This tends to be the message of a lot of movies, particularly those aimed at children, but the message of “follow your heart” is contingent on your heart being a good and true thing, something that knows what is best for you and wishes you no harm. It’s the message of every princess movie, but it’s not a message we find in the Bible. Within the Scriptures, we get a very different message concerning our hearts.

“‘The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.’” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

“‘But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.’” (Matthew 15:18-20)

Jesus said that it is from our hearts that evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander come from, and God told Jeremiah that the human heart is the most deceitful of all things. Does that sound like something you want to follow? A lot of people do; they buy into the worldly message of “follow your heart” because the world portrays the heart as something that can truly guide us to what we want or need, something that has within it our best intentions. That’s not what the Scriptures tell us about our hearts—that’s what the Scriptures tell us about God. The message is not “follow your heart” but “follow God!”

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

“‘If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.’” (Deuteronomy 28:1)

God is our Creator and He has good plans for us, to give us a future and a hope. It is God whom we should follow, not our hearts. So if we do not follow our hearts but instead follow God, what then do we do with our hearts?

“Guard you heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

The Scriptures do not teach us to follow our hearts, but to guard them. So how do we guard our hearts?

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

When we pray about everything instead of worrying about everything and when we tell God what we need and thank Him for all He has done, we experience God’s peace. It is this peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

“Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.’” (John 14:23-26)

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

When we accept Jesus into our lives, we are told that God gives us a new heart, and Jesus comes in and takes up residency there. Jesus makes His home in each one of us who confess our sins and put our hope, faith, and trust in Him. God does away with these evil, wicked hearts and gives us new ones. We are not told by God to follow our hearts; that is the world’s message. We are told to follow God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and to guard our hearts. Do not blindly accept this message from the world to follow your heart. Follow God. Invite Jesus inside and He will give you a new, clean heart.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed