What Actually Happens When You Follow Your Heart
If you are contemplating an important decision and are feeling the urge to follow your heart, you have come to the right blog.
Perhaps you have walked away from someone you love are are now struggling with that decision because you are unable to emotionally let go of that person.
Perhaps you are considering dating someone who does not share your core beliefs and values, yet you still have a “good feeling” about them, believing they will change.
Or maybe you are thinking of getting married after knowing someone for just a short period of time.
I’m not saying that these things can’t be good choices, but I would like to encourage you to consider what is motivating your decisions.
A few years back, Selena Gomez released a song, its lyrics carrying a similar message:
There’s a million reasons why I should give you up/But the heart wants what it wants.
Are you making decisions based on the wisdom of God and your obedience to him? Or are you making decisions based on your current feelings and your obedience toward what your heart wants at the moment?
As a culture, we’ve come to believe that following your heart is good advice, nearly Bible canon. It’s the theme of so many movies, right? But did you know that following your heart is not Biblical?
After much research, what I discovered not only blew my mind but made me feel angry at how misled I’d been most of my life.
Here are three shocking truths I discovered about following your heart and why knowing these truths will help you to better navigate your decisions.
- The heart isn’t logical
The human heart is a vital bodily organ which, according to the Bible, is also representative of the inner person, including desires, emotions, and will.
When we allow our lives to be governed by our feelings, we live as hostages to our feelings—slaves to our hearts. The heart doesn’t listen to reason. As long as you allow it a leadership role in your life, it will lead you in making unreasonable choices.
God understands the human heart. That’s why the Bible cites the heart 826 times. The heart is used in reference to human will and desire, never as a component to wise decision-making. Jeremiah 10:14 reads, “The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge!” With a heart that knows nothing, why turn to it for guidance?
- The heart isn’t trustworthy
The book of Jeremiah explains that the heart is devious, perverse, and confusing. Jesus confirmed this by explaining that all of the worst parts of people come from their hearts. (Je. 7:9, Mk. 7:21)
And if you think that your heart is the exception, think again. God says that no one is good. Not one. (Ro. 13:10)
Have you ever noticed the way a strong believer in Christ won’t put as much importance on their feelings as will an unbeliever?
My mother-in-law, a retired missionary, knows that good things don’t always come easy. I asked her about her thoughts on suffering. She sighed and grinned. “Being uncomfortable isn’t always bad. It’s part of following Jesus.”
God doesn’t want you to suffer, but he may allow it for a while. When he does allow it, it’s never for nothing. No matter the case, he will never leave your side—and that’s a promise. (Joshua. 1:5)
James 1:14-15 says, “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.”
With hearts so willing to lead us to our graves, why would we trust them?
- The heart changes
The heart is inconsistent. Anything and everything we expose it to becomes an influencer, including things which will destroy us. To depend on it for guidance is to set ourselves up for regret.
God knows this. It’s why he warns us to guard our hearts and carefully consider whom we associate with. (Pr. 4:23, 1st Co. 15:33)
But here’s some good news: God can change our hearts.
After sinning against God, King David knew that his heart had become dirty. In order to stay close to God, he prayed, “Create in me, God, a clean and contrite heart.” (Psa. 51:10)
By changing our heart, God changes our will.
Follow Jesus
God never advises us to follow our hearts. To follow our hearts is to live under bondage. The world’s message, “follow your heart,” is self-willed. Instead, Jesus invites us to follow him. Jesus’s message, “follow me,” is God-willed.
We can only serve one master. (Mt. 6:24)
Here are three reasons we should follow God:
- God Is Logical: God’s wisdom is inexhaustible. Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. (Ecc. 8:5)
- God Is Trustworthy: When you follow God, your life is in the best hands. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Pr. 3:5-6)
- God Is Stable: God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.“For I am the LORD, I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6)
Amidst life’s ups and downs, God will keep your heart grounded in his love. With his help, you’ll make better decisions. (Heb. 13:8, Mal. 3:6, Ro. 11:33, Ps. 57:7)
Knowing what you now know about your heart, do you still feel the urge to follow it? Please leave a comment below so we can continue this discussion. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject.
Heavenly Father, In Jesus’s name I come before you to confess that I have not fully surrendered my heart to you. I have used my heart as a hiding place, a place of memories to escape to rather than coming to you for health and refreshment. I’m sorry. I ask you to take my heart and make it clean and new. Mold it in all of the necessary ways to become more like yours so I will want what you want for me—complete freedom from unhealthy bondages. I know that you are close to the broken-hearted and I thank you for carrying me through this difficult season of the heart. You are my forever love.
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Great reminders here to trust in the LORD with all your heart, not in your heart itself!
Our hearts will often lead us astray so we must always seek God’s wisdom and understanding in all things. After all, He knows us best and loves us most and He will never lead us in the wrong direction!