{"id":14556,"date":"2026-09-18T08:55:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:55:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=14556"},"modified":"2026-09-18T08:55:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T12:55:28","slug":"dont-follow-your-heart-direct-it","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/dont-follow-your-heart-direct-it","title":{"rendered":"DON\u2019T FOLLOW YOUR HEART. DIRECT IT."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way\u201d (Proverbs 23:19 ESV).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solomon urged his son to do more than merely listen to wise instruction. Biblical hearing was meant to lead to obedience. The emphatic sense of \u201cyou\u201d suggested, \u201cWhatever others may choose, you listen.\u201d The goal was not simply to hear and know more, but to hear, become wise, and live differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solomon especially commanded his son to \u201cdirect your heart.\u201d The Hebrew verb carries the idea of making straight, causing to go straight, or directing forward. Rather than telling his son to follow his heart, Solomon told him to lead it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This mattered because Scripture never treats human desire as an infallible compass. The heart needed to be trained, governed, and directed by wisdom. If the inner life was pointed in the right direction, the outer life would follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The destination was \u201cthe way,\u201d the right way, ultimately God\u2019s way. This was especially significant because the next verses warned against drunkenness and gluttony. Solomon was saying, in effect, direct your heart before your appetites direct you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We live in a culture that often tells us, \u201cFollow your heart.\u201d But our hearts make poor guides unless they have first been shaped by God\u2019s wisdom. Jesus taught that our words and actions flow from the heart (Luke 6:45). Therefore, we must set our minds on things above (Col. 3:1\u20132) and allow God to renew our thinking (Rom. 12:2).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet we need more than better heart-management. Through Christ, God gives us new hearts and His Spirit to transform our desires from within. So rather than blindly following our hearts, let us submit them to Christ and His Word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Father, give us wisdom to hear Your Word and obey it. Renew our minds, shape our desires, and direct our hearts in Your way. By Your Spirit, help us set our affections on Christ and follow Him faithfully. In Jesus\u2019 name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cHear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way\u201d (Proverbs 23:19 ESV). Solomon urged his son to do more than merely listen to wise instruction. Biblical hearing was meant to lead to obedience. The emphatic sense of \u201cyou\u201d suggested, \u201cWhatever others may choose, you listen.\u201d The goal was not simply to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"audio":"https:\/\/garycombsorg.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Sep-18-2026-at-8_50_08AM-enhanced-v2.mp3"},"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1287],"scripture-chapter":[1356],"oyb_day":[1788],"class_list":["post-14556","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-proverbs","scripture-chapter-1356","oyb_day-september-18"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/14556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14556"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=14556"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=14556"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=14556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}