Guard the Gate

INTRO

So I did something dangerous the other night—I got in bed and started scrolling Facebook at 10:30pm.

Two minutes in, I’m watching a video of a cat that plays the piano.

Five minutes later, I’m reading about a guy in Nebraska who built a barbecue smoker out of an old washing machine.

By 11pm, I’m mad at somebody I don’t even know for having a vacation I can’t afford.

You ever scroll so long you forget why you opened the app in the first place?

That’s what happens when you don’t guard your heart.

Distraction turns into comparison… comparison turns into insecurity… and insecurity turns into anxiety.

All because I left the gate open.

We’ve got purpose. We’ve got calling. We’ve got passion.

But somewhere along the way… we stopped guarding the thing that keeps it all working.

And today’s truth is simple—but it’s everything:

MAIN POINT

If you don’t guard your heart, you’ll lose the strength to live your calling.

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

1. YOUR HEART ISN’T A FEELING—IT’S A FILTER

Proverbs 4:23 NLT

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

YOUR HEART IS NOT JUST ABOUT EMOTIONS—IT’S ABOUT DIRECTION.

A. WHAT GOES IN, COMES OUT.

YOU CAN’T BINGE ON BITTERNESS AND EXPECT PEACE.

YOU CAN’T CONSTANTLY FEED ON FEAR AND EXPECT FAITH TO GROW.

Luke 6:45 NLT

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

B. THE HEART IS A SPIRITUAL GATEWAY.

THE ENEMY DOESN’T ALWAYS ATTACK YOUR HABITS—HE GOES AFTER YOUR HEART.

IF YOUR HEART BECOMES CORRUPTED, THEN YOUR DIRECTION WILL BECOME CONFUSED.

C. GUARDING IS ACTIVE, NOT PASSIVE.

IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO HOPE YOUR HEART STAYS PURE—YOU HAVE TO BE INTENTIONAL.

YOU CAN’T GUARD YOUR HEART ON AUTOPILOT. YOU’VE GOT TO CHECK THE GATE.

WHAT AM I LETTING IN THROUGH MUSIC, MEDIA, CONVERSATIONS, COMPARISONS?

2. UNGUARDED HEARTS LEAD TO UNINTENTIONAL LIVES

IF THE ENEMY CAN’T DESTROY YOU, HE’LL DISTRACT YOU.

A. DISTRACTION IS THE NEW DESTRUCTION.

IT’S NOT ALWAYS A BAD THING THAT DERAILS YOUR HEART—SOMETIMES IT’S JUST THE WRONG THING.

YOU CAN’T GIVE YOUR HEART TO EVERYTHING AND EXPECT IT TO STAY ALIGNED WITH ANYTHING.

Ecclesiastes 10:2 NLT

A wise person chooses the right road; a fool takes the wrong one.

B. A WOUNDED HEART BLEEDS INTO EVERY AREA.

WHEN YOUR HEART GETS HURT BUT NOT HEALED, IT STARTS TO LEAK INTO HOW YOU SEE GOD, PEOPLE, AND PURPOSE.

IF YOU DON’T GUARD YOUR HEART AFTER THE HURT—YOU START BUILDING WALLS INSTEAD OF GATES.

C. FOR SOME OF US, THE GATE IS OPEN…TO EVERYTHING.

APPROVAL, OFFENSE, ADDICTION, ANXIETY CAN WALK IN UNCHECKED.

BUT A GUARDED HEART SAYS, “YOU CAN’T COME IN HERE UNINVITED.”

YOU’RE NOT RUDE—YOU’RE GUARDING YOUR FUTURE.

3. GUARDING YOUR HEART MEANS GIVING GOD ACCESS FIRST

A GUARDED HEART DOESN’T MEAN YOU BLOCK EVERYONE OUT—IT MEANS YOU LET GOD IN FIRST.

A. GOD DOESN’T WANT A GUEST PASS—HE WANTS THE MASTER KEY.

YOU DON’T JUST NEED TO FILTER FEELINGS—YOU NEED TO SURRENDER THEM.

Philippians 4:7 NLT

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

B. GUARDING YOUR HEART ISN’T ABOUT FEAR, IT’S ABOUT FREEDOM.

YOU GUARD WHAT’S VALUABLE, NOT WHAT’S FRAGILE.

YOUR HEART IS WORTH PROTECTING BECAUSE IT’S FULL OF PURPOSE.

C. SOME OF US NEED TO DO A HEART CHECK.

IS JESUS THE CENTER—OR DID SOMETHING SNEAK IN AND TAKE HIS PLACE?

GUARDING YOUR HEART MIGHT MEAN CLOSING SOME TABS, ENDING SOME DMS, OR PRAYING ABOUT SOME HARMLESS HABITS.

LET GOD BE THE GATEKEEPER—BECAUSE HE KNOWS WHAT BELONGS AND WHAT DOESN’T

4. CONSISTENT GUARDING SHAPES LONG-TERM DIRECTION

A. WHAT YOU GUARD DAILY DETERMINES WHERE YOU END UP EVENTUALLY.

Galatians 6:9 NLT

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

THERE ARE SEASONS WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE GUARDING YOUR HEART, BUT NOTHING’S CHANGING.

KEEP GUARDING ANYWAY. WHAT’S PLANTED IN SECRET GROWS IN TIME.

B. GUARDING IS A RHYTHM, NOT A REACTION

SET BOUNDARIES BEFORE BURNOUT. PROTECT PEACE BEFORE THE PANIC.

Acts 2:46 NLT

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—

WORSHIP. COMMUNITY. CONSISTENCY. THAT’S HOW THEY GUARDED THEIR HEARTS—AND SHAPED THE EARLY CHURCH.

RESULT: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GUARD YOUR HEART?

CALL TO ACTION

WHAT’S BEEN SNEAKING PAST YOUR GUARD LATELY?

AM I GIVING GOD FULL ACCESS—OR JUST SUNDAY ACCESS?

ARE THERE LEAKS IN MY HEART THAT I’VE BEEN IGNORING?

CHALLENGE: PERSONAL CHALLENGE

EVALUATE YOUR SPIRITUAL INTAKE THIS WEEK.

START YOUR DAY TOMORROW WITH PROVERBS 4:23

CONCLUSION/CLOSE

I closed the app that night feeling more tired than when I started.

Not because of the phone—but because I let unfiltered content walk straight into my heart.

You know what I needed?

I needed a guard.

I needed to stop letting comparison, anxiety, and distraction have front-row access to my heart.

And maybe that’s what you need too.

It’s time to stop scrolling… and start guarding.

YOUR HEART IS THE COMMAND CENTER OF YOUR LIFE.

GUARD YOUR HEART LIKE YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT—BECAUSE IT DOES.

DON’T LET CULTURE HAVE YOUR HEART.

DON’T LET BITTERNESS BUILD A HOME IN YOUR HEART.

DON’T LET DISTRACTIONS DRIVE YOUR DIRECTION.

GIVE GOD FULL ACCESS. GUARD THE GATE. AND WALK IN PURPOSE.

Closing:

“Hey before we close today, I want to take just a moment to talk about generosity—because we believe giving is not something we have to do… it’s something we get to do.

As a church that’s just five months old, every step we’ve taken has been built on faith—and every step forward depends on hearts that are willing to sow into what God is building here.

Jesus once told a story about a farmer who went out to plant seeds. Some fell on rocky ground, some were snatched away… but the seeds that landed in good soil? They produced a harvest 30, 60, even 100 times what was planted.

That’s what giving is. It’s sowing seed into good soil. And I believe Church at SouthShore is that kind of soil. This is a place where lives are being changed, families are finding hope, and purpose is being planted every single week.

So today, if God’s been stirring your heart—if this has become your church, your people, your place—let this be part of your worship.

Not pressure. Just a simple invitation: sow into what God is doing, and trust Him to bring the harvest.

You can give online, through the app, or right here in person—and however you give, we just want to say thank you. It’s not about the amount. It’s about the heart behind it.

Let’s be the kind of people who don’t just attend a move of God—we invest in it.”