we are trying to protect ourselves from. If you know a specific sin has been creeping into your mind, ask a trusted, mature fellow Christian to be your accountability partner. Ask them to check in on you and to be a safe place when you are having struggles.

An accountability partner will be able to help you when times are hard and sin is at your door. Guarding our hearts can be hard, especially if a specific sin is always tugging on our mind. Choose to have an accountability partner and talk with them often. If you cannot find an accountability partner, know that God is always a great fit. He can help when you are struggling and you can go to Him in prayer anytime of day.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Finn Hafemann

6. Don’t Fill Your Heart with Sinful Things

Filling our hearts with sinful things will do the exact opposite of guarding our hearts. It will cause our hearts to be polluted with vices and evil thoughts. Instead of doing this, we need to fill our hearts with good, wholesome, and holy things. If a particular television show, movie, or song causes you to want to sin, don’t entertain these things. It is better to turn away from these things rather than regretting them later.

What we see on the television, see on the movie screen, or hear in our ears can all affect us. We don’t need to allow evil things to take up space in our hearts and minds. They will affect us in a negative way and will cause us to distance ourselves from God. Choose to instead guard your heart from evil and avoid filling your heart with sinful things. This will help you in the short-term as well as in your long-term walk with Jesus.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Antonistock 

7. Be Careful of Secular Media

When we are trying to guard our hearts from evil, we also need to be wary of secular media. As mentioned above, it can influence us. Secular media can have many beautiful things contained within it, but we have to be careful of evil. Profanity, immoral behavior, and evil conduct will not guard our hearts. These things have the ability to lead us far from Jesus. 

Instead of doing a deep dive into secular media, choose to only watch and listen to things that promote wholesome and holy concepts. If anything promotes sin, turn it off. However, if you are watching or listening to something that is not bad or wrong, then know that there is nothing wrong with this. Secular media can be harmful, but there are also still many beautiful expressions of art contained within it. 

As believers, we need to weed out the good from the bad. This can be hard, yet it is not impossible. Be mindful of what you are watching and ask yourself, “Is this spiritually healthy for my heart?” Also ask yourself, “Does this bring glory to God?” By answering these questions, it should give you a good idea of what is safe and what is not.  

Choose to always guard your heart because it will be for your own benefit. A few ways you can guard your heart is to read the Bible consistently and allow God to guide your steps, follow Paul’s example in Philippians 4:6-9, put on the full armor of God, rejoice, pray, and give thanks, consider having an accountability partner, don’t fill your heart with sinful things, and be careful of secular media.

Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Martin DM