Most Christians study the Bible as if it were a list of things that we are and aren't supposed to do, and while that's true, we completely miss the point if we think that that is all there is to it when reading the Bible.
God's Word primarily and extensively deals with issues of the heart before it deals with "how tos" and "dos and don'ts." Take for instance the book of Romans 12-13, where there are dozens of commands -- don't conform to worldly culture, love what is good, hate what is evil, practice hospitality, bless persecutors, submit to authorities and many others.
But many will be surprised to know that the rest of the epistle to the Romans before chapter 12 are statements and truths that reveal, break down and rebuild heart issues pertaining to our belief of the gospel and what implication this has on all who believe.
What is it about the heart that makes it so important to understand, tame and align with God? Here are truths that the Word of God reveals about our hearts and how crucial it is to align our heart's desires with God.
It is deceitful
Jeremiah 17:9 says that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" The main problem of man is not that there are principalities, circumstances and people that draw us away from God. It is that we have deceitful hearts that have a hard time knowing the difference between right and wrong.
All we do comes from the heart
There is not one thing that we do that does not pass the department that is our heart. When we do something good or bad, understand that your heart has already weighed the options and consequences even when your mind may not have approved of it. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."
God wants all of our hearts
The Bible makes it clear that God is not interested in having a chunk of your heart or the majority of your heart. God wants all of it, and all our desires to be placed under His lordship. Proverbs 3:5 says "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
While this may seem impossible, it's important that we trust in God's abounding grace to enable us to turn our hearts to Him and not our own ability.
Only God can make our hearts pure
No matter what we do or what we say, there is no way that we can make our own hearts and intentions pure apart from the power of God's Spirit. The world believes that the heart of man is inherently good, but God says that left to our own, our hearts will desire what is evil and selfish.
In Psalm 51:10, David acknowledges God's exclusive ability to mend and purify hearts when he says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
