I’m going to give you the worst advice anyone could give anyone. Ready? Here it is:
FOLLOW YOUR HEART
In other words, make decisions based solely on whether you feel “peace” about them.
To “follow your heart” is a prescription for disaster. Here’s why:
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it?
(Jeremiah 17:9)
This is an unbeliever’s heart – rotten to the core, deceitful, sick. God gives believers new hearts (EZEK 36.26) and his Spirit to guide us. But the old heart is still there, waiting to trip us up if we’re not careful. So, even though we have new hearts, the Spirit of God guides us by his sure and certain Word, not by our feelings.
[105] Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
(Psalm 119:105)
Every decision we make needs to be brought under the spotlight of God’s word, not the murky fog of feelings. Our feelings are the worst barometer of truth that exists. God’s Word is the true and unfailing barometer of truth. If we neglect God’s word, we’ll fall. If we store it up in our hearts it will deliver us from sin’s snares.
What are you listening to today – your heart, or God’s Word?
photo by PaKKiTo
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
I hear you and I agree, but I have a "but". Those of us who have been walking with the LORD for many years, living in communion with Him, spending serious time in prayer (and I'm not just talking intercession, but worship, adoration, meditation on the Scriptures – the works) and in the Word, KNOW that we need to follow and obey the Word, we WANT to do that. The clear things of Scripture are not going to be areas of wondering, directionally for most of us in this category, but occaionsionally, it's not quite so clear cut when we come to decisions about two or three routes that seem to be equally God honouring etc. We are facing this now, and simply seeking the Holy Spirit's leading for a major decision – more in next comment
continued…
and I'm not quite in Kevin DeYoung's "Just Do Something" camp yet – partially, but not completely. When I am waiting on the LORD in the quiet, seeking Him, I find my heart (I like to think it may be the one of flesh He gave me) is quite involved – I love Him, I long for Him, and want to honour and obey Him. I don't want to seem contrary to your post – for many, I'd say it's good advice (and quite counter-cultural too – yeah for that!!), just wanted to wedge my "but" in, for the record. Thanks.
Hi Lorraine,
Thanks for your comments! Yes, in cases that Scripture does not address, such as whether or not to take a certain job or move to a certain place, there is a more subjective side to discerning the Lord's will. In these cases, I believe other biblical principles can guide us, e.g. in an abundance of counselors there is victory, is there a good church where you will move, etc.
So I agree with you – the Lord promises to counsel us with his eye upon us (PS 32.8) and sometimes he does that by speaking directly to our hearts by his Spirit.
The burden of my post was that many Christians do things contrary to the Word (e.g. leave their wives or husbands when there has been no unfaithfulness) because they aren't "fulfilled" and they justify their sin by "having a peace about it."
Thanks again for your comments. As with any topic like this, it's hard to get it all into one post – so I appreciate the nuances you brought out.
Thanks for the advice! With the Lord's help I won't take it. =)
Thanks for the great reminder!
Devorah
You're welcome, Devorah! Thanks!
Although I don't have a problem with the logic in acting upon God's Word rather than your own feelings, as you said, the scripture does not always address things. And, even when it does guide you, as the advice about seeking many counselors, it does not always solve the problem. In lots of circumstances, we are required to take a leap or partially ignore advice.
For example, I have been struggling to decide on whether or not I should change the course of my life. Right now, I am pursuing a PhD in business, but what I really long to do is become a comedy writer. The problem is that I cannot possibly pursue a life as a researching professor and develop as a writer concurrently. I have sought many counselors to guide me, but I feel that much of the advice I am being given is tainted by an infatuation with the world and fear of taking chances. Most people I talk to tell me that, since researching professors make great money, I should pursue that and worry about becoming a writer when I have more time, a decade from now. When I am given such advice, I shrink away from it because it does not run with what I know about myself and God, that He gave me these gifts because He wants me to use them.
In a case like this, am I forced to heed the collective advice based on what I perceive are ungodly motives, or do I follow my heart, which has felt as though I were wasting my gifts in pursuit of a job that doesn't allow me to express the gifts God has given me?
What I am trying to say is that, yes, God gave us the scripture to teach and guide us, but not all of the answers to life's choices are in red text. God's Word comes first, but He also gave you an amazing mind. Since He has already changed your heart to enable you to have faith in the Savior and caused you to long to do His Will, the question you should ask may not be "Am I going to follow my heart or God's Word?" but rather "Will this leap be to God's glory?"
Hi Haezeus,
You're right – God's will is not always clear in every situation, as in your own. Obviously, you must take a step in faith at some point. So after praying, seeking counsel, asking God to search your heart, etc. you may have to "just do something."
I think a big factor to consider is whether you are married or not. If you have a family to provide for, you must provide for them.
Also, many are thrown off when it comes to a job by the culture's ideal that you should love what you do. The Bible doesn't say that anywhere. It says a man should work and provide for his household. If he happens to love it, that's a gift from God. I taught elementary art when I was first married and didn't especially like it, but it was a job. I really wanted to be a musician/performer but wouldn't have been able to support my wife, so I taught school and attempted to write songs in my spare time.
These comments may not apply to you, so if not, forgive me. I believe your last question is a great one – "Will this leap be to God's glory?" – great motive.
If a career path we choose in faith doesn't work out, it's not the end of life. Because God has blessed us so lavishly, we can always do something else.
Thanks for your comments!
Excellent post!
Lord, give us the grace to obey your Word above all things.
Thanks Christina!
Amen!
Good word Mark. It's better to view our heart through the lense of Scripture then Scripture through the lense of our heart.
Well put Jack!
I agree that we need to follow God's Word even when our heart wants to do the opposite. I also agree that there are circumstances where two options are both within God's will, and at that time it's ok to "follow your heart".
I also think it's important not to disregard our heart or feelings even if they are "bad" according to God's word. What I mean is, if you are having difficulties in your relationship it's not right to just get up and leave, as that is contrary to God's Word, but you don't want to stuff your feelings away either. God gave us feelings to let us know when things are right or wrong. When things are wrong, we have bad feelings, but there are many options on what to do with the situation. Perphas we're going to have to suffer for awhile, but we need to look at our feelings because they are a barometer for us to know how our world is affecting us. Continued below…
continued from previous post:
If your relationship is causing you distress maybe something needs to change…..maybe it's you, or maybe it's something you and your spouse need to change together. Whatever it is, your feelings are telling you something important and we just need to make sure we are always seeking guidence from the Lord on what to do. His Word tells us the parameters and then he can speak to us specifically through prayer and by the godly adivce of others. (And this advice will ALWAYS be inline with is Word, or else it's NOT from God).
I just felt the need to clarify since I feel the church tends to either make feelings all that matter, OR they tend to dismiss them totally. I don't feel we have a very good balance in our approach, as a general observation.
Hi Emily,
Thanks for your comments! Feelings are tricky. First of all feelings are real. So we don't want to deny them. They are an indication that SOMETHING is up, whether in a relationship, or when grieving or we're happy. Sometimes they are entirely appropriate – e.g. when grieving over the death of a loved one.
What makes feelings tricky is that they are so intertwined with our hearts. Our hearts are always responding to our circumstances and interpreting them. For example, when I go through a hard trial, I can experience feelings of pain and disappointment. But then my heart begins to interpret what's happening. I may have thoughts like: God has abandoned me. God is giving me more than I can handle. Often those thoughts express themselves as feelings: I "feel" like God has abandoned me. This is where we often get into trouble. Our feelings, as real as they are, are a poor barometer of the truth. Because though I feel abandoned, the truth is that God has promised never to abandon me.
In a marriage or a relationship we can express our feelings, but we must know that our heart is interpreting events, and might possibly be interpreting them wrong. We might say, "I feel like you don't respect me" – that may or may not be true – it is our interpretation of things. It is helpful to discuss our feelings in marriage, but we must always know that we could be wrong.
When it comes to our relationship with God, he is gracious and invites us to express our feelings to him, and so David would express things to God like "Why have you forsaken me?"
Ultimately we can't let our feelings lead us in life. Faith must be the engine and feelings the caboose. I've seen too many people over the years say things like, "I feel peace about leaving my husband" when there is no good reason to leave, or someone who is not free to be remarried saying "Surely God wants us to be happy." All these kinds of feelings-based decisions result in disaster.
Anyway, I may have completely missed the point of what you're saying Emily. I agree with you that feelings are real and it's good to talk about them. I agree the church should not make feelings everything, neither should it ignore them.
Thanks again for commenting!
Hey Mark,
Everyone knows you're not supposed to follow your heart. You're supposed to follow your eyes. It's right there in the Bible:
"Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. " — Judges 17:6
Even though I'm kidding, I frequently follow this dangerous approach to decision making. Thank the Lord for his wonderful Word, and the wisdom he graciously provides through godly counsel!
Dave
Good point.
To paraphrase Terry Goodkind: No man ever went to war thinking God had sided with the enemy.
Great quote!
Good support verse Dave! Amen. Praise God for the counsel of the Word!
Mark,
This post is timely for me because it answered a prayer I prayed this afternoon. I prayed that God would give me wisdom with a situation at work and this post is exactly what I needed to hear. I want to be guided by God’s word and the promises he has in them rather than what the world and my feelings would tell me I “should” do. By God’s grace, I did not do what my feelings told me to do, but I will wait upon God and in His Word I will trust. Thanks again Mark. ~Sara
Praise God Sara! He is wonderful in his Providence. I’m glad to hear how the Lord answered your prayer. Thanks for sharing this with me.
While it is soooo true that our Hearts are most deceitful and can lead us down the road of destruction; sometimes, we CAN make decisions and have peace about them, because God himself has made it clear to us and given us that peace… Also I strongly believe that while it is wise to seek Godly council for our decisions; it is God whom we must seek first and foremost and in the end it is HE whom we should OBEY! Some council may disagree with a decision of a brother or Sister and this is OK; but we should never stand in the way God. And if a fellow brother or sister may stumble and fall despite their desire and efforts to be obedient; we should be there to lift them up!
FEELINGS! OMGoodness! If I aloud my feelings(heart) to interpret everything every body did or said to me; I would be one miserable person… Not saying that I am never hurt or become offended..But with Christ in my life…..It is rare. And because of the grace that he has extended to me for all of my wrong….It is sooooo much easier for me to extend grace to others and in a sense be blinded from their faults… What a Blessing! If Christ did not run my life, my feelings would, and for this I am great full! Thanks Mark, I love reading the Blazing Center
The idea as we understand it now of the heart being only evil comes mostly from the time of the refomrmation. The earlier understanding within the Catholic church was the the heart, having been made in God’s image, was capable of great good, but that after the fall also become capable of great evil, and its propensity was toward evil. I think this understanding is quite helpful, as we often see great good coming from those who are not intentional disciples of Jesus, and often I have seen those who hold to the “evil heart” position write off the obvious goodness of those outside the faith as something less than they really are. A heart bathed in a relationship with our Heavenly Father IS going to be WAY more discerning as we are in the process of becoming like Jesus, but the stamp of God’s image on every man’s hearts is something we have to be careful not to ignore…indeed, it can often be the starting point of leading people toward faith, as we point out what God is already doing in their lives and then walk with them to a greater understanding of the implications of that (Like Paul in Athens). I have spent way too much of my life trying to convince unbelievers that they are sinners….now when opportunity permits I would much rather point them to a very good God, point out what God is already dont in their lives, and let the Holy Spirit deal with the sin part…He seems to do a better job of that than I do……
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