“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Society today is saturated with messages about following our hearts. There are songs, posters, meme’s, books, and much more that all follow a theme claiming the key to happiness is to yield to our heart’s desires. There’s just one itty bitty problem: the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Proverbs 4:23 instructs Christians to: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Oh boy. We have a problem. We have a societal norm that programs us to follow our hearts, and a Bible principle that communicates we should unequivocally not follow our hearts. Proverbs 28:26 adds clarity to the topic: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.”
What is a Christian to do?
Walk wisely! Instead of letting our hearts rule our lives, we are to keep our hearts in check and let wisdom rule our lives. When we face decisions that put us between our heart being set on something and not being certain the decision is a wise one, we should err on the side of wisdom, not longing. Renowned missionary Don Sisk once made the statement: “When we make a decision based on fact, the feeling will follow.” Sometimes we have to be the adult in the situation, between ourselves and our hearts, and simply make decisions based on facts and seeking wisdom. Unlike the Burger King slogan to “have it your way,” life choices should be made from a place of seeking wisdom.
Proverbs 4:7-8 illustrate the advantage of following wisdom: “Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.” There are no verses about following our hearts leading to promotion, honor, or any other happy outcome. There is, however, verse after verse that discusses the wickedness of the heart and of depravity of the imagination of the heart. Instead of following our hearts which are prone to selfish wickedness, we must choose to follow wisdom, to pursue it with radical abandon. We must choose to keep our hearts in check, to intentionally fill our hearts with wisdom and God’s Word. And when we feel that we don’t have the wisdom to make a good choice, when we are uncertain which path to follow in life, we can grab hold of the promise given in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” When in doubt, choose not to trust your heart, rather choose to ask the Lord for wisdom and trust that He will provide it.
