DIRECTION OF THE HEART

 

THE THREE DIRECTIONS OF THE HEART

The heart of man is never neutral. It is always oriented, always leaning, always facing something. Scripture reveals that the inner life moves in only three possible directions, and each direction determines one’s relationship to truth. A person will either hate the truth, fight the truth, or join the truth. There is no fourth position, and there is no safe middle ground.

Thinking of People: Hating the Truth

When the mind is ruled by people—their opinions, approval, reactions, and judgments—the heart begins to drift away from truth. To think of people first is not a harmless posture; it is the beginning of spiritual compromise. Scripture warns plainly, “The fear of man bringeth a snare” (Proverbs 29:25). What begins as concern for acceptance soon becomes bondage, for a man who fears people must continually adjust truth to preserve peace.

Jesus Himself pronounced a warning: “Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you” (Luke 6:26). Universal approval is not a mark of righteousness but of accommodation. The gospel of truth has never been popular with the world, because truth exposes darkness and confronts sin. John records this tragic diagnosis of the human heart: “For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:43).

When loyalty to people outweighs loyalty to God, truth becomes an inconvenience. To protect feelings, maintain reputation, or avoid rejection, a person will soften, distort, or silence truth altogether. In time, truth itself becomes offensive. Thus, thinking of people first does not merely weaken commitment to truth—it produces hatred for it.

Thinking of Self: Fighting the Truth

If thinking of people leads to hating the truth, thinking of oneself leads to actively fighting it. When self is enthroned, truth becomes a direct threat. Scripture declares, “The carnal mind is enmity against God” (Romans 8:7). The natural mind does not merely misunderstand God; it opposes Him.

Self-rule produces self-justification. “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 21:2), and such confidence makes correction intolerable. The heart that trusts itself resists anything that exposes error, and Scripture is unambiguous: “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26).

Truth rebukes. Truth corrects. Truth demands repentance and death to self. For this reason, the self-centered person does not passively resist truth but actively wars against it. Arguments are formed, doctrines are reshaped, and excuses are multiplied—not to understand truth, but to neutralize it. Fighting truth is the natural response of a heart determined to remain sovereign.

Thinking of God: Joining the Truth

The third direction is altogether different. When God becomes the reference point—the anchor and lens through which life is understood—truth ceases to be an enemy and becomes an ally. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Truth is not merely information; it is the means by which God sets a person apart unto Himself.

When God is first, fear dissolves. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). The opinions of people lose their power, and the demands of self lose their authority. In God’s presence, clarity replaces confusion, for “In thy light shall we see light” (Psalm 36:9).

To think of God is to submit to His Word. To submit to His Word is to walk in truth. Joining the truth does not mean truth becomes comfortable, but it becomes trusted. The heart aligned with God no longer negotiates with truth but follows it, even when it wounds pride or costs approval.

The Inescapable Choice

Every mind is already choosing a direction. To think of people is to hate the truth. To think of self is to fight the truth. To think of God is to join the truth. Truth is not neutral, and neither is the human heart. One’s posture toward truth reveals who sits on the throne.

The call, therefore, is urgent and unavoidable: choose wisely.

 

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