We have all said it or at minimum heard it said. The advice is given to follow our heart. The question is asked what does your heart say? It can be confusing because heart has so many meanings. It can mean the organ that pumps blood throughout the body. It can mean your emotions. It can even mean your mind. It can also have the meaning of the center of your existence which is your soul. Yet we just say "heart" Scripture says, Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Because of the word thought before heart, we can see this as mind. Yet the very next verse says, Genesis 6:6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
Because God is a spiritual being and a literal translation is He was grieved TO His heart we can take this to be the center of His being (Spirit) then scripture says in Jeremiah 4:18 “Your ways and your deeds Have brought these things to you. This is your evil. How bitter! How it has touched your heart!”
Here we see evil has touched our soul we can see this because the very next verse says Jeremiah 4:19 My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart! My heart is pounding in me; I cannot be silent, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.
God through His word makes clear which meaning He is referring to but do we? Our text today says Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered.
Wisdom as we are told in Proverbs 2:6, and throughout the Psalms, and in Exodus 35:31 is from God and given through the Spirit. So we can interpret our text as He who trusts in his own mind and emotions is a fool but he who walks in the wisdom of the Spirit will be delivered. Because of this understanding maybe we should change our sayings from what is your heart telling you, to what is the wisdom of the Spirit telling you. Definitely, we need to stop listening to our mind and emotions and listen to the wisdom of the Spirit of God. Nobody wants to be a fool so let's start listening and following what we know to be righteous instead of what we know to be evil. Follow the guidance of The Spirit of God and be wise.
Love Bro. Scott