I was in a recent conversation and overheard, “Follow your heart and God will bless your ministry!” This message left me puzzled and troubled.
“Follow your heart” is a creed embraced and lived by many even within the Christian circle today.
With the recent Rachel Hollis controversy that has erupted over the past several weeks, just because someone professes to be Christian and gives advice does not always mean it is biblical nor safe.
“Your happiness is depended upon yourself and you have to come first!” is a message I have come across in few self-proclaimed Christian authors.
Is that true? Is my life I live here on earth is purely about the pursuit of my dreams, my happiness, my comfort? Am I intended to be the hero of my HEART and the hero of MY story? Is this life about believing in myself and following my own heart?
Here are few thoughts as we dive into this crippling message of self-glorification of, “Follow Your Heart.”
Follow Your Heart?
Scripture says, “The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).
This has a huge indication as the contemporary culture says to, “live in the moment!” This seems to be a common phrase I hear it over and over. The daily thought process is grounded in the temporary comforts of the heart rather than eternal lasting consequences.
“I am going to go with my feeling at any moment and at any time.” The basis of decision making is based on the situation of the heart that is shallow and unpredictable.
The secular music industry has this particular message played over-and-over again,
“Trust your heart that guides this life” (Tarzan)
“Just trust your heart” (Mulan)
“Listen to your heart,” (Roxette)
“Follow your heart” (Broadway: Urinetown)
“Just follow your heart” (Thumbelina)
This feel-good-ism to your heart is all about the self. God has been dethroning from the decision-making factor and truth is now relevant. God is whatever or however you want it to say, not as Lord in every aspect of life.
At the bottom line, this is the message that is shared. “I can do whatever I want whenever I want to.”
Follow your heart theology is nowhere found throughout the pages of scriptures. I will even say; such advice is satanic and pure evil for Satanism is ultimately worshiping of self.
Why? For the heart and mind have been profoundly affected by the effects of sin.
As Proverbs said it well,
“Every way of a man seems right in his own eyes….” (Prov 21:2).
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Prov. 14:12).
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.” (Prov. 28:26).
Follow Jesus Instead!
Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee and calls out the disciples to, “Follow me.” (Matt 4:18-20). With this calling, there was a significant cost that all the disciples needed to count before following Him.
There is no one sense, “pray a prayer” or “accept Jesus” throughout scripture, but instead, we find a simple phrase from Christ himself to, “Follow me” (Matt 4:19) with all our life.
Jesus said in another gospel account, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26).
This “Follow me” at times for the love of Christ will even appear to look like hatred towards family members.
This is no, “Your best life now!” or “Add Jesus as another accessory of your life.” Following Jesus changes absolutely every aspect of one’s life! (2 Cor. 5:17).
Jesus is absolutely counter-cultural to the message of this world!
Too many modern western churches sound more like the world rather than Jesus. The lie of the prosperity gospel has saturated, and many have exchanged the self-help feel-good religion with Jesus.
Therefore, when you follow Jesus, the journey won’t always be easy. It is a difficult, painful, hard expensive journey that will cost every bit of one’s life.
While the world says, “Love yourself, grab all you can, follow your heart.”
Jesus counters by saying, “Deny yourself, grab your cross, follow me.”
Proverbs gives a counter to follow the heart,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5).
Don’t Follow Your Heart, Follow Jesus Instead
Therefore, do not listen to your heart. Listen to the voice of God through His Word (John 10:27). Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Build your life on the solid rock, for all other ground is sinking sand.
While the world gives liberty and a false promise of the comfort of the heart, the way leads to destruction and chaos. There is no other than lies more as it hates God and loves the darkness. Our hearts desperately in need of a Savior that will guide us safely to heaven shore.
The world says, “Follow your heart.”
Jesus says, “Follow me.” (Matt. 4:19)
Jesus must increase in me, and I must decrease (John 3:30-35). Christian, you need to be more of Him and less of yourself.
So, do not follow your dreams, do not follow your heart, or worst, even yourself. Follow Jesus.