HEART IS DECEITFUL, CORRUPT

Sir,

In the Old Testament, quite substantially scriptures warn us that following our feelings may lead us into committing mistakes. The book of Jeremiah 17:9 says the heart is deceitful among all things and is exceedingly corrupt. The verse then poses the question on who can understand it. 

This is quite disturbing since we all align our feelings with the heart and if God’s breathed word says the very same heart we trust as an organ that can influence the way we live our lives is inherently corrupt, where else then should we turn to for guidance? The Bible in Proverbs 28:26 further says; “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool. Why? Because the urgings of the heart are unreliable and often lead to error.”

By this, does the Holy Book imply that relying on our feelings can lead to tragic error? ‘Yes’ seems to be the obvious response in this subject. The above quotations from scripture firmly suggest that we cannot expect to find assurance of truth from our feelings.

The book of Jeremiah 10:23 affirms this point when it says ‘it is not for man to direct his own steps’. I might be quoting this verse out of context but the comparison fits well with the subject at hand. It is pretty obvious then that God when creating feelings within human beings, the purpose was not to use them as guidance for or as revelation for what is good and what is bad. This cautions us, therefore, to always control our feelings, other than letting them control us.

To follow them would be metaphorical getting the cart before the horse. It is therefore impractical for us to believe that through devoting ourselves to prayer, we can distinguish right from wrong through the way we feel after prayer. This could even expose us to false practices. Romans 10:7 says; “Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” And the Word of God is the scripture.

The greatest challenge we need to endure as Christians is to reason with the scripture, so that we can source out from it proper guidance and be not found wanting on our relationship with the most high. It is also for this reason that the Bible instructs us to study it diligently.  More often than not, we go into error not because we lack an emotional experience but simply because we lack knowledge of the scripture. One thing we need to bear in our minds is that feelings are constantly changing. Today one may be feeling happy and the next day feeling the opposite. Lastly, feelings are fallible and as such, cannot be reliable guidance to our lives.

K M

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