The Problem with Our Hearts
If you have kids, you’ve probably watched a Disney movie or two in your day. Disney movies have a few things in common: they generally feature an unexpected hero or heroine, one or more of the parents die in the film, and the overarching message is, “Just follow your heart.”
That last one is the most concerning. Disney movies and a myriad of other children’s programming today tell us, “The right thing is whatever your heart wants, and if you just follow your heart, everything will be fine!”
Here’s the problem with this: we have a heart problem. Every last one of us has a deadly heart disease called sin, and our hearts are not to be trusted. Here are just a few examples of what our culture tells us about our hearts versus what the Bible tells us.
| Culture Says |
The Bible Says |
|---|---|
| Your heart will guide you to the right decision, path, etc. |
Our hearts are deceitfully wicked and can’t be trusted (Jeremiah 17:9) |
| Your heart is what gives you value |
You have value because you were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) |
| Your heart’s desires define you |
God defines us and wrote all the days of our life before we were even born (Psalm 139:16) |
| Our hearts are ours and ours alone |
God created our hearts to love and worship Him (Isaiah 43:21) |
| Nothing can change what’s in our hearts |
God can change our hearts (Psalm 51:10) |
You see, what the world wants to tell us about our hearts is just plain wrong and a lie. Allowing our hearts to define us and guide us will not leave us empowered and fulfilled like we see in the movies. It will leave us lost, confused, and alone. We weren’t meant to trust our hearts; we were meant to trust our hearts to the Father who created us and loves us.
The good news is that there is a free instant cure for our heart disease, if we will just accept it! The moment we admit that we are hopeless sinners separated from God by our sin and need a Savior, and then accept the free gift God has offered to each person to restore our relationship with Him by looking solely to Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection to pay the debt for our sin, and make Jesus our Lord and Savior, our sin (past, present, and future) is erased (Ephesians 2:1-9). We are then immediately indwelled by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), whom we can trust to guide us and transform us (John 14:26). The more we learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, the more our hearts will begin to reflect Him and what God designed us to be (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Listen to what the Bible says about a heart that is focused on the Lord:
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. – Ezekiel 36:26
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be My people and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. – Jeremiah 24:7
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. – Psalm 51:10
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:4
The last verse above may sound contradictory to all I’ve been saying about not trusting your heart, but the first part of that verse is of paramount importance to understand the verse. Delighting yourself in the Lord means He is your focus. He is what you live for, what you think about, and who your heart is inclined toward. When you are walking in lockstep with God, His desires will then become your desires.
It is sad to me to see our culture so untethered. Our ethos of self-focus, self-absorption, and living solely for and by our heart’s whims has left individuals depressed, lost, and confused. Following your heart above all else will lead you to make horrible mistakes like having an affair, making rash financial decisions, or worse. Just listen closely to what television, Hollywood, and advertisements constantly tell us-just focus on yourself and your own reality, be who or whatever you want to be, pursue your heart’s desires, and if you just buy this one thing it will change your life and bring happiness. What a bunch of lies!
People sometimes are hesitant to follow Jesus because they don’t want to give up control of their hearts. They want to be able to pursue their own desires. But I can tell you, there is nothing more freeing than accepting God’s definition of our hearts and desires and turning them over to Him. When you follow Jesus, your purpose is not to just “follow your heart.” Your purpose is to lead others to the Gospel and become more like Christ. When you follow Jesus, your heart doesn’t define you; He does. And there’s nothing better than His definition of you – forgiven! Now that is real peace and joy!