Former Blackout Artist

“I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” – Jer. 17:10

In Jeremiah chapter 17, the Lord’s prophet draws a sharp line between those who trust in human strength and those who trust in the Lord. Judah’s sin was deeply engraved on their hearts, revealing a nation that had exchanged its dependence on God for reliance on itself. Through Jeremiah, God warns that the person who trusts in man will be like a dry shrub in the desert – lifeless and barren. But the one who trusts in the Lord will be like a tree planted by water – steady, nourished, and fruitful (vv.5-8).

Then comes the heart of the issue: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (v.9). And in verse 10, God answers that question Himself: only the Lord truly knows the heart. He searches it, tests it, and judges it rightly.

“Just follow your heart.” People have said this to us, I’m sure, and maybe we’ve given people that same advice. It sounds harmless, almost inspirational! Yet it is one of the most destructive lies our culture believes. Scripture doesn’t tell us to follow our hearts – it warns us not to! The heart, Jeremiah says, is deceitful beyond measure. It lies to us. It convinces us that sin is harmless, that pride is justified, and that disobedience can be excused.

The problem is not that we lack sincerity, but that our sincerity is often misplaced. We can be completely confident in something that is completely wrong. That sound familiar? It should. That sounds a lot like our world today. Our perception is unreliable because it’s filtered through the very corruption Jeremiah describes. We think we’re more honest, humble, or righteous than we truly are.

But while we cannot see ourselves clearly, God can. “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind.” He knows every motive, every hidden thought, every false justification. His assessment isn’t swayed by emotion or appearance, He judges with perfect wisdom and truth.

That truth should humble us. It strips away the illusion that we are good judges of our own condition. But it should also drive us to gratitude, because the same God who searches our hearts is the same God who can renew them. Through Christ, God gives us a new heart, one that desires what is right and loves what is true.

Instead of “following your heart,” follow Christ. Let His word shape your desires and His Spirit to search your motives. The heart will deceive you – but the Lord never will.