follow your heart?

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9

“Just follow your heart!” We hear it all the time, especially among friends or acquaintances discussing big (or not-so-big) decisions to be made. You and I have most likely been given this counsel—or maybe even given it.

But, according to God’s Word, this is actually terrible advice.

Let’s not forget: We are sinners. We are made in God’s image, but we are fallen and have a sinful nature. In other words, our natural inclinations and desires are not trustworthy at all. Despite what today’s popular cultural “gurus” (and even some “Christian” leaders) are saying, doing what we feel is right and best for us will likely lead to an undesirable destination. 

Wisdom and truth are not within us. They come only from God. Here are several popular lies and their contradictory facts:

LIE: Know “your truth.”

TRUTH: Be still and know that only God is God. (Psalm 46:10) 

TRUTH: Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)

LIE: Your power comes from within.

TRUTH: Apart from Jesus, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

TRUTH: You can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you. (Phil 4:13)

LIE: Look inside yourself for wisdom.

TRUTH: If you lack wisdom, ask God, and He’ll give it to you—generously. (James 1:5)

LIE: The answer is deep within your heart.

TRUTH: Your heart is wicked and will deceive you. (Jeremiah 17:9)

As humans, our bend is to do the wrong thing. Even when we’ve surrendered to Jesus as our Lord and Savior—and we are new creations—it’s still a battle. (I mean, if the Apostle Paul can share that he does the things he knows he shouldn’t and vice versa, we’re in good company.) So, throughout the Bible, God nails this point home time and time again (He knows how thick we are): Wisdom for living—for those big decisions and small ones—comes from God and His Word.

As David wrote in Psalm 119, God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. I don’t know about you, but I’ll choose to follow that path…not my heart.

“Lord, I’m so grateful for Your Word to show me the way as I, a sinner, walk through this dark world. Let each step I take be according to Your Truth.”