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Skip Heitzig: Let's understand that good people can sometimes give bad advice. Moreover, God's people can sometimes give bad advice. There are so many different examples of this. Let me just give you three right out of the Bible. There was the time when Sarah advised her husband Abraham to take her handmaid and have sex with her to produce the son that she was incapable of producing. Is that good advice or bad advice? Bad advice. We're still experiencing ramifications from that decision to this day.

Here's another one. Mrs. Job advised her hubby, Mr. Job, after he lost everything and got a loathsome disease. She had that wonderful, sweet counsel, you remember. Honey, just curse God and die. Good advice or bad advice? That's pretty bad advice. Here's a third example. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the grandson of King David, has a group of guys around him who are young bucks who gave him advice. Their advice to him is, once you're the king, you should be harder on the people and more oppressive on the people than even your father was. Show them who's boss, flex your muscle, put them in their place. Good advice or bad advice? Bad advice. It split the entire kingdom into ten tribes in the north and two in the south.

So, all of that to say this. Advice that is not rooted in biblical truth or bathed in prayer is going to be bad advice. Advice not rooted in the Bible or bathed in prayer is going to be bad advice. In Psalm 1, David said, "Blessed are those who don't follow the counsel of the ungodly." I have to tell you something. I've even heard ungodly counsel from godly people. Just because they're God's people, godly people, doesn't mean everything they say is just do it. It can be bad advice.

So, let's look at what happens in verse four. But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan saying, "Go and tell my servant David, thus says the Lord, 'Would you build a house for me to dwell in?'" Now, it's a question mark here. The other account, the parallel account to this is in 1 Chronicles 17. God is even more plain than this. He says, "Go back and tell David, 'No. No, you shall not build a house for me.'" Now, what this reveals to me, let's go on, look at verse seven.

"Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel saying, 'Why have you not built me a house?'" What this tells me is that God never asked for a house. God didn't feel the need to have a permanent structure. It tells me that God was okay with camping out in a tent. In fact, do you remember what Stephen in the New Testament said? The Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands.

So, here's David. He has this brilliant idea, good intention. I'm going to build God a house. Here you've got a prophet saying, "Yeah, man, follow your heart." And God saying, "Whoops, you misspoke. No, he'll not build that house for me." Now, back to what Steve Jobs said. Steve Jobs once again said, "Follow your heart. In fact, there is no reason not to follow your heart." Now, what I'd like to do is give you some reasons why you should not follow your heart. They're going to be rough to hear for some of you.

Number one, our hearts are divided. Back in the book of Hosea, chapter 10, Hosea was a prophet in the Old Testament. Hosea is speaking about God's people, the children of Israel, and he says concerning them, "Their heart is divided and now they are held guilty." Your heart, your emotions, your intuitions are divided. They are inconsistent. They fluctuate. They go up, they go down. A wind changes, they change. A circumstance happens and they change. I found one quote I want to throw up on the screen. If you're a musician, you'll especially appreciate this.

This is from Thaddeus Williams. He's a member of the Gospel Coalition. He writes this, "The following your heart dogma naively assumes our hearts are like choirs, each emotion harmonizing with all the other. In reality, the heart is less like a choir and more like a guitar center storefront in which 50 guitarists on 50 guitars and amps are all trying to out-shred each other." Can you get that picture? You've got 50 guys plugged in, turned up to ten, all want to show their jam at one time. That's your emotions. That's follow your heart. Our hearts are divided. David even prayed in Psalm 86, "Unite my heart to fear your name," that is give me an undivided heart because he knew our hearts are divided.

So, our hearts are divided. That's the first problem with them. Second, our hearts are depraved. Now, I know that's a strong word, but the Bible teaches what's called the depravity of man. Our hearts are depraved. Listen to Jeremiah as he gives a healthy dose of reality. This is Jeremiah 17:9. He says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?" Ouch. Follow your heart, man. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?

What does that mean? It means that what happened years ago in the Garden of Eden at the fall with Adam and Eve has so tainted our abilities that we cannot think clearly. What it means is that we inherited from that one event a sinful nature. So that our feelings, our emotions, our heart is not a trustworthy guide in making choices. If we rely solely on our heart for guidance, for direction, for wisdom, we're going to get it wrong and we're going to move from one bad choice to another bad choice to another bad choice because it felt so good at the time.

Back in 1977, there was a hit song written by Joseph Brooks. You've never heard of his name because he didn't sing it. He wrote it, but the song was made famous by Debby Boone. It's called "You Light Up My Life." Do you remember that song? It's a great song. But there are some lyrics in it I don't like. Part of the lyrics say, "It can't be wrong when it feels so right." Oh yes, it can be wrong. Just because it feels so right, it might not feel that right tomorrow morning. It can't be wrong when it feels so right. You see, your feelings, my feelings, they're not reliable enough to discern between what is right and what is wrong.

Guest (Female): This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. When you give to this ministry, you help reach thousands of people every day with God's life-changing truth, encouraging them to know him and grow in his word. And to thank you for your support this month, we'll send you Reload Love: Transforming Bullets to Beauty and Battlegrounds to Playgrounds, a powerful book by Skip's wife, Lenya Heitzig. It's a gripping, hope-filled story of how God transformed weapons of war into tools of joy and how playgrounds rose from battlegrounds because one person chose compassion over despair. Your gift today helps bring the life-changing message of hope in Jesus to people around the world through Connect with Skip. Request your copy when you give $50 or more at connectwithskip.com/offer or by calling 800-922-1888. Now, here's more from Pastor Skip.

Skip Heitzig: So, our hearts are divided. Our hearts are depraved. And here's a third, I'm going to go from bad to worse. Our hearts are delusional. In Proverbs 21:2, it reads, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." Every way of man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts. Now, I want to prove that because it seems that science is starting to catch up with scripture now. One of the best-documented findings in social science is something known as self-serving bias. If you're familiar with that world, you're familiar with that term, self-serving bias.

What is it? Let me give you the definition. It is any cognitive or perceptual process that's distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem. Let me give it to you in English. It means we think we are better than everyone else. That's called self-serving bias. It is the tendency within human beings to take credit for the victories and blame failure on somebody else. There are so many examples of this. But here's a quote. David Myers, a psychologist, said, "Most Americans view themselves as more intelligent, more ethical, and less prejudiced than their neighbors and their peers."

Also, 94% of college professors believe they are superior to their colleagues. I've met a lot of professors like that. And finally, one college board surveyed 829,000 high school seniors to rate their ability to get along with others and the survey said 100% of them ranked themselves above average. That's all talking about the same thing, self-serving bias. What it means is that most every one of us by nature is delusional. That's our heart. It's divided. It's depraved. It's delusional. You can't rely on it.

Now, I want to pause again before we finish this out. Let me tell you what I am not saying. I am not saying that you should not enjoy what you do in life. I'm not saying that. I am not saying that you shouldn't have a dream and follow a dream. I am not saying that you shouldn't engage in work that is meaningful and satisfactory. I get the need for expressive individualism, for autonomy, and wanting to make your life count. I've always loved the movie "Chariots of Fire" when Eric Liddell, the runner, said to Jenny, his girlfriend, "I know God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure."

Do you remember that line? Best line in the movie. When I run, I feel his pleasure. There are certain things that you do that you feel the pleasure of God in. There's nothing wrong with a dream. Just make sure God put that dream in you. Otherwise, it can be futile. And I want to speak to that. I know that deep inside every thinking person, there's a dream, a desire, a hope that before I die, I want to accomplish, fill in the blank. I just want to say to you, based on David's life, that you may die with that desire unfulfilled. And that will be one of the most difficult things you will ever have to face because you wrote the script and it's not working out the way you wrote it and you are facing it.

Here is David. He is following his passion, he is following his dream, following his heart to build this temple. It is not God's plan for his life. That leads me to ask you this question. Are you willing to let God edit your dreams? Are you willing to let God edit your life, cut and splice and put together what he wants? Because he's going to do it. Are you okay with it? My mentor used to say, "Blessed are the flexible, they shall not be broken." So, you've got plans, you've got dreams, you pursue them. Now, be flexible to the edit process of God.

So, we have a good intention, we have some bad advice, let's close on this note, a better plan. Let's see what that better plan is. Verse eight. God continues saying to Nathan, "Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, 'I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone. I have cut off your enemies from before you. I have made you a great name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more, nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore as previously.'"

I am praying that God will say that again to modern Israel in this conflict. Verse eleven. "Since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel and have caused you to rest from all your enemies, also the Lord tells you that he will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you who will come from your body," speaking of Solomon, "and I will establish his kingdom." Now, we are not told here why God tells him not to build a temple. He just says, "No, you're not going to build me a temple."

If we keep reading through this book called the Bible, we get to 1 Chronicles chapter 28 and now we have the reason stated in that chapter. And in that chapter, God says, "Here's why you're not going to build me a temple. You've been a man of blood. You have shed much blood in war. I don't want you to touch this project. Your son Solomon, a man of peace, he's going to build the temple." First of all, I never asked for a temple. I'm good camping out. You want to build a temple, you're not going to build it, but your son is going to build it, a man of peace.

By the way, Solomon, the name Solomon means peace. Think of the word Solomon and the word Shalom. In fact, the pronunciation of Solomon in Hebrew is Shlomo. Shlomo and Shalom, you can see the relationship. So, God announces that Solomon is going to build this house. But here's the surprise. David wants to build a house for God. When David uses the word house, I'm going to build a house for God, he is thinking of brick and mortar. He's thinking of an actual structure. God sort of turns that around and says, "No, I'm going to build a house for David."

But the house God has in mind is not a brick-and-mortar building but rather a dynasty, a family empire, a kingdom. So, get how this is working. God is saying, "You, David, want to build a house to hold me in. I want to build you a household, a family, a dynasty." A better plan than following your heart is to follow his heart. You find out what he wants and let that be in your heart to do. Follow his heart.

I have to say this too because somebody might say, "Well, Skip, that's all good. What you're saying is good. Our hearts are divided, depraved, all that stuff. But I'm a believer now. I love the Lord. The Holy Spirit is living in me. So since I'm saved, can't I trust my heart?" Well, let me ask you a question. Do you ever struggle with your will versus God's will? I mean, that's a rhetorical question. Yes, you do. I'll answer it for you. In fact, there's always a battle, is there not? Galatians 5 describes that battle. The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so that you do not do what you want.

"Oh, I gotta do what I want. I gotta follow my heart." You do not do what you want. There's a conflict. You find out what he wants and you do that. Okay, so we have this. A good intention, some bad advice, a better plan. Which all leads us to this. Okay, if I can't follow my heart, then as a believer, how do I navigate through this life and make good, God-honoring decisions? How do I know the will of God? Well, do you know you happen to have not one, not two, not three, but at least four unique advantages over everyone else in the world?

Number one, we have a good God. Let's start there. We have a good God. We often sing it or say it. God is good all the time. All the time, God is good. We have an all-knowing, all-powerful, benevolent God who invites us to ask for wisdom. "If any of you lack wisdom," James chapter 1 verse 5 says, "let him ask of God." So, we have a good God, number one. Number two, we have a guidebook. Not just a good God, but we have a guidebook. The book is filled with principles, stories, examples, warnings, prohibitions, instructions, inspiration.

And all of those will help keep you lined up like a jet looking at night for the lights of the runway to just position that plane for a safe landing. You can line up your desires, your decisions up to the lights of scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is inspired by God or God-breathed and profitable for instruction in righteousness." So, we have a good God, we have a guidebook. Third, we have a guide. We have more than a guidebook. We have more than a good God somewhere way up there. We have a guide living inside us called the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promised he will guide you into all truth. He'll live in you. He's another helper. You know, if I was in a large city and I'm trying to figure out how to get around, it's intimidating because of the traffic and the buildings and I'm white-knuckling it. Wouldn't it be nice if somebody tapped on my windshield and said, "Hey, I can see you're nervous. I'm a local. Can I hop in? I'll show you where to go." It's a whole lot better if somebody's in that car with me doing that. You have the Holy Spirit living inside.

So you have three unique advantages so far. You have a good God, a guidebook, and a guide. Number four, I have to add this. We have God's people. Now, I know what you're thinking. "Skip, you just spent 30 minutes telling me that good people give bad advice and even God's people give bad advice and now you're telling me that's an advantage to have God's people giving me bad advice?" No, it's not an advantage to have God's people give you bad advice, but I'm just telling you that God's people don't always give bad advice.

Sometimes God's people give good advice and they give godly and God-honoring advice. You say, "Okay, so how do I figure that one out?" Here it is, you ready? Proverbs 11, "In the multitude of counselors, there is safety." The Bible says in the multitude of counselors. Don't ask just one person who's going to reflect back to you what you want. "Yeah, man, follow your heart." And you walk away going, "I got counsel." In the multitude of counselors, there is safety.

So, try this next time. Let's compare getting advice to building a building. If you're in the business world and you need to build a home or a commercial piece of real estate and you have to put out a sizeable amount of money to get the job done, you typically get not one, but not two, but three bids, right? And you compare the proposed price that they are charging you for the project and you pick the best one based on what they're promising. You get three bids. When it comes to advice, personal advice, get three bids. Find three of the godliest people you know, run your idea by them, and compare all three and you may find that those three pieces of advice line up to the scripture. Now, it's not fail-safe, but the more the better. In the multitude of counselors, there is safety.

Someone once said, "No man is conquered until his heart is conquered." Last question. Has Jesus conquered your heart? No man is conquered till his heart is conquered. Follow your heart? No. Give your heart to Jesus and follow him. He has your best interest at heart.

Guest (Female): We're so glad you joined us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before you go, remember that as our thanks for your gift today, we'll send you Lenya Heitzig's book, Reload Love: A gripping, hope-filled story of God transforming battlegrounds into playgrounds. When you give, you help keep this Bible teaching ministry on the air, connecting more people with the truth of God's word and the hope found in Jesus. Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copy of Reload Love: Transforming Bullets to Beauty and Battlegrounds to Playgrounds when you do. See you next time.

(Singing) Make a connection. Make a connection at the foot of the cross. Cast your burdens on his word. Make a connection. Make a connection.

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