Why You Shouldn’t Follow Your Heart: What the Bible Says About Trusting Your Emotions

We live in a world where the phrase “follow your heart” is integral—maybe even central—to our way of life. But have you ever stopped to ask: what does God say about our hearts?

The Heart is Not a Reliable Guide

In Jeremiah 17:9, the prophet delivers a powerful warning to the people of Judah. This verse isn’t simply poetic—it's diagnostic. Jeremiah is speaking to a nation that had placed its trust in human strength rather than in God. The result? Spiritual decay, idolatry, and a broken covenant.

God, through Jeremiah, tells us plainly:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.

Some translations render deceitful as proud, uneven, or rugged. Personally, I resonate with uneven—because wow, don’t we all feel that way sometimes? Our hearts swing between joy and despair, hope and fear, confidence and doubt.

When Emotions Take the Lead

Proverbs 29:11 reinforces this truth:

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”

In our world, venting is often encouraged. But Scripture calls us to something deeper than emotional expression—it calls us to wisdom and restraint. Feelings are not bad in and of themselves, but they make terrible leaders. When we let our emotions steer the ship, we’re headed straight for trouble.

The truth is, our hearts—left to themselves—are self-serving, impulsive, judgmental, and foolish. And no human effort can fix them. As Jeremiah 17:10 reminds us, only God can understand and search the heart.

But There’s Hope for Our Hearts

Just five verses after the diagnosis, Jeremiah gives us a beautiful glimpse of hope:

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise.”
(Jeremiah 17:14)

Though the heart is sick, God is our Healer. Jeremiah turns his eyes upward, trusting not in himself but in the only One who can restore.

This theme carries into the New Testament, where Jesus says in Mark 2:17:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus came not for those who pretend to have it all together, but for those who know they’re broken. If you’ve felt emotionally messy, unstable, or overwhelmed—you’re exactly the kind of person He came for.

Trust the One Who Never Changes

Malachi 3:6 offers a powerful promise from God:

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

While our hearts are ever-shifting, God never changes. He is steady when we are not. He is trustworthy when our emotions fail us. He is strong when we are weak.

Friend, you don’t have to follow your heart.
You can follow your Healer.

Reflect

How have your emotions guided you down destructive paths?
What steps can you take this week to become more rooted in God’s Word?

Pray

Lord Jesus, thank You for being steady and secure. Please help me rely on You instead of my uneven heart. Teach me to recognize and respond to Your guidance. I want to follow Your voice, not my feelings. In Your holy name, I pray and praise, amen.