June 13 – Guarding Your Heart and Mind

 Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

SITREP:

What’s fueling your decisions, your emotions, your reactions? Your heart is the command center—and if you don’t protect it, the rest of you will follow wherever it’s been compromised. Your decisions are shaped by what fills your heart. Protect it by filling it with God’s wisdom, not the influences of the world.

This verse comes from a section of Proverbs where Solomon is passing down battlefield-level wisdom to his son—teaching him how to stay upright in a world bent on destruction. But right in the middle of all this counsel about discipline, focus, and integrity comes the warning shot: guard your heart above all else.

In Hebrew thinking, the “heart” wasn’t just about feelings. It was your entire inner world—your mind, will, emotions, desires, and moral compass. Solomon knew: if the heart falls, everything else follows.

Breaking Down the Verse:

“Above all else…” – This isn’t secondary. Solomon’s saying this is top priority. Guarding your heart ranks above guarding your status, your finances, or even your reputation.

“…guard your heart…” – Be vigilant. You would never leave a post unprotected in a warzone—don’t leave your heart exposed either. Watch what enters through memory, media, relationships, and routines.

“…for everything you do flows from it.” – What’s inside you eventually comes out—in your words, habits, reactions, and relationships. Your heart is upstream from your life.

How This Hits a Combat Veteran’s Faith:

You’ve guarded gates, secured convoys, and patrolled danger zones. You know how to protect what matters in the field. But when it comes to guarding your inner world?

That gets trickier.

Maybe after combat, you hardened your heart just to keep functioning. You built walls to manage the grief, guilt, or chaos. Maybe you shut down emotions just to get through the mission—and never quite turned them back on.

But Solomon doesn’t say to harden your heart. He says to guard it.

Guard it against lies that say you’re too broken.

Guard it from bitterness, lust, and the poison of past wounds left unchecked.

Guard it by filling it with God’s Word—His wisdom, His truth, His healing.

A guarded heart is not a closed heart. It’s a heart under supervision. It knows the value of what it holds—and doesn’t hand it over carelessly.

ENDEX:

You’ve stood watch before—now stand watch over your heart. Proverbs 4:23 is a soldier’s reminder that your greatest battles are internal, and your most critical post is right behind your ribs. Guard it. Fill it with truth. Let God be your inner defense—because what’s inside will shape everything that comes next.

AAR:
What’s been slipping past your guard lately—bitterness, distraction, pride, or fear? Proverbs 4:23 is a command with combat weight: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” That means your heart is your command center—and if it’s compromised, the mission is too. So ask yourself: have you been watching your perimeter but ignoring your own core? You’ve been trained to defend what matters, but your heart—your motives, your desires, your faith—needs that same discipline. If the enemy can’t take you down from the outside, he’ll aim for the inside. Guard it like your life depends on it—because spiritually, it does.

Defending the Core That Drives the Mission
You’ve pulled security on positions, gear, and people—but Proverbs 4:23 tells you the most important post is internal. For the combat veteran, this isn’t poetic advice—it’s tactical survival. Your heart fuels everything: your words, your reactions, your choices in the dark. If it gets contaminated, corrupted, or hardened, the fight starts unraveling from within. So post up. Check what you’re letting in—through screens, conversations, temptations. Stay vigilant with what you dwell on, because what fills your heart directs your life. And if the enemy can’t outshoot you, he’ll outmaneuver you emotionally. Guard your heart like a warrior who knows that the real war starts in the soul. Stay alert. Stay clean. Stay ready.

Make your voice count—share what you’ve lived.

Share your experiences in the comments below. Your words could encourage someone else walking a similar path.

If you're comfortable, include as much or as little personal detail as you’d like. We suggest:

• Name
• Veteran, Retired, Family Member etc.
• Service Branch
• Years of Service (or Deployment Dates and Locations)

Every story matters—and yours might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.