follow your heart

1 Samuel 27:1
“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’”

It seems that David had reached his breaking point. After years of hiding in caves, and narrowly escaping the hand of Saul, David decides to leave Israel, and dwell among the Philistines. This decision would lead him to live a double life. He still has a heart for the things of God, but is living a lie. As the story continues to unfold, David even reached a point where he attempted to join the Philistines in battle against the people of God. This was no doubt one of the darkest times in the life of David. The root cause is revealed in verse one,

1 Samuel 27:1“And David said in his heart…”

Like all of us, David’s head was filled with a barrage of different messages. In one ear, he heard the voice of God promising him he would one day sit upon the throne in Israel, in the other, his heart spoke. Fear, discomfort, difficulty, and exhaustion, had brought David to the point where his heart began to tell him Saul would defeat him, and the only hope was to run. In a moment of weakness, David listened to his heart and walked out of the plan of God.

This is not an uncommon experience. We all face circumstances that cause us to call into question the promises of God. We, like David, are forced to make a choice. Will we listen to the promises of God or the cries of the heart? This has become so common that we are often encouraged to “Follow our heart” or “Do what our hearts tells us.” That was bad advice when David followed it three thousand years ago, and it remains bad advice today. Instead of listening to our hearts, which is little more than an expression of our ever changing emotions, we should listen to the the unchanging promises found in the pages of God’s Word.

Consider this: who was correct, David’s heart or God’s promises? Did David die by the hand of Saul, or was he crowned Israel’s greatest king? We can, and should, always trust in the promises of God, over the ever changing and unstable cries of our hearts.

Pastor Jim

Proverbs 28:26
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/b9a/30989304/files/2014/12/img_1264.jpg When faced with decisions, it is not uncommon to be counseled to follow your heart. Solomon suggests that doing so is a very bad idea. He calls it folly. I can think of three reasons why it is foolish to follow your heart.

First, the Bible teaches that the heart is deceitful above all other things (Jeremiah 17:9). That means our hearts can trick us into doing things that are unhealthy or even detrimental. Our hearts, like our appetites, can desire things which are harmful to us. A friend of mine was diagnosed with high cholesterol and counseled to drastically change his diet. Upon receiving the doctor’s orders, his appetite did not suddenly change. He still hungered for fatty, fried, high cholesterol foods. The heart is the same way. We can long for things that God forbids, and our hearts can lead us away from the Lord.

Second, the heart is the seat of emotion. It is the place where emotions arise; and emotions are untrustworthy. We have all had the experience where, suddenly and without warning, our emotions change. We are happy one minute then suddenly we are saddened, afraid or filled with anxiety. A person who is trusting in emotions, is like a small boat in a violent storm. It is very difficult to navigate through life with emotions as our compass.

Finally, not only are our emotions fickle, but the desires of the heart are constantly changing. Many of the things we longed for in the past are hardly worth having today. Look back at some old photos and notice the hair cut you had to have, or the outfit that you spent your hard-earned money to buy. Like changing fashions, the heart is constantly desiring something new.

Rather than trusting in the heart, we should trust the promises of God. Instead of leading us away from the Lord, they will lead to a life that is well pleasing to Him, and beneficial to the ones we love. Unlike emotions, the promises of God are like bedrock upon which to build your life. When emotions, fashion, culture, and experience suddenly change, the Word of God remains as solid ground to stand upon.

Don’t follow your heart, follow the Lord.
Pastor Jim