The Human Heart

And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one follows the dictates of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me. (Jeremiah 16:12)

Social media, movies, songs, popular motivational books and videos all promote the gospel of “follow your heart.”

The philosophy behind this is that your heart is the true compass of peace and happiness, and you only need the courage to follow your heart. It sounds so alluring, so simple and easy to believe. Unfortunately, many have subscribed to this deceptive philosophy and have made a shipwreck of their lives and families.

The Bible reveals to us the true condition of our hearts.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9)

Scripture says, “The heart is deceitful above all things”. This means more than any other thing, the human heart is the most deceptive or misleading. Scripture also says, “The heart is desperately wicked.”

So then, would anyone in a sound mind like to follow a leader who is most deceptive and desperately wicked? Certainly not!

The human heart makes a bad leader to follow. Following such a leader will only make you a vagabond. You will never be established.

Have you seen people who are so talented with such abilities, so good looking and yet they are going nowhere. What could be the reason? Could it be that they have adopted this world philosophy, “follow your heart”?

There are people who often say, “There is nothing in my heart; my heart is clean” The truth is no one really knows what is in their heart except the Lord.

Lord Jesus, the Great Physician, records the troubling manifestations of human heart:

For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech. (Matthew 15:19).

Therefore, don’t believe in your heart; direct your heart to believe in God. Don’t follow your heart; follow Lord Jesus Christ and His Word.

Read with me John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

Notice, Jesus did not say to his disciples, “let not your hearts be troubled, just believe in your heart.”

Instead, He said, “Believe in God, believe also in Me - not your hearts.”

Your heart only tells you what you want, not where you should go. You must be careful and wise enough to take your wants and desires to the Lord in prayer so that there can be a real sifting of what is wheat and what is chaff.

Lord Jesus is your shepherd (Psalm 23:1; John 10:11). Listen to His voice in His word and follow Him (John 10:27)

For Additional Bible Study: Why We Must Guard Our Heart by Pastor Michael:

The Human Heart

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