Christian Living

God Really Does Know Your Heart

by Dr. Timothy Hoflund 
09/18/25
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Hi, I’m Dr. Timothy and I’m just sayin’ …be careful because God really Does know your heart!

In a conversation just this morning - -I heard about another ministry leader- - of all people - - who has done and said some really unrighteous things and then excuses his conduct by saying … “its ok because God knows my heart” - - as if this will in someway convince those who heard his dirty talking that it is not really sinful!

This reminded me of times when I have called someone out for doing or saying something sinful - - and their reply has also been something to the effect that “you can’t judge me because God knows my heart”!

Again, as if our hearts are pure before God and that makes it ok to sin!

But what does God really know about our hearts? And what should we really know about what is in our hearts?

Luke chapter 6 records Jesus saying this …  “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

So, preacher - - or saint of God - - if you are telling dirty jokes - - what is the abundance of your heart?

Or another example:  If all you talk about is how God has - or is - failing you somehow … how then can you say that God still knows that you really have faith in your heart?

We need to really listen to ourselves speak, and to what we speak about in order to learn what God sees when we say that “He sees what is really in our hearts!”

Well, I can hear it now! Some of you may be saying, “Now, Dr. Timothy - - here you ago again, being all literal and taking the Bible too seriously!"  Well, "GUILTY!"

Even so, some folks may want to make an appeal that our hearts are cleansed by the blood of Christ and therefore our hearts really are pure before God!

But here is a question about that line of thinking, “if dirty water comes out of a well … is that well pure or polluted?

Again … we need to pay attention to the words of our mouths because what we say reveals what is the real condition of our hearts!

And according to what The Lord says … our hearts are capable of deceiving our thoughts and make us believe that what we say and do is really ok with God!  We find this in Jeremiah 17:9-10 … “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give  every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.”

Listen, I get that we all have struggles with temptations & transgressions that we really want to be free of … but it does not sound like we get a free pass because we say that we have “Jesus in our hearts”!

Actually, Scripture tells us that we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts … but does this guarantee that our hearts are pure?  Now, you may say - - "How can I ask that?"

Well, let’s look at Ephesians 4:29-30, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”  

Right here we're told that we are not to let any corrupt words come out of our mouths, and remember that what we say comes out of the abundance of our hearts!  Also, we are not to grieve the Holy Spirit - Who is in our hearts and so if He is in our hearts, it must mean then that what transpires in our hearts is what grieves - or causes us to grieve the Holy Spirit!

Now, that's an  uncomfortable idea ... and here’s another one:  When we say or do something that is sinful … we have already admitted that our hearts are not fully righteous! Now I am not the one saying this, this is what Jesus says to us!  It is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew!

Just as we read in Luke’s account … Matthew records Jesus saying it this way in chapter 12 - starting in verse 35, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

So … IF you’re one of those who speak or act sinfully and then make the defending appeal that “God sees -or knows- my heart” … you might want to begin asking instead for God to show you what is really in your heart … on the basis and in the assurance of 1 John 1:9 , “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Maybe it is because God does really know our hearts that instead of justifying ourselves … we should admit that we still have some sin issues and admit that God is still working to cleanse our hearts! And perhaps this would be a much better testimony about how the Lord deals with us than trying to use a statement that tries to camouflage our sinful behavior!
 
"I’m Dr. Timothy and I’m just sayin’ … prayerfully think on these things!"