do NOT trust your heart...

a common misconception taught especially to teenagers is "trust your heart, it won't mislead you."  when in a dilemma of what to do, especially an emotional one... or one involving relationships... you know, "where my head is telling me one thing and my heart is telling me something else..."
i'm sure you've heard it.  maybe you've even given the advice to others.
well, it's not true.  where do i base this disagreement?  on the Truth... Jesus says, "i am the way, the truth, and the life..." (john 14:6)  i base my disagreement on what the Bible says about our heart.

over and over in the bible, God warns us about our deceptive heart.  since the fall of man, we have to struggle through life fighting our sinful nature.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  ~Matthew 15: 19

For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly.  ~Mark 7: 21-22

all the way back in genesis (6:5) The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.   (and then in 8:21), The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. (emphasis is mine)

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? ~Jerimiah 17:9

 

when we are conflicted, the answer isn't "trust your heart".  when we are conflicted, the answer is "trust in GOD."

2 Cor. 10:3-4 gives us a great promise even though our inclinations are evil. 

For though we walk in the flesh, we ar not waging war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our wrafare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds." 

we need to obey God's word and have confidence in it.  believe it, memorize it, read it, and pray it.  agressively pray!!! 

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ~1 John 4:4

 

 

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31