On July 16th, 1999 John F. Kennedy Jr. was piloting his plane to Martha’s Vineyard. He was an experience pilot who had made the trip many times. On this last flight, with a fully functional airplane, he crashed into the Atlantic Ocean killing him and two others.
Why would an experienced pilot fly right into the sea?
Most experts believe JFK Jr. experienced a phenomenon called spatial disorientation. This is where you feel like you’re moving in one direction, but you’re not. This disorientation causes pilots to feel like they are climbing, when they’re descending, or feel like they are tilted left or right, when they’re actually flying level.
When a pilot experiences this, his senses tell him that his instruments are wrong, and he adjusts to his feelings rather than the guidance systems of the aircraft.
Kennedy should still be alive today. He was trained, as every pilot is, to trust the instruments. Yet, because he went with his feelings, three people lost their lives.
Follow your heart.
You’ve probably heard and read this bit of advice a thousand times.
For some reason, we assume that our heart not only knows what’s best, but that it would never lead us astray. If we could somehow put our heart on a string and let it take the lead, we would end up in a land of happiness and contentment.
Right?
After all, we can trust our hearts to be true…
When I read my Bible, I find that this little, oft-used phrase doesn’t quite align with the Word of God.
As a matter of fact, our hearts really can’t be trusted!
Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
There isn’t one person I know that would choose to knowingly follow something or someone deceitful and wicked. And yet, we often let our hearts take the lead and influence our decisions.
Unfortunately, the heart wants what it wants, and that doesn’t always match what God wants for us (and what it ultimately best for us).
How many times has your heart told you “that guy is the one! He is so dreamy and talented and perfect and he will make your dreams come true! “Then, you realize that your heart might have been exaggerating a bit and Mr. Perfect is not so perfect for you after all. And somehow, this scenario plays out again and again.
Our hearts can often lead us on a merry chase after dreams and desires that God never intended us to follow, usually ending in a lot of hurt feelings or mistakes that could have been avoided.
Don’t follow your heart!
Instead, trust the things that you know to be true:
- The Word of God will never lead you astray or deceive you. It is always true and will forever remain steadfast.
Proverbs 30:5 tells us that God’s word is pure, and Hebrews 4:12 says that it discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. If we find ourselves daily in the Word of God, our hearts will have no chance to take the lead. The Word will be a light for our path! (Psalm 119:105)
- Godly leaders are in you life to give direction, correction and to pray for you.
Jeremiah 3:15 says, “And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding”, and Proverbs 19:20 tells we should hear counsel and receive instruction so we can be wise.
- Prayer will help you keep your heart submitted to God.
We can pray like David in Psalm 139:23-24 and ask God to “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
If we truly desire to submit our lives to God’s perfect plan, we’ll tell our hearts that they’re no longer in the lead.
Don’t follow your heart.
Follow Jesus and trust that he will never lead you astray.