What many people promote, though they do not know it, is a most dreadful evil. Our culture has even turned it into a motto: “Follow your heart.” There are situations in which that phrase can be innocuous. However, many people long for its most dangerous end and do not recognize the peril.
Countless people have taken the sinful cravings of their hearts and declared them good. Some have even made them their identity. They long for them to such a degree they believe that pursuing them is the only path to happiness, and any self-denial in this area leads only to misery.
Jeremiah Burrows once said, “It is, indeed, a dreadful evil, one of the most hideous and fearful evils that can befall any man on the face of the Earth, for God to give him up to his heart’s desires.“ This is terrible because our hearts are deceitful and will lead us astray (Jeremiah 17:9).
People often find themselves in a place where they yearn for something, but their loving creator has said “no.” Due to the deception of their heart, they live unsatisfied lives and will remain that way until they look at the bigger picture. The discontentment they feel is a minor vexation compared to the danger of God giving them over to their desires.
Burroughs goes on to explain that some hardships are more weighty than others. Imagine you had lost some wealth and were troubled by it, but then you hear that your neighbor has lost his health. You would be glad you only lost your wealth because that is a greater mercy than losing your health.
We can take that one step further. Imagine we are the ones that have lost our health, but you hear that your neighbor has prospered and has pursued and has been handed over to the sinful desires of his heart. In this case, it is a much greater mercy to have only lost our health than it is to lose our souls.
Even if, in this life, we must live with some unfulfilled desires, that is nothing compared to the spiritual judgment of God giving us over to our lusts and letting us follow our own council (Psalm 81:12).
You may find yourself discontent because the unfulfilled sinful desires of your heart leave you troubled. But if you are still aware that those desires war against your soul, and you still have a spirit of prayer, it is a greater mercy to struggle with those longings than to be someone the Lord has allowed to take hold of their lust to the point they can no longer let go.
When it comes to the desires of our hearts that are contrary to God’s word, when we encourage others to follow their hearts, we are encouraging them to pursue their demise.
-D. Eaton
The Fight of Faith 