He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
Proverbs 28:26

One of the most common and popular tidbits of counsel given by so many is “Follow Your Heart” (or any number of derivations of it). This counsel, that comes from nearly everywhere, is virtually agreed upon universally. But no matter who says it, how it is said, or in what context, it is bad counsel. It might even be diabolical.

Why?

Because “the heart is deceitful, above all things and desperately wicked,” says the Word of God (Jeremiah 17:9).

Because those who trust in [and follow] their own hearts are fools says Proverbs 28:26.

Rather than follow our hearts, we need to know God’s heart, as revealed in God’s Word, and follow His, discarding outright anything that percolates up from within our hearts that is not in lockstep with what is in God’s heart!

Now when our hearts are captivated and led by the Holy Spirit per the Holy Scriptures, sure, we can follow our hearts—but the fact is, in that case, we are not following our hearts but God’s.

Please do not follow your heart. Please do not tell your children to follow their hearts. Please be discerning enough to know the difference between what is from our hearts and what is from God’s heart.

The good news is that when we walk wisely in Christ [remembering that 1 Corinthians 1:24 clearly states that “Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God”], we will be delivered. Delivered from what? From all sorts of error, including the error of “following our hearts.”