Well-Equipped Volunteer: Train & Grow Your Children's Ministry Volunteers

Princess Diana famously said, “Only do what your heart tells you.”

Follow Your heart

This sentiment is found in a lot of Disney movies. It’s part of popular culture. But is it good advice for our kids to follow?

In one episode of Lizzie McGuire, Lizzie writes this in response to a dear Lizzie letter, “Dear Confused- I wish I could tell you what to do, but, I can't. All I can say is, follow your heart. It'll tell you what's right.”

Society says, “Follow your heart.” Can we trust our hearts to tell us what is best for us? If we follow our heart, where will it lead?

Guard Your Heart

The Bible says, “Guard your heart.”

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Why do we need to guard our heart? The Bible gives us the answer:

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

The heart lies. It is untrustworthy. We cannot trust our hearts. We are sinners.

So, who do we trust? We trust the One who is perfect and trustworthy.

As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him. Psalm 18:30

We need to be teaching our kids that our hearts will not always tell us what is right. Our hearts are deceitful. We should not depend on our own understanding of things; rather we need to trust God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Instead of “Only do what your heart tells you,” we should be encouraging our kids to “only do what God tells you.” He is loving and good and worthy of our trust. He will guide us.

A New Heart

We also need to be teaching our kids that there is hope. Our hearts are deceitful and untrustworthy, but we have hope because God can give us a new heart.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19

When we accept the gift of salvation, God makes us new! That means a new heart as well. This new heart is an undivided heart; a heart that loves God and desires to follow His ways.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:9-11

We need to teach our kids to guard their hearts – why they should guard their hearts and how they can guard their hearts.

One way we can guard our heart is to hide God’s Word in it. We need to be reading the Bible regularly, memorizing it, and talking with God in prayer.
Let’s encourage our kids to be hiding God’s Word in their heart through reading, studying, memorizing, and prayer!

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23