Site icon Tami VanHoy

MAKING ROOM FOR GOD: GUARD YOUR HEART

Tami VanHoy

Part 2 of the 4 week series: ‘Making Room for God’

focus verse: Proverbs 4: 20-23

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

MAKING ROOM FOR GOD IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND HEALTH

Last week, we talked about the importance of being intentional about making room for God—choosing to give Him space in our days rather than letting Him slip into the margins of busy lives.

This week, we take a step back to understand why this matters so deeply.

In Proverbs 4:20–23, God connects making room for Him directly to life, health, and direction. This passage makes it clear: making room for God isn’t optional—it’s foundational. Everything flows from it.

WHAT GOD ASKS OF US

Proverbs 4:20–23 gives us both instruction and insight. Let’s start with verses 20–22 and the clear instructions we’re given:

  1. Pay attention to His Word — resist distraction and divided focus.
  2. Listen closely to His Word — not halfway, not casually, not selectively.
  3. Keep His Word in sight — don’t chase shiny objects that can deceive us.
  4. Fill your heart with His Word — leave no room for competing voices.

God doesn’t offer these instructions as rules to follow, but as wisdom meant to protect us.

HAIR FIRES BEGIN WHEN WE DRIFT FROM HIS INSTRUCTION

Hair fires don’t usually begin with rebellion.
They begin with drift.

Consider what ‘drifting’ looks like in reference to the 4 instructions we’re given in our featured verses…

  1. When we stop paying attention to how God’s Word instructs us, our attention naturally shifts elsewhere—often toward comparison. We measure ourselves against others and begin giving time and energy to what makes us feel validated, valued, or “enough.”
  2. When we listen halfway to God’s Word, we fill in the gaps with the world’s voices. We start prioritizing what others say should matter—what we should be doing, chasing, achieving, or proving.
  3. When we lose sight of God’s Word, even temporarily, shiny distractions creep in. Commitments pile up. Overwhelm follows. And before we realize it, we’re busy with things God never asked us to carry.
  4. When God’s Word doesn’t fully occupy our hearts, something else will. Opinions. Expectations. Fear. Noise. These voices distort truth, cloud discernment, and lead us into choices that pull us out of alignment with God’s desires.

Think of it this way:
Comparison and half-listening =  entry points.
Shiny objects and worldly priorities = intruders.

We’ll come back to that.* ⬆️

WHAT GOD PROMISES

God’s instruction comes with a promise. God doesn’t just tell us what to do—He tells us why it matters in verse 22:

This is the foundation of Heart Fire living—a life fueled, directed, and sustained by the living Word of God. When God’s Word fills our hearts, clarity replaces chaos, peace steadies our decisions, and life flows in the direction God intended.

GUARDING THE ROOM GOD HAS FILLED

Verse 23 brings everything into focus:

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

Making room for God is the beginning—but guarding that room is how intimacy is sustained.

Once we create space for God to lead our thoughts, decisions, calendars, and commitments, we must also protect that space.

Think about guarding a physical room. Two things matter most:

Guarding our hearts works the same way.

*Let’s go back to how hair fires start with entry points and intruders!

Securing Entry Points

Guarding our hearts means being intentional about what we allow to influence us. It requires paying attention to where thoughts and ideas that are not of God try to slip in—often quietly, often unnoticed.

A robber doesn’t announce his arrival. He looks for unguarded points of entry—places where vigilance has relaxed or attention has drifted.

The same is true of our hearts.
The music we listen to.
The shows we watch.
The books we read.
The voices we take counsel from.

None of these are neutral. When left unexamined, they become entry points that shape our thinking long before we realize it.

Deterring Intruders

It also means discerning what doesn’t belong. Shiny opportunities, misplaced priorities, and pressure-driven commitments must be filtered so God’s truth and direction remain central.

Guarding the room isn’t about restriction—it’s about preserving space for God to lead.

So how do we actually do this? It always comes back to the same starting point: Making room for God to be first.

First in our thoughts.
First in our decisions.
First in our calendars.
First in our conversations.

God’s priorities lead to Heart Fire living.
Everything else? That’s a hair fire waiting to happen.

Hair Fire Check

(Awareness without shame)

Use these prompts to guide a conversation with God this week:

Sit in conversation with God. Journal what He reveals. Pause. Write honestly. No fixing—just noticing.

Heart Fire Moment

(Truth + intimacy)

Sit with God on this question and see where He takes the conversation:

Prayer starter:
God, I want my life to flow from You—not from noise, pressure, or comparison. Teach me to guard the space where You dwell.

Put It In Practice

One powerful way to guard the space we’ve made for God is learning to let God read His Word to us.

Instead of reading Scripture only as instruction or information, we slow down and receive it relationally—as a conversation. Here’s how this practice works:

For example:
“[Your name], I want you to know…”

Don’t worry about rewriting it word-for-word. Focus on hearing God speak personally, not generically.

Once it’s written, read it aloud.

This is the moment when God’s Word lifts off the page—becoming real, relational, and alive. It helps answer a simple but powerful question:

“God, what do You want me to know right now?”

For this week’s ‘making room’ practice, choose a short Scripture passage that God highlights for you and practice letting Him read it to you.

  1. Rewrite it as a personal letter from God.
  2. Read it aloud slowly.
  3. Sit quietly and listen.

PRAYER STARTER  [A CONVERSATION WITH GOD]

This prayer is meant to be experienced, not rushed.

Let God read to you the featured verses from today’s post and respond in a heartfelt conversation.  

Where you see [_], insert your name.  

 Proverbs 4: 20-23

[_] Pay attention. I’m here and My word is for you. 

[_] Listen closely. The world is full of distractions and whispered lies. Give your ear to Me and Me only. 

[_] Read My word and hold it close at all times. My word is to be treasured, not taken lightly. 

[_] I give you life through My teaching and instruction. My word heals your heart and soul from the wounds inflicted by the lies and sin of this world. 

[_], most of all, guard this word in your heart. Protect your heart from being infiltrated by the lies and deceptions of the world. Keep this word secure in your thoughts and mind. Don’t let anything steal it from you. 

Because [_], keeping my word in your heart, thoughts and mind is how you will live with My peace and My joy overflowing into the lives of those around you.

RESPOND…

Sit in conversation with Him and meditate on what He’s revealing about His pursuit of your heart.

Take a moment to respond to God reading His Word to you. Write a letter back to Him if prompted. 

Closing Thought:

Making room for God isn’t about doing more—it’s about protecting what matters most.

When His Word fills your heart, life flows differently.

And when we guard space for God and allow His Word to speak personally to us, we begin to experience more than guidance—we begin to experience His presence shaping us from the inside out.

Guard the room.
Because everything flows from there

Daily conversations to deepen your faith…

Conversations at a Table for Two: Feeding a Hungry Soul. 

Find it on Amazon. [book details and video tutorial here]

Video

Exit mobile version