I was reading Jeremiah 17:9–10, and something deeply caught my attention:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
— Jeremiah 17:9–10
What a contrast to what the world constantly tells us: “Follow your heart. Do what you feel. Trust your heart.”
But God shows us a completely different reality: our hearts, on their own, can deceive us. And what is even more sobering is that many times, we are not even aware of what is truly within our hearts.
It makes me wonder: How can our hearts be so deceitful and wicked, and how can we not even recognize it?
Remember that it all began in the Garden of Eden. When sin entered humanity, it affected our entire being. Our thoughts, desires, emotions, decisions, and intentions became affected by sin. This is why we cannot simply trust everything we feel or every desire that rises within us.
But when we come to Christ, something beautiful happens: God begins a work of transformation within us. Sin no longer has to rule over us because we now have the Holy Spirit living within us. Yet we still need God to examine, correct, and transform our hearts every day.
That is why we must also bring our hearts before God.
Because so often, we want so many things. We have dreams, desires, plans, and hopes that seem good to us. But God knows what we do not know. He searches our minds and hearts, and He knows what is truly good for us.
Have you ever carried something in your heart, prayed about it, desired it with all your strength, insisted on it again and again and yet God continued to keep that door closed?
Then, with the passing of time, you looked back and realized, “Now I understand why God didn’t allow me to go through that door.”
Maybe that opportunity seemed perfect.
Maybe that person seemed like exactly what you needed.
Maybe that job offer seemed too good to pass up.
But not everything we want is good for us.
Sometimes we mistake an attractive door for a door from God. And God, in His love and grace, may close something we keep insisting on opening.
One thing I have learned in my walk with the Lord is that just because something looks beautiful or seems like a great opportunity does not mean it is good for me.
God is not only interested in giving us what we desire. He is interested in shaping our hearts, protecting our lives, and keeping us close to Him.
God cares about where the things He gives us will ultimately lead us. Will they bring us closer to His presence, or will they slowly pull us away from Him?
So let us bring everything our hearts desire into His presence. Let us pray. Let us wait. Let us seek His direction. And let us learn to trust Him.
God leads.
God answers.
God works.
Not always in our way or in our timing, but in a way that eventually allows us to understand that His timing was perfect, and His direction was perfect too.
And this does not mean we should stop dreaming.
Keep dreaming. Keep believing. Keep bringing your desires before God.
Because many times, God does not simply give us what we asked for. He transforms it, improves it, and fulfills it in a way far more beautiful than anything we could have imagined.
When our hearts begin to genuinely connect with the Lord, something changes: our will begins to align with His. It is no longer simply about telling God what we want, but about reaching the place where we can sincerely say, “Lord, I want what You want for me.”
And that is where something beautiful begins to happen.
Do not allow the world to be the one guiding your heart. Allow the Holy Spirit to transform it, search it, and lead it.
May we have hearts that are simple, sensitive, and surrendered to His voice, learning each day that we do not need to blindly follow our hearts when we can follow the God who knows our hearts perfectly.
Don’t simply follow your heart. Give your heart to God🤍
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