GATEKEEPER
“Guard the Gates”
We lock our doors at night. Double-check windows. Secure our phones with passwords. But the real break-ins? They don’t come through the front door. They slip in through the heart, Creep in through the mind, And shout through the tongue. Guard your tongue, Mind, But too, guard your heart. Because these things? These things control us all. (James 3:5-6) says: “The tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue is also a fire…” A spark of gossip, A flare of anger, One word can ruin a relationship, Destroy a reputation, Or worse, damage a soul. (Proverbs 4:23) reminds us: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Your heart is not just a muscle. It’s a vault. What you let in, fear, jealousy, pride, Becomes what comes out, bitterness, cruelty, chaos. (Romans 12:2) tells us: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Because if the mind is a battlefield, Your thoughts are the soldiers. And what you feed them determines whether you rise or fall. You ever snapped at someone you love? You ever laid awake thinking things that broke your peace? You ever said something you wish you could reel back in like a fishing line that snapped? So guard your tongue, Speak life. Guard your mind, Think truth. Guard your heart, Live love. Because when you guard the gates, You free the soul. You open yourself to grace, To wisdom, To God. So, may your words be seasoned, Your mind renewed, Your heart clean, And your spirit free. Amen