We live in a world of confusing voices.  We all hear them--constantly clamoring for our attention.  These voices offer advice like “be true to yourself—your heart will lead you where you want to go!� Popular songs and movies call out: “listen to your heart!� while television and advertising model an “if it feels good, do it� approach to life.  From Disney movies, to sitcoms, from popular songs to advertising, this “follow your heart� philosophy bombards us from every direction.

It is no wonder that so many people today are wandering through life wondering where they are headed and how they are going to get there—or worse, wondering what on earth they did wrong to end up where they are right now.  

You may be sitting there saying that it makes sense—that a person’s heart would never lead him astray…would it? And maybe you’re saying—what else am I supposed to do? Following my heart is all I have ever done.

Let’s consider what God has to say about the human heart: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?� (Jer 17:9).  The Message Bible paraphrase says it this way: “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out�.  Wait a minute—how come there are no songs written about this?

The human heart is “a puzzle that no one can figure out�.  So, simply put, we can’t trust it.  Why can’t we trust it? For one reason: it is constantly changing.  Our hearts are fueled by our emotions and our emotions change many times every day. Imagine for a moment that you were lost in the wilderness and your only hope for survival lay in your survival handbook. Now imagine for a moment that the first chapter of this handbook focused on building a fire as your first step toward survival.  Then you turn to chapter two and it explains why building a fire is too dangerous and should be avoided. You move on to chapter three and it explains that constructing a shelter is necessary for survival but then chapter four is devoted to all the reasons that shelter building is a waste of time. ‘Following your heart’ through life is similar to following the instructions in this contradictory survival handbook because the heart is fueled by constantly changing emotions and therefore cannot be trusted.

In fact, relying on your heart to lead you is similar to anchoring your boat to a piece of driftwood in the middle of a storm.

So now that we have eliminated the human heart as a trustworthy guide, where do we turn?  Is there something more solid than this piece of driftwood being tossed aimlessly in the storm—something more reliable than this deceptive and ever-changing survival guide called the human heart?

Thankfully, there is sure ground that we can sink our anchor into.  There is a reliable survival guide to help us get through life.   It is found in the unchanging character and word of God. The Bible is our survival guide and teaches us principles that are unchanging and therefore reliable and trustworthy. If we are looking for something sure and solid on which to base our direction in life, we must look beyond our hearts. We must stop listening to the voices all around us that tell us to ‘follow our hearts’, no matter how many times we hear them or how much sense they seem to make.  We must recognize that “there is a way (following our hearts) that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death� (Prov 14:12 emphasis mine).

Unlike our hearts, Jesus does not change from moment to moment or from situation to situation. He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever� (Heb 13:8).  Unlike the unsteady piece of driftwood, “the Lord…is the Rock� (Isa 26:4); we can depend on Him to hold our anchors firm. We can “depend on God…because in the Lord God [we] have a sure thing� (Isa 26:4 The Message).

If you feel like you’re anchored to a piece of driftwood in the middle of a storm, I would encourage you to put your trust in God who will never lead you astray. He is the only voice in this world of confusion that is trustworthy, and the only Rock that will keep your anchor firm.

Find out how you can ask Jesus Christ into your life.

Find out more about who Jesus is.

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