Following Christ vs following your heart

Christ lives in our hearts by faith once we receive Him as Lord of our lives.  So it would stand to reason that since He lives in our hearts, that if we "follow our hearts," we are following Him.  But that is not the case.

Scripture tells us that the heart is deceitful above all else. (see Jeremiah 17:9)

The heart is the seat of our emotions.  God gave us emotions as gifts.  But they are not to be trusted as gods or sources of truth and wisdom.  Emotions are ever-changing and unreliable.  No, we need more than our hearts to guide us.

For truth and wisdom there is only one place to consult: God's Word.  

We know that what our heart "tells" us can be the furthest thing from God's Word.  "But I feel like this is the right thing to do."  "I am overwhelmed with emotion, so it must be God's will."  

As women especially, our emotions run deep.  They can also be all over the place!

That is why it is crucial to know and study God's Word.  When we are students of His Word, we learn the right way to live life.  And the Holy Spirit is faithful to shed light on what is really happening in our hearts when we seek Him.

Many times our hearts, or feelings, lead us totally in the wrong direction.  Are we more in tune with our feelings or with the Lord?

I have learned that it can be a real battle - a battle between my heart (emotions) and what I am really supposed to do, think, and feel (shown to me by God's Word and His Holy Spirit guiding me).  

I have said it before but it bears repeating.  When the devil cannot get us to do bad, he will use "good."  And "good" emotions are what he uses the most!  Yes, the devil wants us to "feel good" if it eventually leads to sin and our downfall.  

So what to do with our hearts?  Once again, the Word offers us pure wisdom. "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life."  (Proverbs 4:23)  Another translation says "guard" your heart.

That doesn't mean we don't feel things or let emotions in to our hearts.  It just means we are to have discernment which things we allow in there.  

We wouldn't intentionally swallow poison - put bad things into our bodies, stomachs - and neither are we to allow "poison" into our hearts.  

Problem is, when it comes to emotions, the poisonous ones can seem good!  This is when we need spiritual discernment.

The only recourse I know is to seek the Lord in all things.  Especially matters of the heart.  He will always point and lead us in the right direction.

If we follow our hearts, we can easily be led astray.

If we follow Christ, we will always be on the best path for our lives.