Don’t Trust Your Heart
We’ve been told our whole lives to “follow your heart.” But what if your heart doesn’t know the way? The world tells us to chase what feels good. But feelings are loud, not always wise. Some of the worst decisions we make are the ones that ‘felt right’ in the moment.
“The heart is deceitful above all things.”
Jeremiah 17:9
Your heart can be sincere… and still steer you wrong. Anyone can chase emotion. But real strength? That’s stopping long enough to question your direction — and choosing what aligns with your values, not just your urges.
God’s word is our guide
As the scripture above states, God encourages believers to not trust in their own hearts. Instead, it calls for trusting in the Lord and seeking His guidance. Many passages of scripture teach how we should take caution against following your own heart, understanding, and desire. God wants His children to learn the importance of seeking God’s wisdom and direction above all else..
That seems like a pretty simple principle, yet I believe very few Christ-followers have learned how to effectively do trust in God for their direction and wisdom. One of my favorite passages – Proverbs 3:5-6 – breaks this down for us to incorporate into our daily walk with God.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.“
proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV
Four interconnected commands of God
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart…”
There is a big difference between trusting in the Lord and trusting people or processes. Our trust is not in people or rituals or methodologies but in Jesus Christ alone. As the writer of the proverb points out, our trust is not in our own understanding.
To trust in the Lord with all our heart, we must know and rely upon His prormises, wisdom, power, and love to help us in every circumstance. We should trust the Lord with all our heart because human understanding is contaminated by sin, limited wisdom, impulsive assumptions, and faulty emotions. We trust in the God who is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving, and has good plans to guide our lives toward the meaning and purpose He created us for.
“…Lean not on your own understanding.”
Human understanding is subject to error. God, on the other hand, sees and understands all. He is the One we can lean on and trust. We are not always right.
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”
Proverbs 14:12
“Our knowledge is partial and incomplete.”
Ephesians 4:17-18
“In all your ways acknowledge Him…
Trusting in the Lord begins by believing in Jesus for salvation. When we trust in Him, we acknowledge that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). We then get to know God more as we spend time in prayer and Bible study. The more we know God, the more we will love Him. The more we love Him, the more we will trust in Him alone—with all our hearts—for wisdom, for decisions, for everything.
…He will direct your paths.”
“The LORD is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”
Psalm 92:15
“God is not evil and will not lead us to destruction. Instead, He leads us into paths of righteousness.”
Psalm 23:3
He never lies.
Numbers 23:19
“He is faithful to keep His promises.”
Psalm 89:34
God’s plans are perfect, holy, and righteous, and He works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28
Benefits of obedience
Scripture describes the benefits that come to the person who trusts the Lord with all his heart:
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.”
Jeremian 17:7-8
Those who trust in the Lord have hope and need not fear difficulty or calamity. They know who is in control of their lives and that He is fully good and true.