The Bible states, more than once, that the heart is deceiving and should not be followed or trusted. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceiving above all things and beyond cure…" So, what are we supposed to do about it? How can we live godly lives if our heart’s desires are constantly getting in the way? The answer, turn from your fleshly desires and give yourself completely over to God. When we turn to Yeshua and follow Him, He gives us a new heart. Ezekiel 36:26, "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.”
Once we've given our hearts fully over to God, it'll be much easier to turn from the ways of this world and the temptations that Satan throws our way. But, just because we’ve been given a new heart, our selfish desires and sinful ways won’t completely disappear; it’s an on-going battle to follow after God, and not our hearts. Thankfully, God gives us the strength we need to continue our journey on His path.
For the past three months, I have been struggling with the feelings, desires, and yearnings of my heart. I used to believe that everything my heart felt was good and godly, but I was wrong. As you might have read in my last blog post, I made the mistake of following my heart. This caused me to be completely out of God’s will; but, at the beginning of October, I made a vow. I declared that I would no longer follow after my heart and its worldly desires; instead, I am going to listen and follow God with all my heart.
So, how do we learn what is of Him and what is of this world? First, we must seek God and His kingdom (Matthew 6:33). After that, we will be given discernment, which will help us point out what is of this world and what is of Him.
If we continue to do what we think is best, or what others are telling us to do, then we are not following after God, but after man. If that is your case, you should repent and set your sights only on what God and godly council is telling you. I made the mistake of listening to the council of the ungodly, and it almost cost me my relationship with my parents, and with God. It's thanks to God's love for me and help from the godly people in my life, that I overcame. Just yesterday, I wrote a thank you note to a pastor who warned me about what was going on in my life. If I hadn't remembered what he had said when the biggest test of my life (so far) came, I could've caused major damage in my life, and my family's life.
Another thing we must consider is what we're feeding ourselves. Now, I'm not talking about physical food, but spiritual food. What do we watch, read, speak, hear, love and believe in? All these things need to be considered because, "Whatever one sows, that he will also reap." (Galatians 6:7-8) So, we need to watch what we feed into our body because it will always come out.
If we are putting things above God, then we are making idols. The biblical definition of idolatry includes ANY value, ANY idea, ANY relationship, and ANY thing that challenges the top priority, which belongs to God. Are you putting books, movies, friends, tv, or other things above God? I was, but have since repented for these idols and turned away from them.
Something else to take into consideration is the feelings we develop for other people or things. Are they godly or sinful feelings? Some of you may be wondering how feelings can be sinful, well let me tell you. Feelings are created by us, no one else. We have the power over feelings, though many of us don't realize it. Our hearts and mind generate our thoughts and feelings. Mark 7:21-22 declares, ”For from within men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly." Have you ever let your feelings get the better of you? I have, and once I became aware that I was letting my feelings have control, I knew that I was not walking on God’s path.
Temptations will always be sent to divert us from His path, but it is our responsibility to push them aside, and not give in to them. So many times people have gone after what their hearts have desired and given in to all the temptations that came their way. Once they'd given in, they may say that they had no other choice because there was no way out, but God says differently. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." God makes a way, even if there seems to be no way out! Trust in Him and lean on Him in all that you do.
Life is a journey! It may seem amazing now, but by allowing God to take the wheel and becoming our driver, life becomes even more extraordinary. Don’t follow the desires of your heart; instead, follow God and His Word, because He is, “The way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
Note: Another great scripture that talks about the heart is, Proverbs 7:25-27.