Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. Psalm 86:11 NIV
Your brain may rule your head, but your heart rules your emotions, and emotions are to life what pigment is to paint. When your heart is committed, your world is together; but when it’s divided, you’re headed for trouble.
A divided heart describes the person who is in love with two people, one of whom is certain to sustain pain and loss. It’s also the picture of a person whose allegiance is torn by other loyalties or forces. It’s a picture of the person who hesitates to commit himself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, wanting to avoid hell, but not really sure he wants to identify with the cause of Christ.
Jesus once said, “No one can serve two masters, … either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve [both] God and money” (Matthew 6:24). The word that Jesus, often translated “mammon”, was an Aramaic word that really meant “the world system—the culture that surrounds us.”
A heart divided is like a kingdom with two kings, both of whom cannot rule the same subjects. Long ago David prayed, “Teach me your way, O LORD, [and I will walk in your truth]; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name” (Psalm 86:11).
From the very beginning, men and women have struggled with the issue of a divided heart. Robert Robinson knew the battle that is often fought over the divided heart. One of his hymns written in 1758 reflects the struggle we feel today. He wrote, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love; Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.”
So, what is the antidote to a divided heart?
Guideline #1: Run up your flag and decide whom you intend to serve. Make a commitment. An individual torn between the world and allegiance to Christ is miserable; he enjoys neither. You need the attitude of Joshua, who cried, “… choose [for yourself] this [very] day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served … beyond the river, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land [you’re living]. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
This may mean you get on your knees before God and say, “Lord you know I’ve struggled with a divided heart. But today, I surrender to you—I’m yours. Take the broken pieces of my life and put them together again your way!”
Guideline #2: Close the door on whatever divides your loyalty. More than one great leader has burned the ship in which he brought his army to a foreign shore. It then became a matter of conquer or be conquered. Leaving the door open to satiate your flesh only plants the seeds of future failure. Close the door on the past so there is but one direction to go: God’s direction.
Guideline #3: Get involved. Far too many individuals choose to follow the Lord without really getting involved in His cause. Simply put, we need each other. A body is held together by muscles and sinews which keep it connected; and, likewise, the body of Christ is a fellowship of believers who need each other. So, get involved in a men’s group or a women’s group. Be part of a team. Get into a support group; a study. Share your heart. Discover there are others who have faced the same issues you face: the ones that divided your heart. There is healing and help when you’re honest enough, admitting you have a divided heart. And then take it in simple steps, walking with Him. But then, you know whom you are following.
Resource Reading: Joshua 24:15-24
