Trusting the HEART

Can you depend on your heart?

Now, I'm not talking about your physical blood-pumping muscle that keeps you alive. I'm talking about your spiritual heart... our soul.

I've heard it taught many times that we're to not trust in our heart. In fact, if you haven't already heard it from the pulpit, even a simple search on the internet can provide several articles from pastors that claim it's un-biblical. Why is that? Well, looking into the Scriptures, we find that the heart "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked..." (Jeremiah 17:9)

So then, according to these Preachers, Evangelists, and Biblical speakers, how do we make our decisions if we can't use our heart? Simple, we are to put our sole trust in our pastors, as they are our "genuine God-given authority" over all things. They then continue with comments that we're not to question any in leadership or authority. If you disagree, then your heart is not right, and you have a rebellious spirit.

However, they tend to forget to put the verse in Jeremiah into full context. When you read verse 5 - "Cursed is the man who trusts in man". Now, move along to verse 7 - “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord."

Then look in Psalms 118:8 - "[It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." Now, I'm not saying you can't trust pastor, especially if he is Scripturally sound in teaching and leadership. But even doing so is putting your heart behind man. That is were we have to be careful. (Psalm 118:8) As a Christian, it is up to ourselves to rightly discern Scripture. 2 Timothy 2:15 - "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Still the question remains... Can we depend our heart? Yes. We can only trust God through our HEART! Proverbs 3:5 - "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding."

We can't leave it with man... it is ours to guard!!! (Proverbs 4:23) When we accept Jesus into our heart, his blood has washed and cleaned us from sin! (1 John 1:9) It's a promise we can hold to, that this is for our life. Because He is faithful, we cannot help but rejoice and praise Him with our HEART... but not the old one. We are given a NEW heart! Ezekiel 36:26 - "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." By the way, "an heart of flesh" means a "tender heart"! Talk about something to praise Him for!

I get excited when I'm reminded of Matthew 5:8 - "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God". Wow! What a promise. Since Christ lives within me, I can follow my heart. Psalm 73:26 - "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

There is one thing that Christians often fail to remember, we can't correct a heart of sin. Only God can, through the power of His saving Grace. A person can't have a change of heart until they have given God control. It seems that Christians want to 'correct' the world before the world can come to Christ. We see the push for preaching and teaching of judgment and rebuke, trying to "hit the lost over the head" with the truth of their sin. There's a feeling that we must blast the lost with their failures and show vengeance against them for their evil souls.

However, the Bible clearly states on what topic we should be preaching to the lost... THE GOSPEL - the Good News of Jesus our Savior. Christ commands it! (Mark 16:15) This good news is that he wants a relationship with us. His atonement frees our heart from the bonds of sin and wickedness! 

Remember, we are created in GOD's image. He is LOVE. Our heart is to be after His. Philippians 4:7 - "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

I'll end this post with this awesome verse... Psalm 27:4 - "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

~Matt

(Originally published on 04/16/2014)