Should we really follow our hearts?

"Follow your heart."

How many times have you heard or read that phrase? And how many times did you follow that advice?

It might be a good advice, sometimes. SOMETIMES. But don't you think it's a bit selfish? Don't you think we should make better decisions than just following where our hearts direct us?

We must have known some people actually living with this kind of decisions. Following your heart is like doing what makes you happy. And just by putting it like that, don't you think it's a bit shallow and a bit dangerous? We might end up making hasty decisions.

First we must know the nature of our heart. Let's see what the Bible tells us about our hearts.

Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? "

The Bible gave us the warning.We are born with a heart prone to making mistakes, prone to sin. And what should we do about it?

Proverbs 23:26 (KJV)

"My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways."

If we don't give our heart to God, it will only lead us to wrong decisions. It will only lead us to more heartbreaks, more failures, more disappointments. We should let God to reign in our hearts so we would only desire good and acceptable things.

Proverbs 4:23 (KJV)

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life."

We do things that makes us happy, we do things that we love. Most of the time, we say things that we like to say. Those things are from our hearts. The things that are being kept inside, our wants, our desires will inevitably show in our actions and personality. That is why the Bible is reminding us to guard our hearts. We should daily surrender our desires, our hearts to God.  We should always give our all to God.

Take a look at these verses:

Psalms 51:10

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me"

Psalms 73:36

"My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

Philippians 4:7

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

We should always pray for a pure and clean heart. We cannot do things on or own, we will always be lost unless God is with us. He shall keep our hearts, He will guard it. Before we trust our hearts, we should trust His.

And when we do surrender our hearts, our lives to God, our desires won't be selfish, our ways won't be like before. Our desires will align to His desires. Our hearts will become new.

Psalm 37:4

"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

God is not selfish. He will answer your prayers, He will give you what you want. He will guide you to the right path. You can make your way to your heart's desires if you delight yourself in Him.

Should we follow then our hearts?

Only when our hearts are renewed and reigned by God.