“Guard Your Heart: Protecting What Matters Most”

In this heartfelt episode of Unrelated Sisters: Truth & Grace Conversation, Shannon opens up about a tough week filled with lies from the enemy and heavy emotions. Rooted in Proverbs 4:23 — “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” — she shares how guarding your heart is not about building walls, but about protecting the truth God has placed inside of you.

Together, we’ll look at what it means to guard your heart from lies, bitterness, and distractions, and explore practical ways to stay anchored in God’s Word. From Scripture meditation to writing a “Truth List,” you’ll find encouragement and tools to keep your heart safe in Christ.

Whether you’ve been feeling “not enough” or simply need a reminder of God’s promises, this episode will equip you to protect what matters most—your heart.

Practical Ways to Guard Your Heart (5 minutes)
“So, how do we actually do this? Here are a few things that help me:

1. Scripture meditation. When lies come, replace them with truth. Like Psalm 139:14—‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made.’ Or 2 Corinthians 12:9—‘His grace is sufficient for me.’
2. Prayer when feelings are overwhelming. You don’t have to have fancy words. Just, ‘Lord, I feel heavy. Remind me who I am in You.’
3. Healthy boundaries. Sometimes guarding your heart means stepping back—from conversations, environments, or even people who drain your spirit.
4. Writing a Truth List. This is one I want to challenge you to start. Write down truths about who you are in Christ. My first five are: I am loved. I am chosen. I am forgiven. I am not alone. I am enough because He is enough. Add to it whenever God shows you something.”

“Family, guarding your heart isn’t about building walls to keep everyone out. It’s about protecting what God has already placed inside of you—His love, His Spirit, His truth.

If you’re feeling attacked, heavy, or ‘not enough’ today, you’re not alone. I’m right there with you. But more importantly, God is with you, and He will help you guard your heart so that everything flowing out of your life reflects Him.

Let’s pray:

Father, thank You for Your Word that reminds us to guard our hearts. Lord, we confess that sometimes we let lies, bitterness, or distractions take root. But today we ask You to strengthen us. Help us protect the truth You’ve spoken over us. Remind us that we are loved, chosen, and never alone. Cover every listener today with peace, with clarity, and with courage to guard their hearts well. In Jesus’ name, amen.

💜 Listen in and be reminded: you are loved, chosen, forgiven, and never alone.

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Transcript

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Dear Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your mercies, your blessings, and your grace. Lord Jesus we come to you today with heavy hearts with fear all around us and we pray Lord Jesus that the people that are listening to this if they are fearing for their children if they are worried for their families if they are worried with what's going on in the world today that this helps them find peace and that the people that are supposed to hear this podcast Lord Jesus we pray that they hear it today or tomorrow or next week whenever they're supposed to hear it. We want everyone to know that you are giving grace. You give us grace every day, Lord Jesus. And we praise you and we thank you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Hi family and welcome back to Unrelated Sisters Truth and Grace Conversation. It's Shannon here and today my heart is heavy, but it's also full of hope. We've all seen or heard the heartbreaking news about Charlie Kirk being shot. My first response is compassion. Compassion for Charlie. Compassion for the shooter. Compassion for the students that were there at the rally. compassion for the world you know people have tweeted wonderful posts and people have you know posted not so wonderful things and we're supposed to be the hands and feet of Jesus and Charlie I believe would want us to be the hands and feet of Jesus so the people that are posting things about like they're thankful he's dead they're all of that we should be praying for them not engaging with them, we should be praying for them. My prayers go out to Charlie's family, his loved ones, and his friends, and everyone that was shaken by this act of violence. Anytime we see someone hurt like this, especially in such a public way, it stirs a lot of emotions. It stirs a lot of fear and grief and even some confusion maybe. You know, it's As a Christian, as someone who loves Jesus and wants the world to know of His grace and His love, you want to know why. Why did that kid shoot Charlie? Why in such a public way? Charlie Kirk has been going to campuses for a long time, and he's been... you know sparking debate in the things that he says but it's at the same time he talked about jesus and jesus's love for you and he talked about yes he talked about politics but he also talked in an unjudgmental way he just knew what he believed And just because he believes the Bible doesn't make him wrong. Just because he believes in his Heavenly Father didn't make him wrong. He was reaching our next generation. There was children, there was kids, there was young adults, they were changing their minds, changing their ways, changing the things they've seen, the things that they participated in, and they were turning to God. You know, we have to remember That... exactly what the enemy wants he wants us to be confused he wants us to be in fear he wants us to be in grief he wants us to be in our emotions you know a few weeks ago I talked about being all up in my emotions and you know that's what the enemy wanted because it made it so much easier to not sit here and talk to you guys it made it so much easier to just be poor pitiful me than to listen to what God wanted me to or to follow through with what God wanted me to do. You know, and Charlie got up every day and he went to these engagements and he added more and more and more every day. And it made you, you know, it makes you wonder like he was doing such a good thing. But as I was praying today about today's episode, I've already said some of it. God's reminded me of something. What we're witnessing isn't just political events.

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It's

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It isn't just culture events. It's spiritual. What happened to Charlie and what happens in every school shooting is another reminder that we are in a real battle. Not just against flesh and blood, but against the enemy of our souls. And today I want to talk about the enemy is attacking our families and our children and why that happens and what God says about his love, his coverings and his victories. Before we dive into scripture, let's just pause a minute. Let's have just a moment. If you're listening right now, and this has started up fear in you, fear for your kids, fear for your spouse, fear for your family, maybe even your own safety. I want you to know that we understand. At Unrelated Sisters Truth and Grace Conversation, this is a no judgment platform. We don't judge you. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. And I, you know, me and my sister was talking about this earlier today. And I truly believe that when God's plan has been played out and it's my time to go, I will go however way he takes me out in this world to go. And if it's meant that I am standing on a stage proclaiming his grace and his love and someone decides that that's my time to go and the enemy, you know, get someone to do his dirty deed and that's what happens and that's what happens. You know, the world feels very unsafe sometimes. The violence we see on the news is very overwhelming. I don't listen to the news. My husband had to call and tell me about Charlie Kirk being shot at one of his events or I wouldn't have known. You know, there's a song called If Good News Sold You know, how much news would there be? And I wish, you know, I wish it was good news. I wish we spreaded joy and positivity instead of negativity. Yes, bad things happen. They do. But the truth is, God has not left us defenseless. He has not abandoned us to fight this on our own. What we're seeing is painful, but it's not the end of the story. It's not the end of Charlie's story. He shined a light into this world, and as believers, we are called to continue shining that light of Jesus. So let's let this tragedy stir something in our souls. Let it push you to speak boldly of Jesus, to let the world know where our true hope comes from. Because the Bible actually prepares us for moments like this. It tells us that behind every act of hatred, behind every attack, there's a real enemy. It's not a person. It's Satan. Satan himself, you know, for a few years, You know, for the last 10, Satan's been winning the war. You know, he got prayer out of schools. He got God out of government. And, you know, they tried to stop athletes from praying on the fields. And, you know, they took prayer out of schools. And they, you know, they did a lot of things. They took, you know, they started teaching unbelievers. natural things in school and influencing our children and as parents and as Christian parents and at the time that all this was going on, I was not a Christian parent, right? I was a recovering addict still trying to figure out who I was, trying to figure out who God was and why He would still love me after everything I'd done. But now I'm enlightened, and now is my turn, and now is my time, and I want to speak up for God. I want to speak up for God. I want everyone to know that He has made me different. He has made the way I see the world differently. He has made the way I think about things differently, the way I speak. He has changed me. He alone has helped me find my joy. He alone has helped me find my joy. Thank you so much. I'm just able to go through them differently. Ephesians 6.12 says this, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. This verse tells me that the battle... Or Ann isn't Charlie Kirks versus the man who shot him. It isn't us versus them. It isn't you versus your neighbor. The real enemy is Satan and he is using people as pawns to carry out his destruction. You know, John 10, 10 reminds us that theft comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I've come that they have may have life and have it to the full. Let's read that again. John 10, 10. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I Jesus have come that they may have life, that we may have life and have it to the fullest. The enemy's agenda has always been the same. It's always been still kill or destroy. He will steal your joy. He will steal your happiness. He will steal your family. He will steal your children. He will steal your finances. He will steal whatever makes you hate God, whatever makes you want to turn your back on God. He will steal it. And if he can't, if you stand on your rock, if you stand on your firm foundation, he will steal it. You know, then he may go to the next. But he's going to try to destroy your family. He's going to try to destroy your relationship with God. He's going to kill your relationship with God. And you better believe that includes our children and our families. Divorce has become just a part of society. Our children are being neglected by their parents who are too worried about getting high. And I knew a bunch of parents that got high and their children would be in the room next door when we were getting high. Luckily, For Dylan, I chose to quit, but there still was the issues of my emotional scarring. But when the world has people celebrating the death of someone simply because he stood firm in his beliefs, then we as a society have lost our way. Your beliefs is your beliefs. There's no judgment here. But you can't celebrate when the enemy wins. You can't celebrate when some family is tragically destroyed. lost their father, their son. That's just inhuman. It shows how uncompassionate we have become. Revelation 12, 17 puts it plainly. on our homes and our hearts. The enemy is at war with us and we sit silently letting him win one tragic event after another. But here's the hope. The enemy may be active, but he has already been defeated. Through the cross of Jesus Christ, victory has already been won. Psalms 91.10.11 says, You know, that means no matter what's happening in the world, God has his angels on assignment over you and your family. Yes, things happen. Life be laughing all the time, right? Yes, the enemy attacks, but God's love is greater. His hand is stronger. His promises are unshakable. You know, life happens, right? Life be happening, and you're going to be happy. You can't blame every small thing on the devil. It's sometimes it's choices that we make. You know, so is the choice we're making, is it glorifying God? Is the decision that we are making, is it glorifying God? Is it shining his light into the world? Or are we just doing it because we can? You know, if you're a parent, let me encourage you, cover your children in prayer. Cover your husband in prayer. Lay hands on them before school. Speak life over them before bed. Declare God's promise out loud. Walk around your house. Speak over your home. Speak over your husband. Speak over your family. Speak over your co-workers, your neighbors. Speak it out loud because When we speak it out loud, the enemy loses his power. When we let the world know that we know that God loves us and that he speaks life over us, you might not be able to control what's happening in the world, but you can absolutely build a hedge of prayer around your families and around your homes and around your churches and around your friends and around your family. You have to be their prayer warrior. You have to be their light. You have to let them see that even though the enemy is attacking you, that you know your God is greater. So what are some practical things that we can do in times like this? When we're feeling grief, when we're feeling like the enemy just won, when we're feeling beat down, when we're feeling overwhelmed, when all we see is the bad in the world, what can we do? We pray. We pray as a family. We pray as friends. We pray as a group. We get together. We don't just talk about God. We invite Him into our homes daily. You know, guard what comes in. Pay attention to what your children are listening to, watching, or scrolling through. The enemy loves to plant seeds through our culture. You know, my parents had it so much easier when I was a kid. We didn't have Facebook, you know. Shoot, I was a teenager. I knew what MySpace was. And yes, I'm telling my age. We didn't have to worry about that. I started talking about the cult that we used to be in, the preacher and the cult and the Southern Baptist Church. After today, after praying for this episode and trying to figure out what I really wanted to say, I apologize. They weren't a cult. They were just trying to protect us as children the only way they knew how. In the 80s, I guess that's when the tv that's when hollywood started changing when it showed on tv it wasn't just good wholesome tv anymore you know but that was one of the things you know speak god's word practical encouragement remind your children that they are chosen loved and they are called they are called to be his son or daughter they are called they have a calling in their life to a calling to be ready for. Stay connected. Don't isolate yourself. Be in community with other believers who can encourage and pray with you. Go to church. Go to small group. Listen to our podcast. Listen to other podcasts that are encouraging, that speak life over you, that speak God into you. You know, These are all spiritual weapons, and when we use them, the enemy loses their ground. He loses his hold on you. You have to speak it into existence. I tell people at work all the time, when things are getting hard, I'm like, no, no, no, no. We're not speaking negativity into the world. We're not speaking... What we can't do. We're going to only speak what we can do. Right? We're only going to say positive things into the world, into our building, into our customers, into other associates. But then we come home and we don't do that with our families. You know, we have to stay positive. You know, there's three little words, faith, hope, and love. And you have to have faith. And you have to have hope. And you have to love. Right? You know, I don't know. You know, I don't know where this podcast is supposed to go today. I just know that I don't believe that Charlie Kirk's assassination was politically motivated. I believe it was spiritually motivated. I believe that the enemy got into that kid's head, into his heart, into his soul. You know, the kid's a kid. He's 21 years old. And I truly believe that we need to pray over that child. We need to pray over him instead of condemning him. He's already been condemned. So I want to close in prayer tonight. I've wrote a prayer down. I'm going to post this in the comments so that you can say it if you're not sure what to say to God. Heavenly Father, we come before you with a heavy heart. We lift up Charlie Kirk's family right now for peace, for comfort, and for understanding. Lord, we know the enemy meant this for harm, but we declare that you will use it for your good. God, I pray for protection over every listener and their families. Cover their children, cover their marriage, cover their homes. Command your angels to guard them in all their ways Replace fear with faith and remind us that you are greater than any attack of the enemy. We declare today that no weapons formed against us will prosper. And we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. And even though the enemy is at war with us, we stand firm in the truth that the victory already belongs to you. Amen. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Family, thank you for joining me today. I know this was a heavy topic, but I pray it stirred your faith and reminded you of the power and protection we have in Christ. The enemy may try to attack, but he doesn't get the last word. God does. Remember that the enemy may attack, but he doesn't get the last word. God does. So cover your families, stand strong and walk in the confidence that you are protected, loved and victorious in Jesus. Until next time, this is Shannon with Unrelated Sisters Truth and Grace Conversation. Stay covered, stay encouraged, and stay in the fight. Because we don't fight for victory, we fight from victory.