Hey friends, welcome back to the podcast. I’m so glad you’re tuning in today. Wherever you are—maybe commuting, walking the dog, doing dishes, or just taking a breather from the noise—I’m thankful you made space to be here.

I think this conversation matters more than ever. We’re surrounded by noise. Constant input. Voices competing for our attention, our energy, and ultimately, our affection. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, we’re trying to follow Jesus. We’re trying to live with clarity, purpose, peace—but it’s hard when our souls are overwhelmed. Maybe you’ve felt that lately. Maybe your inner world feels foggy, or tired, or pulled in a dozen directions. You’re not alone.

Today, we’re going to lean into one of the most quietly urgent challenges of our time: guarding your heart in a distracted world. And our guidepost for this conversation comes from a simple but powerful verse in Proverbs:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." —Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

That phrase, "above all else," is not casual. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a warning. It’s a call to action. Scripture is saying: pay attention here, because this is the wellspring of your life.

The heart, in biblical terms, isn’t just about your emotions—it’s the core of who you are. It’s where your choices are made, where your desires live, and where your responses are shaped. It’s what drives your habits, your words, your relationships. And when the heart is healthy and guarded, everything else has a chance to thrive. But when it’s open to attack, left unprotected, or flooded with chaos, the consequences ripple out in every direction.

But what does that actually look like today? How do you guard your heart when you’re constantly bombarded by input, expectations, algorithms, temptations, and noise? How do you stay anchored to Jesus when the world is trying to pull you in every direction at once?

That’s what we’re going to explore together in this episode.

Part 1: Why the Heart Matters

(We’re not talking about that warm fuzzy feeling you get during the last scene of a Hallmark Christmas movie. This goes deeper.)

Let’s start with a foundational question: Why the heart? Why does Scripture place so much emphasis on this one part of us?

In the biblical worldview, the heart is not just the place where feelings live. It represents the deepest part of who we are—our will, desires, thoughts, motivations, and intentions. When the Bible speaks of the heart, it's not just talking about sentimentality or emotion. It’s talking about the place where our life decisions are made. The heart is the control center. It governs what we love, what we pursue, and ultimately, what we worship.

It’s no surprise, then, that Proverbs tells us: “Above all else, guard your heart.” Not just because our hearts are vulnerable, but because our hearts are influential. “For everything you do flows from it.” Think about that for a moment. Everything. Your actions. Your reactions. Your conversations. Your spending habits. Your work ethic. Your parenting. Your friendships. All of it is downstream from what’s happening in your heart.

If your heart is filled with fear, you’ll move through life in self-protection. If it’s filled with pride, you’ll treat others with superiority. If it’s cluttered with bitterness, your relationships will suffer. If your heart is anchored in love and peace and truth, your life will begin to reflect those things. Your heart drives your direction—even when you don’t realize it.

The reason this matters so much is because most of us don’t regularly stop to examine our hearts. We manage our schedules, our finances, our relationships—but we rarely ask, “What’s actually going on in my heart?” And when we fail to guard it, we leave the most sacred part of ourselves open to distraction, deception, and damage.

Imagine your heart like a garden. (Though thankfully, it doesn’t require a trip to Home Depot or trying to keep a succulent alive for more than two weeks.) If you tend to it daily—pulling weeds, watering the soil, planting good things—it flourishes. It becomes a place of beauty, peace, and nourishment. But if you neglect it, even for a short time, weeds grow. The soil hardens. Invasive species take root. It doesn’t happen overnight, but left unchecked, neglect slowly turns into disorder.

That’s what happens spiritually. A guarded heart is not a perfect heart, but it’s a tended heart. It’s a heart that’s checked on. Prayed over. Exposed to truth. Centered in Christ. It’s not about avoiding pain or hiding from the world. It’s about creating space for health, healing, and Holy Spirit transformation.

The question isn’t just, “Is your heart guarded?” The deeper question is, “What have you let in that doesn’t belong?” What influences have taken root? What lies have been believed? What fears are driving decisions? Because we live in a world that is constantly trying to shape our hearts—from media, to marketing, to relationships, to trauma—and if we’re not careful, we’ll wake up one day and realize we’ve become someone we never meant to be.

But the good news is this: it’s not too late to start guarding your heart. You can begin today. With honesty. With reflection. With a return to the feet of Jesus, asking Him to help you cultivate a heart that’s clean, soft, and strong.

And when you do? Everything else in your life—your work, your relationships, your purpose—begins to shift. Because when the heart is right, the fruit is right. And just to be clear—we’re talking about spiritual fruit here, not your questionable attempt at growing tomatoes last summer. When the heart is guarded, life flows freely from a place of wholeness.

So let’s ask again: What’s flowing into your heart right now? What’s shaping your thoughts, desires, and decisions? What are you feeding, and what are you ignoring?

Because guarding your heart is not just about protecting it from the world—it’s about entrusting it to God. Let Him be the gardener. Let Him do the tending. And commit to partnering with Him in the process.

This is where transformation begins.. It’s the seat of your identity. It’s where your affections are stored, where your motivations are shaped, where your sense of purpose is rooted. Your heart is your internal compass. If that compass is broken or corrupted, you won’t know which direction to walk in—even if you’re busy, even if you’re doing good things. You might be sprinting in the wrong direction—just with really great playlist.

That’s why Proverbs 4:23 says, “everything you do flows from it.” Think about that. Everything. Your relationships. Your work ethic. Your speech. Your responses to conflict. Your ability to be patient, kind, generous. All of it flows from the condition of your heart.

If your heart is tired and discouraged, it’s going to show up in how you relate to others. If your heart is bitter or envious, it’s going to color your thoughts, your posture, your assumptions. If your heart is distracted, you’ll find yourself chasing the wrong things without even realizing it.

Now imagine the opposite: a heart that’s rooted in truth, guarded by peace, shaped by Scripture, and anchored in love. A heart like that brings health to every other area of life. Not perfection—but clarity. Stability. Wisdom.

When the Bible talks about guarding your heart, it’s not about building a wall to keep people out. It’s about building discernment. Knowing what to let in and what to keep out. Knowing what to nurture and what to confront. It’s about developing an inner life that’s rich, vibrant, and in tune with God.

So if everything flows from the heart, the most important question we can ask is: What’s flowing into it? What’s forming it? What’s feeding it? Because we are all being formed by something, whether we’re aware of it or not.

To guard your heart means stepping into that awareness. It means taking ownership over the kind of person you’re becoming—not just in public, but in private. Not just in your habits, but in your desires. It’s choosing to be deeply formed by Christ in a world that constantly tries to form you into something else. Kind of like realizing that your go-to coping strategy is binge-watching baking shows while eating cereal straight from the box—and then saying, 'Maybe it’s time to switch things up.’

Part 2: The Noise Around Us

Let’s talk more deeply about the noise. And no, not just your neighbor’s dog barking at 3 a.m. or the mysterious hum your fridge makes when you're trying to pray—but the kind of soul-saturating noise that follows you everywhere.

We’re constantly surrounded by input. Our lives are full of notifications, updates, and alerts. Every app, every platform, every channel is designed to capture your attention and hold onto it for as long as possible. Attention, after all, is the most valuable commodity in the digital age. Social media algorithms, news headlines, clickbait articles, and streaming services are all engineered to grab your eyes and keep them glued. And often, it works. I mean, you open your phone to check the weather and suddenly you’re watching a video of a raccoon riding a bicycle—don’t ask me how we got there, but here we are.

But here’s the problem: whatever captures your attention ultimately shapes your affection. And what shapes your affection shapes your direction. That’s not just a catchy phrase—it’s a biblical principle. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” In other words, your heart follows what you give weight to. What you dwell on. What you prioritize. If the content you’re consuming is fueling fear, anger, envy, or discontent—it’s not harmless. It’s forming the landscape of your heart.

And the noise isn’t just digital. It’s emotional. It’s cultural. It’s spiritual. We live in a world of constant performance, comparison, and expectation. We’re told to be more, do more, achieve more, impress more. We’re constantly absorbing subtle messages: You’re not enough. You need to prove yourself. You should be further along. You should be more visible, more productive, more impressive. These messages sneak in through ads, influencers, TV shows, even conversations. It becomes a hum in the background of your life—so constant you don’t even notice it until you’re drowning in it.

And slowly, quietly, that noise begins to wear on us. We become restless. Discontent. Distracted. Spiritually tired. We feel a constant low-level anxiety that we can’t quite name. We start reacting instead of responding. Striving instead of resting. Scrolling instead of seeking. We may be surrounded by content, but we’re starved for clarity.

You might find yourself constantly reaching for your phone without thinking. (Honestly, if there were Olympic trials for reflexively checking Instagram, some of us would be on the podium.) Checking your email like it’s oxygen. Opening apps without purpose. Consuming more content than you create. These aren’t just habits—they’re signals. Signs that the noise is shaping your inner world.

Here’s a question to reflect on: When you feel uncomfortable, bored, or anxious—what do you reach for? Where do you go for relief? That instinct is a window into how noise is forming your rhythms. When you habitually reach for your phone or the next distraction instead of God’s presence, it’s a sign your soul is craving attention—but you’re feeding it with noise.

There’s a hidden cost to all of this. The more noise we allow into our lives, the harder it becomes to hear the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit. The more stimulation we receive, the harder it becomes to sit still in the presence of God. Not because He’s stopped speaking—but because our inner world is too loud to notice.

The danger of all this noise is that it keeps you reactive instead of reflective. You start responding to whatever’s loudest instead of what’s true. You begin to live by default instead of design. And over time, that damages your ability to hear God’s voice, discern His will, and live with peace. The noise keeps your soul spinning but never grounded.

Guarding your heart in the age of noise means learning to turn down the volume of everything else so you can tune in to the One voice that truly matters. It means practicing presence over performance. Stillness over striving. Discernment over distraction.

This doesn’t mean you have to throw away your phone or live off the grid. You don’t have to churn your own butter or start weaving your own clothes—unless you’re into that, in which case, more power to you. It means you need to be intentional. You need to create space in your life where the volume is turned down enough for God to speak clearly. You need to regularly ask, “What is shaping me right now? What’s feeding my soul, and what’s just numbing it?”

And when you do that—when you begin to notice the noise, name the distractions, and choose a different rhythm—your heart becomes a place of clarity again. A place where God’s voice is louder than the headlines. Where peace is stronger than pressure. Where your affection is aligned with the One who made you.

Because in the end, you are not just what you think or believe. You are, in part, the sum of a thousand tiny taps, swipes, and late-night YouTube rabbit holes. You are becoming what you give your attention to. So guard it well. Choose wisely. And don’t underestimate the power of quiet.

That’s where your transformation begins.

Part 3: Practices That Guard the Heart

This is where we get practical. Let’s talk about some rhythms and practices that can help you guard your heart in a distracted world. Don’t worry—none of them require you to become a monk, throw your phone into a lake, or juice kale at 5 a.m.

1. Slow down your intake.

The first step in guarding your heart is slowing the flow of input. We live in a culture of overconsumption—news, reels, texts, podcasts, ads, and more. But more information doesn’t always equal more wisdom. In fact, it can often lead to more confusion, anxiety, and emotional clutter.

Take some time to honestly assess what you’re feeding your mind and soul. What are you watching, listening to, and reading? What’s the first thing you reach for in the morning? How much space do you give God to speak before the world starts shouting?

Try this: For one week, start your morning not with your phone (Yes, I know your phone wants to show you five overnight texts, three emails, and an alert about a flash sale on socks. It can wait.), but with Scripture or silence. Even just 10 minutes. Make coffee. Sit in stillness. Pray a breath prayer. Read a psalm. That small change can set a tone of anchoring, not reacting. And it’s one of the simplest, most transformative ways to start your day from a place of strength.

2. Practice silence and solitude.

This may sound simple, but it’s a deeply countercultural discipline. Silence and solitude remove you from the constant feedback loop of noise and opinions. It’s not just about being quiet—it’s about becoming aware. Aware of your thoughts. Your emotions. Your soul.

When you create space for silence, you begin to hear what’s actually going on inside. You stop running from the inner noise and begin to discern what your heart truly needs. You let God meet you in the stillness.

If you’re not sure where to start, begin with five minutes a day (And if five minutes of silence feels like an eternity, you’re not alone—it’s basically the spiritual equivalent of leg day at the gym.). Turn off your devices. Sit in a comfortable space. Breathe deeply. Whisper the name of Jesus. And just be. You’ll be surprised how loud your soul has been until you quiet everything else.

3. Be selective with inputs.

This one is big. You have permission to be selective. You do not have to take in every story, every opinion, or every trend. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Just because it’s allowed doesn’t mean it’s beneficial.

Ask this simple question before taking something in: Will this make my heart more whole, more holy, or more anxious and reactive? That one filter can help you discern whether what you’re consuming is drawing you closer to the heart of God or distracting you from it.

Maybe you need to unfollow accounts that stir up comparison (Looking at you, influencer who somehow decorates for fall in August with perfectly neutral-toned throw pillows.). Maybe you need to limit how much news you consume. Maybe you need to delete an app for a season. These are not legalistic moves—they’re intentional ones. Because your heart is worth guarding.

4. Stay rooted in Scripture.

If you want to recalibrate your heart, there’s no better place to start than the Word of God. Scripture is not just informational—it’s transformational. It renews your mind. It corrects lies. It reveals the truth. It shapes your desires.

Start small and make it sustainable. Maybe it’s a verse a day. Maybe it’s one chapter each morning. Maybe you write a verse on a sticky note and put it where you’ll see it—on your mirror, your fridge, your dashboard.

And don’t just read it—sit with it. Meditate on it. Ask, “God, what are you saying to me through this today?” Let His voice interrupt the noise.

5. Invite the Holy Spirit to search your heart.

Psalm 139:23 says, "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." This is one of the most powerful prayers of surrender. It’s saying, “God, I don’t just want to guard my heart from the outside—I want to tend to what’s already inside.”

This kind of prayer invites the Spirit to shine a light on things we might be avoiding: bitterness, fear, anger, pride. Not to shame us—but to heal us. He is gentle. He is kind. He convicts, but He never condemns.

Try ending your day with this prayer: “Lord, search me. Where did I get distracted today? Where did I react instead of respond? What burden am I carrying that I need to lay down?” (And no, the answer is not, ‘I spent 40 minutes reading Amazon reviews for lightbulbs.’ Probably.)

This kind of reflective posture helps you live with a soft, guarded, Spirit-sensitive heart.

Part 4: Emotional Awareness and the Inner Life

Guarding your heart isn’t just about shielding it from bad content. It’s also about tending to what’s already inside.

Many of us live unaware of what’s actually going on in our inner world. We carry around stress, resentment, comparison, insecurity, and we never name it. We never pause long enough to ask: What’s actually happening in my heart right now? It’s like emotional Costco—we’ve got all this stuff packed in bulk, but we’re not even sure what we’re storing anymore.

And the longer those emotions go unaddressed, the more influence they have. They begin shaping how we view ourselves, how we respond to others, and even how we relate to God. A guarded heart isn’t a hardened heart—it’s a heart that is both protected from external noise and attuned to internal truth.

This is where emotional awareness comes in. Not in a self-help kind of way, but in a discipleship kind of way. Following Jesus means following Him not just with our behaviors, but with our whole selves—mind, body, and yes, emotions. He wants to transform all of it.

God cares about your emotions because your emotions shape how you relate to Him, to others, and to yourself. If you’re angry, bitter, anxious, or wounded—those emotions live in your heart. And if left unaddressed, they become filters that distort your view of reality and of God. They skew how you interpret people’s words, how you receive correction, how you offer love. Kind of like wearing sunglasses indoors—you’re seeing everything, but it’s all a little off, and people start asking if you’re okay.

Guarding your heart means creating rhythms where you check in regularly. Where you pause and ask honest questions:

• What am I feeling right now?
• What’s underneath that feeling?
• Have I invited God into this?

Because sometimes our version of inviting God in is like awkwardly waving from the doorway and hoping He doesn’t notice the emotional laundry piled everywhere.

And when you do, you might find some surprises. You might realize that you’re still hurt from something that happened months ago. Or that you’ve been carrying an anxiety that didn’t start with you—but you’ve made it your own. Like emotional hand-me-downs—we don’t know where they came from, but we’ve been wearing them around like they fit. Or that there’s joy just beneath the surface, waiting to be noticed and celebrated.

This is why things like journaling, prayer walks, or honest conversations with a trusted friend or mentor matter so much. They’re not fluff. They’re tools for guarding what matters most. They allow you to move from emotional autopilot to spiritual attentiveness.

Here’s a practice to try: once or twice a week, set aside 15–20 minutes and ask God to show you what’s really going on in your heart. You might write it down. You might talk it out in prayer. You might just sit with it. But invite God into the places you tend to hide, even from yourself. And if that feels uncomfortable, congratulations—you’re a human being. Sitting with your thoughts is a skill. Like parallel parking. Or not texting back instantly.

And remember—He is gentle. He doesn’t meet our messy hearts with shame. He meets them with grace. With truth. With healing. That’s what makes this kind of emotional awareness sacred. Because you’re not just becoming self-aware. You’re becoming Spirit-aware.

So guarding your heart isn’t just about filtering content. It’s about tending to your interior world with the help of the Holy Spirit. That’s how we live rooted, resilient, and responsive to God in a distracted world.

Part 5: Jesus and the Guarded Heart

Let’s close this conversation by looking at the one who modeled it best: Jesus.

Jesus lived with a perfectly guarded heart. Not because He avoided people, or shielded Himself from emotion, or isolated Himself from the world—but because He remained anchored in the voice of His Father above all else. Despite the chaos, the criticism, the popularity, and the pressure, He maintained a heart that was tender, clear, and unshaken.

If anyone had a reason to live distracted, it was Jesus. He was constantly surrounded by crowds, questions, needs, and noise. People were always trying to grab His attention. Some came to challenge Him. Others came to use Him. Many came just to be healed. And yet, Jesus never rushed. He never panicked. He never lost His peace. Why? Because He lived from a heart that was deeply connected to the Father.

Let’s take a moment and consider some of the ways Jesus guarded His heart:

Spoiler: none of them involved a ‘digital detox’ or a scented candle named ‘Tranquility.’

He withdrew often to quiet places. Luke 5:16 says, "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." That word—"often"—is key. It wasn’t just something He did once in a while. It was His rhythm. Before major decisions, after long days of ministry, even when people were still waiting for healing—Jesus pulled away to be alone with the Father. Imagine that—leaving a crowd to pray instead of to doom-scroll. Revolutionary. Jesus understood that the only way to remain spiritually full in a draining world was to continually return to the source.

He was secure in His identity. At His baptism, the Father spoke over Him: "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." And Jesus lived from that identity. He didn’t need public approval to affirm His purpose. He didn’t chase platform or popularity. He knew who He was, and that kept His heart from being swayed by the shifting opinions of the crowd. Meanwhile, some of us need three personality tests, a mood board, and a good cry to figure that out. And that’s okay.

He lived with compassion, but not codependence. Jesus loved people deeply—but He didn’t let their demands dictate His direction. He healed many, but He didn’t heal everyone. He met needs, but He didn’t meet all of them. He carried the weight of the world’s sin, but He still rested, ate meals, and spent time with friends. Which, for the record, means rest and tacos can both be spiritual practices. That kind of emotional and spiritual clarity only comes from a well-guarded heart.

He submitted fully to the Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see the depth of Jesus’ emotional life. He was grieved, sorrowful, overwhelmed. He prayed with tears and asked if the cup of suffering could pass. And yet, He said, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” Even in anguish, Jesus’ heart remained surrendered. That’s the ultimate act of guarding your heart—not clenching tighter, but opening wider to the will of God.

So what can we learn from Him?

We learn that guarding our heart isn’t about control—it’s about connection. It’s about staying tethered to the voice of the Father so that, no matter how loud the world becomes, you know who you are, who He is, and what truly matters.

We learn that spiritual health isn’t accidental. It’s cultivated. Jesus made space. He said no. He rested. He prayed. He stayed rooted. Not because He was weak, but because He was wise.

And we learn that the guarded heart is the free heart. Free from striving. Free from comparison. Free from manipulation. Free to love deeply without being destroyed by every disappointment. Free to say yes to what matters and no to what doesn’t.

Let me ask you:

• What would it look like for you to live like that?
• What would change if you operated from a heart guarded by peace instead of driven by pressure?
• How would your relationships shift if you were rooted in love instead of approval?

And no, being rooted in love doesn’t mean you have to say yes to every group chat or bake for every potluck. Unless that’s your love language, in which case—bless you.

This isn’t just a goal to chase—it’s an invitation. Jesus didn’t just model the guarded heart. He makes it possible for us to live with one. Through His Spirit, we now have access to the same peace, the same presence, and the same strength that sustained Him.

So let’s follow His lead. Let’s make space. Let’s slow down. Let’s stay close.

Because everything you do flows from your heart. And your heart was never meant to be driven by noise. It was designed to be formed by love.

Thanks for joining me today. I hope this conversation gave you something to think about. If this episode spoke to you, send it to a friend, your small group, or that one cousin who always forwards chain emails. You know the one.

Seriously though, take a few minutes after this ends to sit with Proverbs 4:23. Let the words sink in. Ask God, “What’s flowing into my heart right now?” And be ready—because He answers those kinds of prayers. Gently. Clearly. Sometimes while you’re doing dishes or stuck at a red light. He has a way of meeting us in the ordinary.

And remember: Small ripples can make a big impact—go make yours.