Proverbs 4: 23-26 instructs believers that, "Keep your heart above every thing that is guarded, for out of it springs life, remove the wickedness from your mouth, and put away the iniquity of your lips from you. Eyes look straight, and direct your eyelids towards what is before you, Examine the path of your feet, and all your ways be straight. " When Solomon refers to keeping the heart, he really means the inner essence of a person, the thoughts, feelings, desires, will and decisions that do what a person is. The bible tells us that our thoughts often determine what we become (Proverbs 23: 7; 27:19). The mind of a man reflects what he really is, not only by his actions or words. That is why God examines a man's heart, not simply his outward appearance and what he appears to be (1 Samuel 16: 7).