We share a lot on pursuing the desire of your heart. It’s the key to life and motivation. Some don’t believe we can trust the desires of our hearts due to the past emphasis on human depravity – a belief that our hearts are evil (desperately wicked). God has placed his own heart within us, and we really can find his will through the desires of our own hearts. In fact, if we try to identify God’s plan any other way (the Bible, revelation, pastoral direction, etc.) we run the risk of disconnecting from our hearts and become religious Pharisees, double-minded, bipolar, multiple personalities; our minds headed east and our hearts going west.
Heart vs Mind – Western medicine, education, and psychology are premised around our brain-oriented, mental approach to life. We don’t even acknowledge a role for the heart. So, I want to share an important secret. We have to learn how to be led and to lead from both our hearts and our minds. Most of us have the mind thing down reasonably well, but don’t have a clue about dealing with our hearts. So here’s the reality. Our hearts do lead us. Although David made huge mistakes and had some occasionally glaring heart issues, he also had God’s heart. He was forgiven for the former and remembered for the later hundreds of years later.
‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22 NIV
So he (David) fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands. Ps 78:72 KJV
Oil Changes – The same is true for each of us. Things surface in our hearts that have to be cleansed and healed. Our western mental approach is to stop the outward behaviors, to sweep them under the rug and hope they go away. Guess what? They never go away until we deal with them. Our model for healing and health has to include cleansing our hearts periodically – sort of like an oil change every 3000 miles. When we find something pressing in our hearts, we have to “go there” and see what it is, why it’s there, and respond to it.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. James 4:8-10 NIV
Heart monitors – Our connection to the negative side of our own hearts is our umbilical cord to ministry. I can easily and prophetically see others struggling through things I’ve dealt with in my own heart. Although I changed my heart and survived, and I hate sin, I don’t hate the process of being human. I naturally have a love and compassion for people struggling to get through my old issues. If my heart is depressed, I just set aside the time to “go there” and see what’s going on. I often use music to give my heart a place to express its highs and lows. Sometimes a sense of grief is my own issues. At other times it can be intercession for others. Regardless, I can’t ignore the sense of where my heart is. I allow my heart to lead me to still waters or to leap at great victories. I’ve stopped scolding it for not obeying my mental plan. People who learn to follow their hearts are passionate and real and feel like a breath of fresh air, compared to the pressure to conform that comes from an intellectual approach to life. Connecting with our own hearts and the hearts of others is the difference between love and law. One gives life while the other kills. We are just learning how to be competent with our hearts.
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Cor 3:6 NIV
Releasing your heart – The biggest key to releasing your own heart is allowing it to lead. What is the passion and purpose of our life? We’ve created a coaching template which is explained with references in The Price of Success. You will find it helpful to print each sheet, find a quiet time, and prayerfully hand-write your first draft while the Lord is speaking to you. We are also in the process of working with experienced life coaches and mentors to facilitate going through this process.
You can put your mind to work planning out the direction you’ve found within the desires of your heart. Many people don’t have a plan for their future. It’s time for that to change. Kings have a plan to complete their role in the Kingdom. It’s the way God leads us… through the desires of our hearts and plans of our mind. The Holy Spirit can lead us and change the plan, but having no plan is a one-way ticket to failure in our destiny. It’s a season to be very intentional about creating wealth and finding our role in the Kingdom. It’s our privilege to make a difference.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Prov 16:3 NIV
The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Prov 21:5 NIV
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord… Jer 29:11-14 NIV
Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing His plan to his servants the prophets. Amos 3:7 NIV
The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. Ps 25:14 NIV
