Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Proverbs 4:20–22 (NLT) Years ago, I worked in a hospital, prepping patients for surgery. I’ll never forget witnessing the strength of one patient’s heart beliefs first-hand. As I prepared the IV for a lady slated for a simple surgical procedure, she began panicking uncontrollably. She started fearfully telling me over and over how she was going to die if she went into the operating room. I tried to calm her down, but it was futile. Anxiety and fear overtook her so forcefully that it caused her heart rhythm to become dangerously erratic. I …

“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Matthew 18:18 (NLT) God wants us to build boundaries that mirror Heaven in every area of our lives. Why? Because boundaries—stored in our hearts as beliefs—protect us from destructive lies and misbeliefs. So, how do we build boundaries? Through the words we speak. Our words wield power because once we believe something, our hearts enforce it. If you believe you’ll always struggle to make ends meet, your heart will begin to accept the misbelief that your future holds constant financial hardship. The more your heart becomes convinced of something, the more that belief hardens into a boundary. That’s why …

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT) When something is highly valuable, we protect it. Isn’t it interesting, then, that God makes a point of telling us to protect our hearts? Now, this isn’t talking about our physical, beating hearts, but about the beliefs we hold deep within ourselves and accept as truth. Why do we need to be so careful about protecting our hearts? Matthew 12:35 tells us whatever is in someone’s heart produces the same in their lives. In other words, our hearts connect us to whatever we believe. That’s why our hearts require constant security detail. Without protection, the Bible warns that our hearts can grow hard, evil, slow, dull and become deeply troubled. …

If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. James 1:26 (ESV) Your words can deceive your own heart. For example, if you speak negatively over your future, your heart will start stashing away those comments as accepted beliefs—even though they go against what God says about your future. (See Jeremiah 29:11.) That’s why it’s crucial to refrain from speaking anything that we don’t want creeping into our heart beliefs (Proverbs 4:23). It’s the reason we must continually persuade our hearts of God’s truths. Fortunately, as believers, we have Holy Spirit inside of us, and His job is to teach not only the mind but also the heart. Is it possible for someone …

For only we who believe can enter his rest. Hebrews 4:3 (NLT) How often do you work on your beliefs? We work at our marriages, careers, raising our kids and eating healthy. Just like all these areas require daily attention, our beliefs do too. Why? Because they largely control our lives. (See Proverbs 4:23.) Now, when I’m talking about beliefs, I’m not referring to what we believe in our minds. I’m talking about the years of beliefs built up in our hearts. What we believe deep in our hearts—in our subconscious—constantly affects every area of our lives. For example, perhaps you grew up in a home with a poverty mindset or a fear of sickness. As a kid, if someone repeatedly told you, “Money doesn’t grow …