“I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” — Psalm 119:10-11
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No team can do well without guarding well. “Defense wins championships,” as the famous coach Bear Bryant once said. Without a solid defense, no amount of offense really matters.
We need walls to protect places that really matter, and no places matter more than our hearts and minds. If we don’t intentionally invest in defensive strategies to protect ourselves, we are left open to predators and unwelcome forces. This is why we have clear instruction from Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Just like on a field, good defense doesn’t naturally occur. It takes a plan and good execution to ensure it’s effective. Our defensive plan comes straight from our Heavenly Coach. “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:9-11).
The goalkeeper of your heart is the Word of God. When you hide Scripture in your heart through regular devotions (like this one), Bible study, sitting under solid preaching, and a healthy Biblical community, you’re intentionally investing in a defensive strategy to keep you from sin.
Good teams make adjustments when their defense isn’t working. How is yours holding up? Are you guarded from the enemy? If you’re vulnerable, make some changes to your strategy.
— Steve Hawthorne, New York Red Bulls chaplain
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