It is a sobering thought that the Lord knows the secrets of the hearts of men (Psalm 44:21), and it is an humbling thought that some of the secrets of their hearts are such as God finds displeasing.  And it is a mortifying thought that, viewed strictly from the standpoint of their natural corruption, apart from the grace of God, men's hearts are "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah. 17:9).  Who can really know the heart?  It is certain that no mere man knows it.  None of us know our own heart as God knows it.

Have you not many times heard humble followers of Christ say, "If I know my heart," etc.?  They say this because they are aware that sometimes they might be deceived with regard to what they believe their heart is telling them.  It is only as their heart is in harmony with "thus saith the Lord" that they can be assured that it is right in God's sight.  We read of those whose hearts were not right with God (Psalm 78:8 & 37).  Sometimes we might think ours is right when it is not.  How this thought should humble us.  How few there are who really know the plague of their own heart (I Kings 8:38)!

The natural man, or the man who has not been born of the Spirit of God, has a wicked heart that always deceives him, so that he calls evil good, and good evil; puts darkness for light, and light for darkness, and puts bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah. 5:20).  Solomon speaks of this crossed up and perverted perspective when he says, "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts" (Prov. 21:2).  But no matter how much a man is deceived by his own heart, it never deceives God.  Oh that we might be blest with an "honest and good heart" and with greater spiritual discernment!    ---Elder Ralph Harris