Harold R. Eberle

The Western worldview leads people to think that the mind with all of its intelligence and thought processes is the core of our being. In contrast, the ancient Hebrew worldview recognized the heart as the governing center of a person’s being.

As the writer of Proverbs said: Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4: 23).

Where the heart is pointed determines where a person’s life will go. A person’s future, destiny , relationships, victories, and failures are all determined by where his or her heart is pointed.

If their heart is oriented strongly enough then they will obtain the training, experience, and knowledge necessary to accomplish what they desire. On the other hand, if their heart is timid, filled with doubt, undetermined or undirected , then they will not succeed no matter how much knowledge they possess.

The heart also determines what strengths and weaknesses will be drawn from other people. This is true because wherever the heart is pointed determines to whom a person is bonded. Those to whom we open our heart become anchors for our life. To some degree, their strengths become our strengths and their weaknesses become our weaknesses. We become like the people with whom we associate. Therefore, our heart is a doorway for the character we develop in the future. Because the heart determines the life of a person, it is more important for a person to develop their heart than it is for them to develop their intellect. This truth is foreign to the Western mind, but central to ancient Hebrew thought. Further elevating the importance of the heart is the understanding that the heart is what accesses the spiritual realm. With the heart a person senses things in the spiritual realm. With the heart a person believes and anchors his or her life in God.

Eberle, Harold (2009-12-28). Christianity Unshackled: Are You A Truth Seeker (pp. 219-220). Destiny Image, Inc.. Kindle Edition.