Follow your heart?

This is a follow up post to a comment made on the 'I don't Feel like it' post, which asked a great question.

The phrase "Follow your heart" is something we often hear when it comes to make decisions or living life - so how do we follow our hearts if our feelings can't always be trusted?

First of all, I think the "follow your heart" advice has a few different meanings - we may actually be saying "Go after your dreams", "Don't do things just because of others expectations", "Don't be cold and emotionless in all your decisions in life". Those things maybe be closer to what we are actually trying to say with "follow your heart", rather than "listen only to your feelings".

But sometimes when we say "follow your heart", we are meaning - go with your feelings. And I don't like that saying in that cas. I think it's unbiblical and liable to get us into trouble.

If "the heart is deceitful above all things" then it's probably not to be trusted with our life decisions.

In the Bible, the heart outside of God's control is not looked on very positively. Gen 8:21  every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood.

I think the saying "follow your heart" is a worldly idea, because in the world people believe that we are the masters of our own hearts, and should make our decisions based on our own inner most desires. But as Christians we know we have a different master, and One who has greater purpose than we can even dream.

So instead we should say, "Follow God, the one who knows our hearts, and has our best interests in His." That doesn't mean our feelings or dreams or desires don't matter - God placed them there, he knows them, and isn't going to neglect the things we hope for. But he also knows the far bigger picture and knows what will be right and wrong for us. He knows the deceptive parts of our hearts, and knows when we need to bring them under his control.

Trust God with your heart, and then you will be able to test and discern your feelings. Then rather than going on emotion or 'intuition', you will be going on the promptings of the Spirit.

Is 16:7  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

1Kings 8:61  But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands

Psalm 26:2  Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.