and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9
There's a subtle slogan of the devil that has pervaded our culture and makes me cringe when I hear it, "follow your heart." Can you not smell the deadly, foul breath of the Roaring Lion all over that utterance? It sure sounds happy and positive, but how such a thought can deceive so many!
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
If you follow your heart, you will land in Satan's lair, where he will destroy you. It is his fierce goal as he whispers out such cheerful lies to the unguarded. He sneaks and prowls as an angel of light, but he is a murderer without any truth.
"Her house is the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death." Proverbs 7:27
Satan would love for you to follow your heart. "Follow your heart" will lead you into the adulteress' home. "Follow your heart" will deceive you unto death. "Follow your heart" will destroy you.
"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil." Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
As it says in Jeremiah 17:9, our hearts lie to us more than anything else (above all things) and are beyond cure. Our hearts are so destructive that, for those in Christ, we have been given a completely new heart. It is with this new heart, namely the heart of Christ, that we seek the truth of God's Word and that His indwelling Spirit guides us in our way.
"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." Ezekiel 36:26
One of the greatest dangers I see among people around me is a practically non-existent fear of the Lord, even among people who profess to be Christians. It is desperately lacking in our world of self-love, instant gratification, white lies, and wishy-washy theology. A critical misunderstanding of who God is comes when we do not fear Him, and a road of destruction is often soon to follow. May we replace "follow your heart" with "fear the LORD."
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7
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