Follow Your Heart
“Follow your heart, it knows the way.”
“Life is too short not to go where your heart leads.” –Alex Elle
“Always listen to your heart, because even though it’s on your left side, it’s always right.”–Nicolas Sparks
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow know what you truly want to become.” –Steve Jobs
“Follow your heart and you will never get lost.”
One doesn’t have to look too far to find these popular ‘inspirational’ quotes floating around social media sites or painted on a cute home decor sign. These are the types of quotes many people enjoy sharing.
Their feel-good message leaves us thinking that if we don’t like where we are in life we just need to look deep enough inside and follow what our hearts are telling us to do.
At first glance, it may seem like there’s nothing wrong with following your heart… but is it really wise to follow your heart?
According to the worldly perspective, following our hearts is the way to go. After all, satisfying our own desires usually feels pretty good–at least for a time.
However, if we take a look at what the Bible has to say, we get a far different perspective. Jeremiah 17:9 says,
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know?” Jer. 17:9, KJV
We see confirmation of this in Mark:
“For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness.” Mark 7:21-22, NIV
Perhaps those verses wouldn’t look nearly so catchy on a sign or as an inspirational quote but they are far more worthy of our careful consideration.
According to Biblical principles, following our hearts can lead us down a path to some pretty serious heartache and heartbreak.
We can convince ourselves that what our heart wants is ok because “it feels so right.” However, more often than not, the way that “feels” right to our hearts may ultimately lead to destruction, as we read in Proverbs:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 16:25, ESV
That’s a pretty serious end to consider and we would do well to examine the true motives of our hearts before deciding to follow them.
As sobering as the true state of our hearts may be, there is good news! If we willingly surrender our hearts to the Lord and make Him the ruler of them, we will receive brand new hearts!
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:25-27, NIV
Isn’t that a beautiful truth? 
God can give you a pure and renewed heart, but we will be on the path of redemption and sanctification until we arrive in heaven.
Only a heart surrendered to God, cleansed by the Blood of the Lamb, purified and refined, created anew by Him, could possibly guide you in the way you should go.
Only a heart meditating on His Word and led by His Spirit will not lead you astray.
Our human hearts’ desires are selfish.
Unless you let God perform major heart surgery, it is not wise to follow your heart.
Our fleshly, unsurrendered hearts will lead us right down a path of destruction.
The better plan is always to follow the heart of the Father.
Spend time devouring His Word and letting the truths found there transform you. Guard your heart against ungodly influence (Prov. 4:23) for out of the overflow of the heart the mouth will speak (Luke 6:45) and down a wrong path, you may go.
Related: Deception and Discernment: Can Christian’s be Deceived?
“Delight in him and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4) –but here’s the beautiful catch:
As you get to know Him more, as you sit at His feet and take delight in Him, the desires of your heart will ultimately shift to align with the desires of His heart.
And the desires of HIS heart for our lives will always, always lead us to a better place than if we choose to follow our own hearts.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.” Psalm 51:10-13, NIV
