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Do all that is your heartDo all that is in your heart!!

When David expressed his desire to build a house for Yahweh, the prophet Nathan responded: “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you!” (I Chron 17)

Nathan was encouraging, but fell short of God’s perspective and God corrected him that same night.

 

But It’s almost a mantra in today’s world: Follow your heart! You can do anything you want to do! You can be anything you want to be! Follow your dreams! If it feels good, do it! You only live once!

Isn’t that what Eve did in the garden? After the ‘suggestion’ by the serpent, Eve looked at the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She saw that it was good for food, a delight to the eyes and was desired to make one wise. What did she do? She followed her heart…

How many lives have crashed and burned as a result of foolishly following their hearts into relationships, business decisions, life choices, even immorality and other activities clearly in conflict with God’s word for us?

The reality is that God tells us through Jeremiah Jer 17:9 (NKJV) "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” It is so important that we develop our relationship with God so that we can learn to hear and discern His voice in all of our choices and decisions. Some of these decisions don’t require a lot of discernment. Violation of God’s word in areas of immorality such as adultery, sexual activity outside of marriage, unforgiveness, murder, abortion, etc. are clear and don’t require any further guidance for a decision. However, there are many other decisions that we make in life that do need HIs leadership.

I had a friend who loved a girl and asked her to marry him. She didn’t have much affection for him, but had told God beforehand that if she was supposed to marry him, let him ask her. Well after he did, she agreed but regretted it immediately and from the wedding night onward, refused him. Within a short time, she began to have multiple sexual relationship with other men and their marriage soon ended in disaster for both of them. He was deeply hurt and she abandoned her faith.

He was following his heart, she was clueless. Especially in her relationship with God and instead of being honest with him and seeking out wisdom from others, she made a bad decision which led to further bad decisions.

This is where a growing relationship with Jesus is so essential. Knowing His heart for us is far better than following our own heart. We make foolish choices, sinful choices, but He is always ready to lead us into wise and holy choices. When we set our hearts to know His heart, He delights in revealing Himself to us through His words, both written and spoken; sometime in a still small voice, sometimes in the storm. He is our good shepherd and will lead us in the right paths if we will only listen.

Then when we have set our hearts on what is in his heart, he will give us the desire of our heart. Psa 37:4 (ESV) Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Nathan then brought the clear word of God to David and it was a far greater promise for David than simply building a house for God! David’s desire was not wrong or sinful, but David was not the one to do it. Instead God had other plans and David, understanding his role in those plans, was able to move forward and follow his heart in alignment with God’s heart.

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