Is Your Heart Lying to You? | Phil Kniesel

“Follow your heart” sounds nice… but what if it’s actually leading you the wrong way?

In this message, Pastor Phil Kniesel unpacks why this phrase isn’t something Jesus ever said. Instead, we’re reminded how the Bible describes the heart, why we need something more dependable to guide us, and how the Holy Spirit is our true helper and guide.

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Transcript

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- Hey, this is Phil Kniesel, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- Have you ever heard someone say, it says in the Bible, and then they go on to say something that sounds more like it came from a Pinterest quote or a Hallmark card? , you're not sure if you've actually ever read what they said in the Bible. And if you're like me, sometimes in your head you're thinking, really? The Bible says that, are you sure you're not just quoting your grandma or maybe Oprah- ?- But because the Bible is so massive, and let's be honest, we all do not have the book of Leviticus memorized. We just kind of nod and go along with it. When someone declares it says in the Bible, here's what I've come to notice. Sometimes it actually doesn't. It may sound kind of like scripture, but that's it. Case in point, we're gonna play a little game here this morning across all our campuses, and I'm gonna give you a phrase and you're gonna decide if Solomon wrote that in the book of Proverbs, or if this is a slogan from a company . All right, so across our campuses, let's do this. Our very own King's Way campus, pastor Matt, put this game together for us. So I want to give him a shout out for doing this. So again, you're gonna decide if Solomon wrote this in the book of Proverbs or if this is a slogan for a company. Here's the first one. The more you get, the less you are. How many people would say that's Solomon in the book of Proverbs? Okay, how many people say that's a slogan? Alright, here's the answer.- ,- You all need a little help. All right, , I'm not sure what we're doing at Kingswood Twi. That was bad. Here. Let's go number two. I am what I am. Sullivan.- Slogan.- Slogan. Alright, a little bit better. Here's the answer. Reebok said that. Okay, not Jesus. Reebok. Third one, the right word at the right time. Beautiful. Solomon- Slogan.- Slogan the answer, Ison Solomon by the sounds of it. You guys are doing awesome, . Let's go on number four here. Keep your eyes straight ahead, hands up across our campuses. Who would say that's- Solomon- Slogan? All right, the answer is Solomon. Solomon. Alright, here's another one phrase, impossible is nothing. How many people say that's Solomon Book of Proverbs slogan, Hey, hey, that's that's pretty decent. Here's the answer, it is Adidas . So great, many of you got that one. Here's the last one for today. The greatest tragedy is indifferent. Solomon slogan, the answer is The Red Cross . How would you do? You know, last week we started a new series entitled He Never Said That, where we're looking at misconceptions people have about things. Jesus said, things we may have come to think are even true and outta Hope City, we believe following Jesus is the best decision anyone can make. So to do this well, we need to know what he said, not just think we know what he said. Now, one phrase people attribute to Jesus is follow your heart. We've all heard it. It's in Disney movies, it's at graduation speeches, and it might even be embroidered on a throw pillow at your aunt's house. Follow your heart. In other words, just be you. You can't be wrong, your feelings can't be off, your heart can't be misaligned. All that matters is what makes you feel right. And it sounds good. It sounds like it makes sense. And of course, Jesus would want this for us because Jesus wants what's best for us. And this declares that what we feel in our heart is synonymous with truth. But here's the problem. The problem is our heart is the problem. The writer of Proverbs, Solomon, which you guys should read by the way, said it this way, guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life. It doesn't say follow your heart, it says guard your heart. You know why Solomon wrote that?'cause he had his own experience of following his heart that didn't go that well. And in our culture, we speak of heart in two ways. The primary muscle of our circulatory system and the place where our emotions are kept. So it was the reason why you cried at the end of the movie, the notebook. In the Hebrew mindset, the heart covered a much broader range of meanings. It was linked to emotions like grief, anger, fear, joy, and peace. But it also included the source of the will and the seat of a person's conscience. It's the core of who you are, kind of like your soul's central command center elsewhere. Proverbs says this, as a face is reflected in water. So the heart reflects the real person. Everything we do, every action, every word, every thought is rooted in the heart. Our inward character molds our outward actions. Jesus said it this way, he said, but the words you speak come from the heart. That's what defiles you from the heart. Come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander. So basically your heart isn't a fairy godmother. It's more like a shady used car salesman who keeps whispering. This'll be fine and leads you off the cliff . I think most of us would like to assume that we're good people who occasionally do bad things. And even then we convince ourselves our intentions are generally pure. So sin is nothing more than a behavioral problem. But Jesus, he shatters that thought by stating we do bad things because we have bad hearts. Sin is not a behavioral issue. It's a being issue. We are not righteous people who occasionally sin. We sin because we're sinners and sin comes from the heart. That's why we need to guard it, not follow it. That's why in fact, we all need a savior. And thank God for his mercy and his grace. Because of what Jesus did for every one of us on the cross. He died, he shed his blood so that our sins can be forgiven. He rose and he offers us life both now and eternally. And what was accomplished on the cross is what gives us all hope. Now, God knew this about our hearts. And so at one point he was speaking through the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel, and he said these words, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh, a new heart and a new spirit. What did he mean by those two things? Notice God doesn't say He's gonna remove our minds or our souls. He's saying he's gonna give us a new heart. He will replace our hearts of stone with hearts of flesh.'cause remember, everything flows from the heart. Upon following Jesus, God transforms our heart to be one that desires his things. And notice the language that Ezekiel uses. He gives this to us. But just because God gives it to us doesn't mean we don't have to protect it. That's why the writer of Proverbs says, guard your heart and this makes sense.'cause if you're anything like me, you get surprised at how quickly your heart can switch from the best intention to the worst decision. Think about this past week in your life. How many different things did your heart gravitate toward? I bet there were some really, really good things, and I'm sure there were some really, really bad things that you wouldn't even wanna say out loud. And that's the thing about our hearts. They could so easily switch from the same. Heart comes praises and curses from the same heart comes patience and anger. One minute we want something good for our coworker. The next we want 'em fired in the morning, we're singing goodness of God with our devotions.

And then by 9: 9:46

00 AM we're yelling at someone in traffic. Same heart. Now I'm thankful for the examples of people that we have in scripture who are just like us. David said, bless the Lord, owe my soul and all that is within me, bless his holy name. And from the same heart he said, go get me Bathsheba, who's not my wife. Bring her to me. I wanna sleep with her more than I want to be obedient to God. The same heart. He had great praise in his heart and he had great problems from his heart. And we all can relate. Follow your heart. The problem is our heart. And if we follow it, what that says is that our heart is to be a master that is obeyed at all times and that our heart leads us into all truth. But the heart as we know isn't always good. It's a limited resource. Why? Because sometimes we feel like forgiving and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we feel like turning the other cheek and sometimes we wanna hit the other cheek. Jeremiah, he's an Old Testament prophet. He said it this way, the heart is deceitful above all things. So the heart's not something we need to follow, but rather something we need to guard. Why? Because our heart is a liar. That's why our heart cannot be our leader. It's deceitful above all things Jesus said, love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength. The point of those all statements is to make sure all the bases are covered. The entirety of you should be committed to loving God. Everything about you. And here's what this tells me, then to guard our heart is a decision, not a default. We don't just follow Jesus. And just like that, all is well with our heart. We need to decide to do something about it. And thankfully, God doesn't leave us alone on this. And this is where we go next. Remember Ezekiel quoted God saying, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you, a new heart because your heart can't be followed. And in addition to this, I will put a new spirit in you. So what does he mean? Jesus, while he was on earth, his call was simple. Follow me, not your heart. That worked when people could see him, but then Jesus left earth went to heaven. So how do we follow him? Now, he gave us some clues. He said, it is for your good that I'm going away, meaning going to heaven unless I go away, the advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. He also said, but the advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. So a new spirit is in reference to the Holy Spirit. And when talking about the Holy Spirit, Jesus uses the word advocate. This is a term that just gives some insight into his role in the lives of Christians. The word comes from the Greek word paratas, which literally means one who is called alongside to help. And in the New Testament, the term is translated as advocate, helper, comforter, and counselor. A pair of CITAs in ancient Greek culture was like a legal assistant, a character witness, someone who stood by your side to support, to encourage, to defend and advise. Think of it kind of like in a defense attorney and a loyal friend rolled into one. So Jesus, he made it clear that the new Spirit is the Holy Spirit who will guide us and help us in following him, someone who will come beside us, someone who will lead us into all truth. Great. Who then is the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we worship one God in three persons, God, the Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are all equal in the Trinity. God, the Father is the source of creation, the giver of life and the God of the universe. Jesus the Son is the image of the invisible God, the exact representation of his being and nature and the Holy Spirit is God in action. God reaching people, influencing them, regenerating them, and filling them and guiding them. The very first words in the Bible, Genesis one, one, say this, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Right from the beginning, we are introduced to the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. He is there present, evident, working and doing something. He had this active participation in creation, hovering over the waters, waiting to bring out something new. And that's what the Holy Spirit does. He brings new into our lives, whether it's lifestyle, attitudes, desires, he brings something new. I will put a new spirit in you. When someone chooses to become a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives within 'em. It's a mystery. It's a spiritual transaction that takes place and it becomes noticeable. A change occurs. There's a newness. The book of Acts in the New Testament tells about the time when the Holy Spirit was poured out. It was after Jesus went into heaven. And I'm gonna read that to you in a moment. But prior to this, if you were to move on from the creation account in Genesis, we read throughout the whole Old Testament how the Holy Spirit rested upon particular people at particular times for particular tasks. We also have significant prophecy about the spirits coming. And prophecy is just words that were foretold God through. The prophet Jeremiah said this, the day is coming when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah, I will put my instructions deep within them and I will write them on their hearts. Notice the word new again regarding a covenant. Well, what's the old covenant that was between Israel and God and it was called the law. They were given a ton of rules to follow. They were distinct, exact, and meticulous. And the deal was if they could live like this, they'd have a great society and be right before God. And so they tried, but they couldn't. Instead of becoming a blessing, the law became this big burden on them. They were trying desperately to keep it, but we're constantly failing. And so God says, I'm gonna do something new instead of the law being outside, you know something that you're always trying to keep but seemingly always failing. I'm gonna put it inside. I will put a new spirit in you so that the law becomes something you really want to do and not have to do something from your heart. Another prophet by the name of Joel foretold it this way, I will pour out my spirit upon all people. So we have the workings of the Holy Spirit throughout the Old Testament and the foretelling of his coming. But then something changes with someone called John the Baptist. He's the first person to make this link between the promise, this promise of God and Jesus at one time. John says this, he in reference to Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire, Jesus built on this and said, for John, baptized with water. But in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Okay? Baptism with water is important. And if you haven't taken that step and you are a follower of Jesus, hope city just wants to celebrate with you, man. So take that step. I encourage you to do that. But John makes reference to something of a spirit baptism. So what is this about? While I want to take you to Acts chapter two, this is the account of something called Pentecost. This was when the Holy Spirit was poured out on all people. And by the way, today on the Christian calendar is Pentecost Sunday where Christians worldwide commemorate this very event. Let's read Acts chapter two. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Three signs there, remember them now, they were staying in Jerusalem. God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard the sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken utterly amazed. They asked, aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Metis and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus in Asia, Frisia and Phi, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, cretins and Arabs. We hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues, amazed and perplexed. They asked one another, what does this mean? Somehow made fun of them and said they have had too much wine, no longer just particular people at particular times for particular tasks. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. This was the promise fulfilled, I will put a new spirit in you. And reactions from those observing were mixed. Some were amazed, some were perplexed, some were confused. Some made fun of them saying they're drunk. In other words, something amazing was happening and they didn't know how to explain it. So they gave a natural explanation for something that was supernatural. And if you were to read on Peter, he's one of the disciples, he gets up and says to this crowd, let me explain this to you guys. These people aren't drunk. It's nine in the morning. No, this is the promise. This is biblical. Jesus talked about this. This is what was foretold in the Old Testament. This is the new Spirit. In the last days, God says, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Peter's quoting that very verse from the Old Testament prophet Joel, I referenced earlier, this was all that they were waiting for. It was what what was talked about for years it was happening and it was for all people. The New Spirit, the Holy Spirit. And when Jesus talked about something better than him, this is what he was talking about. I want you to notice three things that occurred when the Holy Spirit came. And I've talked about this before, but it's worth repeating. On Pentecost Sunday, three things happened. Number one, there was a sound like a blowing wind. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And thirdly, they began to speak in other tongues. They heard, they saw and they spoke. It was audible visible and it contained an outward demonstration of inspired speech. So what did this all mean? What did this all represent? First the sound like the wind was something that was consistent. How God showed up throughout the Old Testament, it's called a theophany. And many times these events were described with wind imagery. And I believe the wind is symbolic in that the Holy Spirit comes into our lives and blows away those things that aren't from God. He makes us more like Jesus. He makes us new. A heavy wind moves things about a week and a half ago, you probably remember that one Thursday night where we had that crazy windstorm. I was talking to my neighbor across the street, he's one of the CEOs at the airport, and he was telling me that that night, you know you have people who park and fly in one of their parking lots, 40 plus cars had their windows blown out from the wind. He also said that a number of those cars, the license plates folded in half. Wind is powerful and in our lives the Holy Spirit, he comes in power and moves things out in order to move things in. He blows out addiction and moves in self-control, a fruit of the spirit. He blows out anger and moves in joy, a fruit of the spirit. He blows out strife and moves in peace. Another fruit of the spirit. He blows out impatience and moves impatience. He blows out living for self and moves in living for God. He brings in the new, so there was a sound like a blowing wind. Secondly, they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire resting on each of them. And this was significant because back in the Old Testament fire was also commonly associated with the presence of God. When God called Moses, it was out of a burning bush. In Exodus chapter three, in Exodus 40, we read that the presence of God for the Israelites was indicated through a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night over the tent of meeting or over the tabernacle. And this indicated the place of God's presence where he dwelt. But now this vision of individual tongues of fire indicated his presence was not in one specific place, but his presence resided in each person through the Holy Spirit. It was the new Spirit in you. God wasn't over there. He was in you through the Holy Spirit. Some other interesting things about fire is that it's used to purify things and it spreads quickly. And by the way, let's keep praying for our fires across our country right now for those who are trying to get them out and for rain. But I believe the tongues of fire is also a picture of how the Holy Spirit purifies us and then works through us to impact others. We see this in the disciples on that day of Pentecost. They went from being scared and hanging out in an upper room to boldly talking about the wonders of Jesus. And so that means the Holy Spirit helps us face our circumstances with courage and with boldness. It's not this fake hope to God. Things are gonna be okay, let's put on a happy face and cross our fingers. No, it's with a deep steadfastness and conviction that comes only from him. And so with your relational issue, the Holy Spirit gives you confidence that there can be a resolution with the health issue. The Holy Spirit allows you to walk through it with an assurance, with a solid footing for that deep sense of pain and loneliness. The Holy Spirit provides the power to keep on going. The fear of your next step. The Holy Spirit gives you boldness. So we have a sound, like a wind, something that seemed to be like tongues of fire. And then it says they began to speak in other tongues. Weird. Yes. Wild. Yes. The baptism of the Holy Spirit enabled them to do something they never thought of. Like who would've dreamt up something like this. They began to declare the wonders of God in other languages to Jews from every nation under heaven that were there. And it was estimated that there were at least 13 languages, maybe more. And speaking in tongues has freaked some people out and even split Christians through the years over needless arguments. You know, I did a message specifically on this a few months ago, entitled is The Gift of Tongues for today. And if this is something that has confused you, I wanna encourage you to check out that message. It's on our YouTube channel. But the tongues here in Acts had a purpose. They were to speak the wonders of God to the people of different languages. It was so they could hear and understand the message of Jesus. And you know what that tells me? It tells me that the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to speak the wonders of God in the language of our culture. He helps us make sense of Jesus to the world around us to greater Edmonton. And remember Jesus said this would happen. You'll receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my what Witnesses. See the purpose of the Holy Spirit is not just to get some cool feelings or something for yourself. It's about those who don't know Jesus. He gives us the power to witness. And this isn't just something that happened way back when and it's done with this is something that the Holy Spirit can still do and wants to do for every single one of us today. He gives us the ability to make Jesus make sense to the world around us. And so Hope City understand this. My prayer is that we would have a fresh move of the Holy Spirit at this church. Fred, let me tell you, you need a fresh move of the Holy Spirit in your life. Why? Because we wanna live our lives based on God's truth. And that means we don't follow our hearts, we follow the lead of the Spirit. And when we do, this is what happens. We realize he's our comforter. He comforts us in grief, anxiety, and fear. He brings the presence of Christ in a way that reassures our heart. He helps us understand scripture and brings to bind the way we should live. He speaks truth into the worlds and into the lies we tend to believe. He helps us discern God's will leading us towards spiritual maturity and growth. He removes things. He blows out things that aren't from God so that we can be more like God. He purifies us and he gives us power to speak about Jesus to others. The Holy Spirit friends stands beside you, strengthens you, guides you, and is with you always. And so my prayer for you today is that you may experience on this Pentecost Sunday a fresh move of the Holy Spirit in your life. This isn't just a one time spiritual transaction upon your decision to follow Jesus. This is an ongoing infilling that continually helps you to become more like him. And so the next time someone says, Hey, didn't Jesus say follow your heart? You say, no, he didn't say that. Your heart's gonna steer you wrong. Almost every single time your heart is actually deceitful above all things. Your heart won't lead you into truth. You know what will you? The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth. God said, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. And so as you leave today, I want to give you a prayer that you can pray later today. And in fact, every single day moving forward, simple, holy Spirit come. I wanna follow your leading and your guiding. Holy Spirit come. I wanna follow your way and your truth. Holy Spirit come. I wanna follow you and not my heart. Holy Spirit, come and fill me once again. Friends, you do this, watch what God will do in your life. I'm gonna ask you to stand if you're able to. I'm gonna close and praying over and for you, I don't normally do this, but if I'm gonna pray that you are filled again anew with the Holy Spirit today. And if that's your heart, if that's your desire, if you feel comfortable, you don't have to do this. But if you feel comfortable, I'm just gonna ask you to raise your hands in a receiving posture here today. As I pray over and for you Holy Spirit, God fill us afresh, fill us anew. We wanna walk in your power, we wanna walk in your strength. We wanna know you deeply and more. And so I ask that you direct our steps and guide our path. I ask that our lives are fully focused on your truth and your ways. And I pray that if there's something in our life that needs to be blown out, may you do that in your grace and in your mercy. And may you replace it with something that looks more like Jesus. Help us to walk with you. Help us to know you. Help us to follow you. Help us to take you truth and make it the truth over all things. I pray for the lies that some people have believing, whether they're personal lies or cultural lies. I pray today, holy Spirit, you speak your truth in grace and in mercy. I pray God, that we may walk in the fullness and in the power and in your strength, I pray that we walk so that we can make sense of Jesus to the world around us. So give us your words, give us your language, give us your abiding presence day in and day out. And so I pray this over, my friends here in Hope City and your powerful name. You know, if you're joining us today and you don't know Jesus personally, friend, I said it earlier, he went to the cross to die for your sins. He rose to offer you life, both now and forever. And the Bible says, if you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, and you confess with your mouth that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Save meaning you will have life with him both now and for forever. And so if this is a decision that you wanna make today, I'm gonna pray a prayer that helps you begin that journey with Jesus. And if you're feeling this tugging on your heart, that's the Holy Spirit saying, come on, I wanna do life with you. Let's pray. Jesus today, I thank you that you went to the cross, that you died for my sins, that you rose to offer me life, both now and forever. And so today I put my faith in you. I put my trust in you and I put my hope in you. I wanna follow you all the days of my life. Thank you for your forgiveness for this reset in my life. Help me to understand what it means to know you and make you Lord and leader. And God, I pray over every individual, every couple, and every family as they go into this week. I just pray this simple prayer over their lives. Holy Spirit,- Come,- Move, work, fill 'em afresh again. And I pray this all in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. If you prayed that prayer of surrendering your life to Jesus, I wanna say way to go on making the best decision. We got a QR code that we're putting on the screen, or it's even on the seat back in front of you. We just got a book we'd love to get into your hands that talks about knowing and following Jesus. He can scan that and receive that. It's also our way of trying to get to know you personally in a big church. If you're joining us at the Millwoods campus and you want prayer over anything, we are gonna have a prayer team available down at your front left just after the service. Hope City know this before you leave. I pray for you regularly. I just ask God to move and work in your life. I pray that you go out from this place filled with the Holy Spirit, able to tackle whatever life throws at you. Why? Because we have a God who is for us and is greater than anything else in this world. Love you guys lots. Thanks for being in church today. Have an incredible week.