DTOTD – Thought 3

” If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you……These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” – John 14: 15-17, 25-26

Just follow your heart.

Have you heard that phrase before? It is a phrase that you can find in all of culture, movies, songs, art and even the news cycles. Just follow your heart.

That phrase has led to most likely, heartache, confusion, questions, counseling, divorce, anger, resentment, mistrust, bad financial moves, and maybe even worse but the hurt of your own body.

Just follow your heart is a dangerous phrase. It can lead us down so many different paths that we may not know where we end up at the end of it.

There is a story in the Gospel of Luke, where the author writes a parable that Jesus used in teaching about Grace and God the Father. The parable goes that the youngest of two brothers went up to his father while he was still living and asked him to give him his portion of the inheritance that he would receive when his father is dead. For some reason, the Father says ok and gives the youngest son a whole pile of money. The youngest son, follows his heart and the bible says:

” not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need….” - Luke 15:13-14

The youngest son followed his heart and it led him to nothing.

We might not all be able to resonate with the youngest son, that followed his heart and it lead him to literally having nothing to his name other than his clothes. But, we probably are able to look back at seasons or years of our lives where we followed our hearts and it led into a place of desolate isolation and regret.

What if there was something or maybe someone that would remind us of who we are, what we are, what we are made to be, the concrete truths that we can stand firm on in our lives…..

” But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

Recently in a discussion about the Farewell Discourse of Jesus in John 14-18, the topic of the Holy Spirit came up and if we would rather have Jesus still on earth or if we understand the power of the Holy Spirit. Conversation ensued and the thoughts came to this:

There is a reason Jesus told us that it was better for us for him to go back to Heaven and the Helper come to Us. Because if The Holy Spirit did not come, then we would never be able to break free from anything that our hearts lead us towards.

Just follow your heart is not the phrase to lead us to Jesus or even help us become more like Jesus in our every day lives.

Allowing the Holy Spirit of Jesus/God to come into our hearts, so that when we have moments of time to make a decision, the Spirit Helps us through those times.

There are lots of thoughts and perceptions of the Holy Spirit. Some are right, some are off and some are just downright weird.

But for the simple-minded, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God that brings us knowledge and strength and power and healing and grace. The question is whether or not we allow the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts or whether we will continue to just follow our own hearts that are riddled with sin.

The Holy Spirit is a Helper.

The Holy Spirit is a Healer.

The Holy Spirit is a Guide.

The Holy Spirit is a Presence.

Take a breath and allow the Holy Spirit to come into your lives.