When you are old enough to understand the truths in God’s word, you may realize some unhealthy seeds were planted in your heart. How do you root out the unhealthy and replace with the healthy? Tanya Glanzman shares how to use truths from God’s word to guard your heart and become the boss of your thoughts.
I recently interviewed Tanya on the Your Hope-Filled Perspective Podcast. She shared what she learned on her journey of knowing how much God loved her and what it means to embrace your identity as a child of God. If you missed that episode, you can listen here [Knowing How Much God Loves You – Episode 114]
Read to the end for a book giveaway!
Guard Your Heart
By Tanya Glanzman
There are many places in God’s Word where He gives us instructions. Directives that help us know what our part is in this Holy relational equation.
Our job in helping things go well with us all of our days here on this earth:
- Take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5)
- Think on these things (Philippians 4:8)
- Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11)
Just a few examples.
I believe that one of the most powerful directives God gives us is found in Proverbs.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23
Our heart is like a garden. When we are small, others are the keepers of our heart garden. Parents, grandparents, teachers, friends; they, through their words and actions, plant seeds within our hearts that grow roots and bear fruit in our lives. The kinds of seeds that are planted determine the quality of fruit that is grown. When we are young, we trust that those that are supposed to love and care for us will sow good seed within our hearts.
Unfortunately, the quality of seed sown is almost always a direct result of the types of seed within the heart gardens of those individuals who are doing the sowing. Because they cannot give what they do not have, if within their own hearts there are unhealthy seeds that have never been properly contended with, those are the very seeds they share with us.
As a child, we don’t have the ability to distinguish between healthy, life-giving seeds or unhealthy, death-offering seeds. We are open and vulnerable and simply receive what is offered. When these seeds grow, they produce unhealthy fruit in our lives that we are then left to deal with.
In my life, growing up in a dysfunctional, abusive home, many unhealthy seeds were sown into the soil of my heart garden. Seeds that left me believing that I was stupid, ugly and not worth loving or sticking around for. This caused much unpleasant fruit in my life: low self-esteem, an eating disorder and addiction issues only to name a few.
Once we grow old enough to understand the truths found within God’s Word and have the ability to tend to and keep our own heart garden, we are then charged by God to become the guard of that garden. As the guard of our own heart, we must first be willing to allow the Lord full access to every place in order to pull up and out the roots of any unhealthy seeds that have previously been sown to ensure that we do not continue to struggle with strongholds related to those unhealthy seeds.
Personalized scripture confessions
When unhealthy roots are removed, we, in turn, want to re-plant new truth-based seed that lines up with the truth of God’s Word. A great way to do this is to create a list of personalized scripture confessions to speak out of your mouth each morning.
- Father, I thank you that you love me and I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
- Father, I thank you that I am forgiven and can always run boldly to your throne of grace to find help in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
- Father, I thank you that you accept me just as I am and are faithful to continue to help me become who you created me to be. (Ephesians 1:6, Philippians 1:6)
Replacing lies with truth
The best way to know what scriptures to include in your list is to identify what lies the enemy whispers to your heart on a regular basis- then locate, write down and speak out scripture truths that directly address those lies.
God’s word is powerful, alive and life-changing and as you apply it to your life and the garden of your heart. The fruit that results will be a blessing not only to yourself but to everyone you encounter.
Remember, Child of God, YOU are the boss of your thoughts. Understanding this key concept enables every Child of the King to walk through any storm, struggle or trial as the victor and overcomer that God has created them to be.
A prayer to grow in our appreciation of our true identity as children of the Most High God
May I pray for you?
Father,
Oh how you love us, your children. In this world, it’s so tempting to look at you from the lens from which we looked at our earthly parents. The enemy would love nothing more than to convince us that we are worthless, unlovable, and unaccepted. Help us to look to you for the truth about our identity. Help us to recognize the lies that our enemy whispers so convincingly in our ear. And then help us to take those thoughts captive, and refute them with the truth of your word. Help us to grow in our appreciation of our true identity as Children of the Most High God. Help us to grow in our love for you, as we also grow in our understanding and appreciation of your everlasting love for us.
In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.
About Tanya Glanzman
A graduate from Liberty University, Tanya Glanzman, LPC is passionate about helping others live the life of freedom, joy and peace Christ died for them to have. She has experience offering individual, marital, family and group counseling. She works with a variety of populations and issues, specializing in women’s trauma recovery. As a survivor of traumatic childhood abuse, her heart is that every woman would know God as the Healer, Redeemer and Restorer He desires to be for them. She speaks and writes as My Father’s Daughter, offering hope and encouragement wrapped in grace filled truth, with the mission that every woman would know what it truly means to be a Daughter of the King. Her first book, My Father’s Daughter, Embracing your identity as a Daughter of The King, was released on July 30th.
Connect with Tanya Glanzman: Podcast / Website / Twitter / Instagram / Facebook
Book Giveaway!
In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, Knowing How Much God Loves You – Episode 114, Tanya Glanzman is giving away a free copy of her book, My Father’s Daughter: Embracing Your Identity as a Daughter of the King.
Leave a comment below sharing with us one thing you’ve learned about guarding your heart and you will be entered into the contest for your chance to win a copy of her book.
You could also share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.
The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, June 28, 2021. Continental United States only.
Beautiful message to go along with the podcast. I never thought before of the seeds others have planted in our lives and how those unhealthy or healthy seeds make such a dramatic difference in our lives. I had unhealthy seeds planted in my life as I grew up that what I said did not matter. No one listened to me. I had no voice but just walked on eggshells not to upset my parents and just do what they said. Over the years the fear and anxiety produced from those seeds grew until I knew from reading the Word of God that I had to exchange the lies the enemy had used against me for the truth of God’s Word. Oh what freedom and joy came when I truly realized how much God loves me and that His promises are true. Thank you, Tanya, and thank you, Dr. Michelle, for sharing this blog and the podcast message with us. This message has taken root in my heart. I will share on FB and would love the book.
Use the armor of God and make every thought captive to Jesus.
One of the best ways to guard our heart is to ask God to guard it for us. We can also guard it by staying in the Word.
I also tweeted this.
After leaving a 35 year relationship of negative/emotional abuses this truly speaks to my heart. I have so many “knee-jerk” reactions to comments now that seems as if they are rooted in those negative seeds that were planted. I have now been blessed with a new relationship that is all the good Lord intended for each of us. Kind, loving, faithful, honorable… My life work is to cast out the lies Satan puts in our minds, heads, and ears, and savor every moment of this beautiful life God has in store for me. I want to continue to learn and grow by guarding my heart with the power of Jesus Christ.
Guard your heart by abiding in Christ through reading His word and meditating on it daily! Keeping Christ in your thoughts and talking to Him throughout the day. ?
What a powerful word. People go through life every day with hurts and pains that they often do not realize where they originated. We struggle with adverse events that pull and tug at our hearts and minds and weigh us down daily. This is something we were never meant to walk through life with. Our Heavenly Father tells us in His word that he is our burden bearer. We somehow have to find the strength to give Him the things we are carrying around. Whether it’s things that happened in childhood, as a young adult or more recently traumatic events tear and peel the peace and security of our hearts and minds away little by little. But not in the Father’s loving arms. He has our total comfort, peace and release as He provides a shield for us!
thank you
Guarding the heart – like a garden is a powerful illustration. Thank you for sharing that!
A wonderful message and a perfect reminder to ensure we are planting seeds that will grow and bloom and not weeds that will try to take over.
A heart garden…I love the imagery there. I’m so thankful for the good seeds planted by my mother and for a faithful Father who plucks out the weeds to show me who I am in Him. Wonderful post.
Very good analogy as I remember how the rabbits and woodchucks would eat our plants until we put up the fence to keep them out. We must be pro-active in keeping our hearts guarded.