You Alone Direct Your Heart to The Lord

Posted by Rev. Mark Slay

In Proverbs chapter 23 we see a statement that is repeated a number of times in just this one chapter. It will teach us something and if we listen to it, we will be saved from a lot of problems, a lot of mistakes, and a lot of foolishness. This chapter makes several statements about your heart and what you do with your heart; and it is up to us what we do with our heart. You cannot say to God “make my heart sensitive” because He will not. He is not going to make you soften your heart. It is totally up to us to do something about our heart.

Let’s start in verse 12 of that 23rd chapter of Proverbs. It says, “Apply your heart to discipline and your ears to words of knowledge.” Now we know He is not talking about your physical heart here or your physical ears. It’s not your physical heart or ears that respond to God, it’s your spiritual heart and ears that do that. Now, who is going to do applying according to this verse? You are! You apply your heart to discipline and yours ears to words of knowledge.

You may say, “Well, I just don’t love God like you do.” That may be a true statement but the only person who can do something about that is you. God will not make you more cooperative. He will not make you more sensitive. He will urge you to, ask you to, gently prod you to, but He never makes anybody do anything. It is up to us to apply our own hearts.

Verse 15 says, “My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad.” Notice He said If your heart is wise. Who’s going to make your heart wise?

And verse 17, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always.” Again, who is going to do this verse? You or God?

Verse 19, “Listen, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.” Who’s going to do the listening and who is going to do the directing? You are!

Let’s look at verse 26, “Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes delight in my ways.

Now, has there been any reference in any of these verses, to God having anything to do with the decision making? Every one of these verses has specified that it is your heart that He is after and it is you who will have to do something about what your heart likes or doesn’t like.

Again, you may say, “Well I just don’t know about doing right. I just don’t want to. My mind is just drawn away to these other things.” Okay. That’s your fault and the only person who is going to change that is you. The understood subject in all these verses is you! The responsibility to direct your heart falls on you. If you don’t make some quality decisions, then you will stay the way you are.

The Bible is from beginning to end a book of the heart. It is not an intellectual book. It is either understood with your heart or it is not understood at all. Those who try to understand God with their head will never find Him because He is not in the mental realm. He’s not a mind, He’s a spirit.