My True Heart

Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them. Prov 28:4

A different way to say this proverb would be: “When you refuse to listen to what is right, you are supporting what is wrong. When you hear and do good things, you are joining the right side.”

After spilling the failures of your heart out to a friend, have you ever heard someone say, “I’m so glad to hear you say this, now I feel better about what ‘I’ did.” It’s a compassionate answer. But somewhere inside these words there is more truth to discover.

We feel better if someone else sins as badly as we do. Forsaking instruction when we are weary, cross, misunderstood or feeling limited (which are excuses) still leaves us in a state of sin. We may not know it, or if we do, we may not admit it. In truth, we love our sin. Having others join us soothes our conscience. In a way, we are praising the wicked and agreeing with their choices. We are of the same mind and spirit, binding ourselves to them.

Instead, may we have friends who encourage us (and we them) to do good and not evil by continuing the conversation, “Here’s what I did to overcome that sin. Let’s work on this together. We can learn to guard our hearts from the dark and stop making excuses for our bad choices (which are rooted in lack of trust and dependence on God).”

Sin is a severely dangerous place in which to remain. We must learn to call it what it is. We cannot keep silent knowing what sin can do. We must get out of it as quickly as possible.

Surely, our hearts tell us not to remain with so called ‘friends’ who spur us on to evil when they are so comfortable in it. Such individuals would say things like, “Oh don’t worry about that. You’re only human. All of us would have done the same thing.”

They would call a person thrifty who is greedy, or a person spirited instead of telling the truth that they are acting irresponsibly in anger.

However, when we heed instruction, we are willing to contend with others over their sins and show ourselves what is wrong in the eyes of God.

Instruction can come in different ways: through parents or teachers, through our trials and pain (if we listen hard enough and learn from our mistakes.)

Our Bibles, setbacks and all of life can instruct us. But as the verse says, if we’re not listening it’s the same as joining the side of wrong. A wicked man takes the easiest road, does the least amount of work or boldly steps into sin with no remorse…until he gets caught. Lying and cheating his way through life is his norm. Compare that to a person who simply refuses to hear instruction. It’s scary!

On the contrary a man who heeds instruction, by the very act of heeding, is resisting the wicked way of life.

Within our instructional setbacks (painful trials that teach us), we are either trusting God or we are not. Trusting Him is the first step to hearing instruction. People are more willing to comply to directives that come from someone they trust.

Following instruction means that we open our ears instead of setting boundaries or walls to leave out our Maker, our Father God, saying selfish things like: “I’ll believe in you, Lord, or follow you only if I get what I want from you.”

Certainly, following instructions came easy for me as a child. I was born a pleaser. Pleasing God was my joy, as was pleasing my parents and teachers. I followed the rules carefully, and when I accidentally strayed from the right way, I was mortified.

However, during this past week, I contemplated the immaturity I had as a child. I don’t think my motives for such ease in compliance were always right. As I grew older, I began to learn the truth of my hidden, straying heart (even though my outward actions were praised). Anger and selfishness bubbled up from me and revealed who I really was: someone in need of a Savior, someone in need of Christ’s transforming power, someone who couldn’t please others enough to earn my way to Him. So He took care of that on the cross and made me righteous by His blood. Oh, praise His most Holy name!

As an adult, every day is a new day to learn more about the waywardness of my heart and the goodness of my Father in Heaven. Everyday, I discover how far and how much I wander and what that does to my soul.

Lord, the more I listen to instruction, the happier I am with my life (even when difficult circumstances surround me). You are everything to me. Teach me to follow your ways. Show me my true heart. Help me to stay on your path and leave wickedness behind. I love you, Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.