Follow Your Heart

A very good friend told me today that too many times we follow our mind instead of our hearts.  Sure there are times that we just need to use our minds and follow logic.  But when it comes to spiritual decisions, we need to focus more on the heart.

Our minds are very powerful.  We can sometimes allow our thoughts to control our moods, our decisions, and our actions.  And many times we can make decisions based on irrational thoughts or fear.  There is also another key component to this: Satan.  He desires for us to follow him so badly that I believe he can affect our thoughts.    No I do not believe that he can control our thoughts, but I do believe that he can influence them.  The point I'm getting at is that we can talk ourselves out of anything! If we allow our thoughts to spiral out of control we can end up making wrong decisions or rejecting something that is right.  I have struggled for many years with a troubled mind.  I have on many occasions allowed my thoughts to control and consume me.  I have allowed these thoughts to produce fear and that fear has lead to difficult situations.

For many of us it may be hard to find the balance between what our mind is saying and what our hearts are saying.  I believe that the greatest way to overcome a troubled mind is to pray.  As we sincerely pray, we will begin to listen to our hearts.  Prayer can help to ease our minds and help us to focus on what is really important.  I know that our Heavenly Father loves us and he is the one that gave us our incredibly powerful minds.  So who better to help us than him.  We can be assured that our Heavenly Father is listening and will help us.  We cannot allow negative, fearful, pessimistic, and evil thoughts to control our lives.  We must be able to filter through those thoughts so that we can focus on how we truly feel, on what our hearts are saying.  If we truly follow our heart, it will not fail us.  Especially if we allow our Heavenly Father to be a part of our decisions, a part of everything in our lives.

This is a difficult balance to find.  I know that it can be frustrating.  I know that as we include prayer in our lives and decisions, we will better be able to follow our heart and do what is right.  And the jumbled mess that is our mind sometimes, will become clear.  We can cast away fear and move forward with faith.  Don't make your mind your enemy, rather make it an ally with your Heavenly Father and your heart.