Many of us have heard the expression…
…“Trust your heart”, it will tell you what to do. The expression is found in many places. Dean Martin (kids, ask your parents or grandparents) sang the song “be smart Only trust your heart”, Jonathan Edwards, Presidential candidate would often close his speeches with, “Trust your heart”. Lolly Daskal wrote in her article about trusting in your heart, “The first answer your heart speaks is the truest. When you tell that truth to yourself, it becomes apparent to the world.”
Therefore, according to the messages found in our everyday life, if we trust in our hearts then we’ll be smart, vote for the proper candidate, and determine truth. We can have the world under control and know what is best, all by “trusting in our hearts.”
The Bible teaches in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else, And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? It also says in Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
Paul warns the believer in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves… And he also wrote in Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
The Bible clearly teaches not to trust in our own hearts. The heart of man is deceitful, sick; no one can truly understand it. The Bible warns us to be careful not to be lovers of our own reasoning, for this is the path of establishing self-righteousness, which is not of God.
Based upon the true condition of the heart of man and the warnings of the Bible we must beg the question, “What then, do we do with our hearts?”
God has promises concerning the condition of the heart that is found in Ps 34:16-18 The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
David, in his greatest hour of repentance, wrote, Psalm 51:6-10 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart , O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart .
Jesus taught that the greatest commandment was to love God… Matthew 22:37-39 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart , with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”
Thus the heart that is attractive to God is broken by recognizing our true condition as described above. God longs for us to possess truth in our inward parts. As we delight in Him, He will make us to know wisdom, He will clean us, and will fill us with the desires He chooses for us. As we immerse ourselves in Him we discover a natural response: to love Jesus with all our heart, which is the first and great commandment of God.
Comments
One Response to “Many of us have heard the expression…”
Leave a Reply
Thank the Lord that He is willing and able to take these hearts of stone and change them into hearts of flesh. He does this for us His followers. We are then in return caused to have a heart for the lost. It is a blessing and a hardship wrapped together. We want so badly to help others to see what they are missing in a relationship with Him. Sometimes in our enthusiasism we shine alittle to brightly for them, other times we may not shine brightly enough. I think that we should be constantly in prayer for these people and for our own witness to them.Pray that their hearts would not become set in their current condition and that He would cover all our mistakes and allow them to see and hear only what He wants them to see and hear. We do have to be careful also that we don’t fall into the trap of not being bold enough for the Lord. Listen closly and be obedient to His callings while leaving our own thoughts and notions out of it.It is ALL about Him and for Him and By Him.