With All My Heart (Deuteronomy 6:1-9)

Introduction — The Misunderstood Heart

When you hear the word “heart,” what comes to mind?

For most people today, it’s emotion — that flutter in your chest when you fall in love, that ache when you lose someone, that stirring when you worship.

The Bible’s definition of the heart goes far beyond feelings:

In Hebrew, the word for heart is לֵב (lev), and in Greek, it’s καρδία (kardia) — the same root we use for “cardiac.”

But unlike our modern use, lev and kardia describe not just emotions, but your mind, will, desires, and moral center.

Your heart is the control room of your life — the place where decisions are made, values are shaped, and focuses are determined.

So when God says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deut. 6:5), He’s saying,

“Love Me with your thoughts, choices, desires, and inner motives — the totality of who you are.”

That’s why Solomon warns:

Proverbs 4:23 “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”

Your heart is the source — and your life is the stream.

Os Guinness argues that the biblical concept of the heart is fundamentally different from how it’s commonly understood today.

In modern culture, the heart is often seen as the seat of emotions. However, in Scripture, the heart represents the whole person—including our ability to think and reason.

Many contemporary readers mistakenly believe that faith is driven more by feelings than by intellect.

This misconception has roots in Greek philosophy, which introduced a sharp divide between emotion and reason—a divide that has deeply influenced Western thought.

Additionally, the anti-intellectualism prevalent in pop culture has seeped into the evangelical church. As a result, many Christians associate the heart with emotional warmth and view theology as cold or impersonal.

Expressions like “I’m just speaking from the heart” are often used to assert sincerity, though not necessarily innocence. Others say things like, “How can I deny what I feel? I must be true to my heart!”—echoing the popular cultural mantra, “Follow your heart.”

These ideas have become moral absolutes in our society, used to justify everything from laziness and disobedience to adultery and self-indulgence, often at the expense of others.

But Scripture offers a different perspective—one that calls for clarity and truth. The Bible does not endorse this emotionalism, and we need its guidance to navigate the confusion.

The Heart Is the Center of Your Decisions

In our culture, we separate the mind and heart — we think with our mind and feel with our heart.

But in the ancient Hebrew worldview, the heart does both.

Proverbs 23:7 “for it’s like someone calculating inwardly. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.”

Notice that: thinking happens in the heart.

That means your decisions are not just logical conclusions — they are shaped by what your heart truly desires.

You can say you love God, but your heart reveals what you really Worship - worship is not a simply Sunday Service.

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Matthew 15:8)

Jesus is showing us something profound:

The distance between your head and your heart is only 18 inches — but it’s the difference between religion and relationship.

Religion says, “I know about God.”

Relationship says, “My heart belongs to Him.”

Jesus says,

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)

Whatever you value most becomes the magnet of your heart.

If your heart is tethered to money, pleasure, or people’s approval,

You’ll find yourself restless, anxious, and easily shaken.

But when your heart is anchored to Christ,

You’ll find stability even when the storms hit.

That’s why Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;”

Because your heart isn’t meant to lead you — it’s meant to follow God

Therefore, we see later on in Jeremiah saying the following:

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?”

Jeremiah 17:9 comes after a stark contrast between those who place their trust in human strength and those who rely on the Lord. The passage highlights Judah’s deep-rooted sin, especially their idolatry, which is etched into their hearts.

The critique: The heart is described as “deceitful above all things and desperately sick,” emphasizing its inherent corruption. Rather than being a wellspring of faithful devotion, the human heart is portrayed as fundamentally flawed—misleading and incurably diseased due to its persistent rebellion against God.

The conclusion: While Deuteronomy outlines the ideal condition of the human heart—devoted and obedient—Jeremiah exposes its actual state after generations of sin and idolatry. It serves as a sobering diagnosis of humanity’s fallen nature.

Now, keep this in mind, because it helps us in which path we should be following.

The Shema of Deuteronomy 6:5 guides us to focus on where our heart should be directing.

With this in mind, let us continue on this focus.

Illustration — The Autopilot of the Soul

Think of your heart like the autopilot in a Tesla—if you've ever ridden in one.

You can grab the manual controls for a while, but if you don’t reset the autopilot, you’ll drift back to its default direction.

Your heart is your spiritual autopilot.

If it’s set toward fame, materialistic possessions, lust — you’ll drift there.

But if it’s aligned toward God, He’ll keep you steady even through turbulence.

That’s why Proverbs says, “Guard it above all else.” Because whoever or whatever shapes your heart — shapes your life.

So, let’s take a look at what we can do to apply this message into our lives.

Acronym: L.E.V.

L — Listen to God’s Commands (priority)

Deuteronomy 6:1 ““This is the command—the statutes and ordinances—the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, so that you may follow them in the land you are about to enter and possess.”

The word, listen, mentioned in this passage is שׁמע (Shama). Shama translates to listen or hear, but most importantly, it also includes the meaning, OBEY.

Do not simply listen to what God is telling you but OBEY them, the statues and commands.

Your heart naturally drifts. It doesn’t automatically stay faithful.

So, you need to train yourself to listen, to obey and follow.

Faith is not about following feelings — it’s about leading your heart toward truth by listening and obeying.

Application:

Create a daily rhythm of obeying God’s every day so that your will, desires and mind align with God. What do you obey? Remind yourself (through scripture) daily God’s commands for you.

E — Examine your Heart

Deuteronomy 6:2 “Do this so that you may fear the Lord your God all the days of your life by keeping all his statutes and commands I am giving you, your son, and your grandson, and so that you may have a long life.”

Like a soldier at a gate, you decide what enters your heart.

Be careful what you consume — music, media, conversations — because your input becomes your influence.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2)

Examine what’s shaping your desires.

If your heart feels distant from God, it may be because you’ve let too many unfiltered voices inside.

Listen to what scripture tells us: Do This so that you may Fear the Lord your God. Fear, in the original translation means reverence. This act is how we glorify God. We listen and obey His commands.

Application:

Ask yourself regularly:

What’s feeding my heart right now?

Is it faith or the world? It is the word of life or the temporal society?

V — Value Your Heart

Deuteronomy 6:3 “Listen, Israel, and be careful to follow them, so that you may prosper and multiply greatly, because the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Jesus said everything you do flows from your heart (Prov. 4:23).

Your words, work, and worship all spring from there.

So protect it — but also cultivate it.

Let gratitude, and compassion grow in your heart.

Value what God is producing inside you more than what the world can give you outside.

“The peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts.” (Philippians 4:7)

When the Holy Spirit guards your heart, you’ll walk in peace even when life feels chaotic.

So don’t harden your heart — tend it.

Water it with the Word, prune it through prayer, and let it bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Promised prosperity seems distant and abstract, but what if the land flowing with milk and honey can start within?

Tim Keller once said, "What the heart most wants the mind finds reasonable, the emotions find valuable, and the will finds doable"

In essence, Keller's quote means that our lives are shaped not by intellectual beliefs alone, but by our deepest loves and trusts. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions all follow and serve the desires of the heart.

Conclusion — The Stream of Life

Deuteronomy 6:4–6 ““Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.”

Your heart is not a side issue.

It’s the wellspring of everything — your thoughts, habits, relationships, and destiny.

If the heart is off, everything downstream will be too.

That’s why Solomon didn’t say, “Guard your image,” or “Guard your career.”

He said, “Guard your heart, above all else.”

Because whoever owns your heart, owns your life.

Imagine you wake up each day and check your phone before you check your heart.

You scroll, compare, react, and absorb — all before ever asking, “God, where’s my heart today?”

That’s how spiritual drift happens — not in one big fall, but through small, daily leaks of focus.

So here’s your morning rhythm: Before you check your phone, check your heart.

Ask:

Is your heart listening and obeying God’s word?

Where is your heart directed right now?

What value do you pour into your heart?

Let us Pray

Closing Prayer

“Father,

You see the deepest places of my heart — the parts no one else knows.

I confess I’ve allowed things in that don’t belong there.

Forgive me for following my feelings instead of Your truth.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Help me lead my heart toward You daily.

Teach me to guard what enters and value what flows out.

Replace any hardness with humility, any anxiety with peace,

and fill me with a heart that beats in rhythm with Yours.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.”