But I Have A Good Heart - No You Don’t

How many times have you heard someone say, “Well, I know I’m not perfect, but I have a good heart”? Maybe you’ve said it yourself. I have.

We like to believe that underneath our mistakes, bad decisions, and occasional sins, we’re basically good people.

WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT OUR HEART

But is that what God says? I seem to always stop at this verse every year I read it:

“More than anything else, a person’s mind is evil and cannot be healed. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NCV)

If you really understand this verse, it’s quite profound. Is God really saying we don’t have good hearts?

Look at how other translations describe this verse.

The NIV says the heart is “deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”

The KJV calls it “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.”

The ESV describes it as “deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.”

HERE’S WHAT THE VERSE ACTUALLY MEANS

In the original Hebrew, the word for heart is leb, meaning our inner person—our thoughts, desires, emotions, intentions, and will. The word aqob, translated deceitful, describes something crooked or unreliable. And anash, translated desperately wicked or sick, describes a condition that is desperately serious.

In other words, our hearts aren’t just capable of deceiving others. They’re capable of deceiving us!

So what’s going on here in the book of Jeremiah? God was speaking through Jeremiah to the people of Judah. They were worshiping idols, trusting in themselves, and turning away from God. Yet they continued practicing religion. Kind of how we roll today.

Just two verses earlier, God warned against trusting in human strength instead of Him. Then He explained why. Our own hearts can convince us we’re right when we’re wrong.

WE TRUST OUR OWN MINDS AND HEART

And in the very next verse, Jeremiah 17:10, God says He searches the heart and examines the mind. We may not fully understand our own hearts, but God does.

Today we hear all that time “Just Be Yourself! Trust Your Feelings! Follow your heart!” And yes, there’s some truth in those statements. We shouldn’t pretend to be someone we’re not. Our feelings are real, and sometimes they alert us to something important.

But I say, be careful. Just because something feels right doesn’t mean it is right. Just because something makes you happy doesn’t mean it pleases God. And just because you believe something strongly doesn’t mean it’s true.

I cannot tell you how many times my thoughts and feelings said one thing and God’s word said another.

I’ve learned that I can justify just about anything if I want to badly enough. I can excuse my anger, defend my pride, explain away my selfishness, and convince myself that something sinful really isn’t that bad.

So what about you?

HOW TO TEST OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

Here’s what I suggest. Take your feelings, desires, opinions, and decisions and press them against God’s Word and His commands. Do they agree? Or are you asking God to approve something He’s already told you not to do?

Proverbs 14:12 warns that a way can seem right to a person but lead to death. That’s why following our hearts without examining them can be so dangerous. But Here’s the Good News!

God doesn’t just expose what’s wrong with my heart. This is going to sound a bit crazy, but God can actually change your heart and mind.

In Ezekiel 36:26, God promises to give His people a new heart and a new spirit. And through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, who begins transforming us from the inside out.

That doesn’t mean we stop struggling with sinful thoughts and desires. I certainly haven’t! But we don’t have to surrender to them either.

So rather than telling God, “I have a good heart,” maybe we should pray what David prayed in Psalm 139:23–24: Ask God to examine our hearts, reveal what’s wrong, and lead us in His everlasting way.

Here’s my takeaway: Be yourself, but don’t assume everything about yourself is good. Recognize your feelings, but don’t let them become your authority. Let God’s Word determine what’s right and wrong, and allow the Holy Spirit to change whatever doesn’t agree with Him.

CONCLUSION

Because the goal isn’t simply to be who we are. It’s to become who God wants us to be!

LORD, examine my heart. Show me where I’ve allowed my feelings, desires, and opinions to become more important than Your Word. Forgive my sins, even those I’ve learned to justify. Thank You for Jesus Christ and for the Holy Spirit, who continues to change me. Help me become more like You every day. IJNIP amen. ♥️

(Driving backwards in Wales)