Safeguard Your Heart

Safeguard Your Heart

The key to maintaining chastity is to safeguard the heart. The Bible says: "More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life." (Proverbs 4:23) What is "your heart," referred to here? It is not the literal organ. This heart is figurative. It refers to the person you are inside, including your thoughts, feelings, and motivations. The Bible says: "You must love Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your vital force." (Deuteronomy 6:5) Jesus referred to this commandment as the greatest of all. (Mark 12:29, 30) Clearly, this heart of ours is of enormous value. It is worth safeguarding.

However, the Bible also says that "the heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate." (Jeremiah 17:9) How can the heart be treacherous—a danger to us? Well, an automobile, for example, is a valuable tool, even a lifesaver in an emergency. But if the driver does not control the car, constantly guiding the steering wheel, that same car may easily become a deadly weapon. Similarly, unless you safeguard your heart, you will be at the mercy of your every inner desire and impulse, and your life course will veer into disaster. God’s Word says: "He that is trusting in his own heart is stupid, but he that is walking in wisdom is the one that will escape." (Proverbs 28:26) Yes, you can walk in wisdom and escape disaster if you use God’s Word to guide you, much as you would consult a road map before beginning a trip.—Psalm 119:105.