“For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

They are the big three: the big three things that can stop us dead in our tracks, that can lock us up, cause us to stumble or go numb. What are they, you ask? They are the things your heart believes about yourself. They are the big three, and depending on what culture you grew up in will determine which of the three affects you most, some or not much. But they all affect everyone nonetheless, only in different degrees. What are they? Guilt, shame and fear.

We see these three raise their ugly heads in the Garden of Eden in Genesis three. After the not-too-good conversation with the serpent, Eve snatches a bite of forbidden fruit and shares it with her husband. Immediately after the temptation had been complete and the fall occurred, we see three things unfold. First, “the eyes of both of them were opened” (v. 6). They knew they had broken God’s law and sensed guilt for the first time. Second, “they realized they were naked,” (v. 7), definitely not a fun thing, and they felt enough shame to run off in separate directions to sew “fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” This indicated they broke their relationship with God. Finally, “they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (v. 8) in fear (v. 10), demonstrating they broke God’s trust. These three emotions entered the human heart as an automatic response to sin. So much for being like God (v. 5).

In the course of time, as various cultures developed, people in those cultures had to deal with these emotions in a certain order, whichever they perceived was most important and why. Western nations concerned themselves with guilt and law, Asian cultures with shame, and African and South American tribal cultures with fear. This is a broad truism, but all three are present in varying levels. And look what a grip they have on the human heart, as evidenced by what people do in attempts to rid themselves of them: lying, cheating, making sacrifices, practicing asceticism, revenging, killing themselves, killing one another, believing all sorts of myths, obeying some “god,” etc. Each action is a further violation of God’s standard of perfection and harmony. Each step of self-preservation is so self-centered it is doomed to failure before it begins. Such is the nature of the fall. Such is the condition of the human heart. So when John wrote that “our hearts condemn us” (1 John 3:20), he wasn’t kidding! No one is exempt from this painful reality.

But John was writing to believers, ones who had a new heart where the Spirit resided. Yes, even with the Spirit within, those hearts can be quite temperamental at times, because of the bad habits of our past etched deeply in our memory. Those memories can fire up many condemning messages. Even today’s psychologists have a term for this: “negative self-talk.” I’m sure you’ve heard of that. I know you’ve experienced it. Who hasn’t? It goes something like this: “You’re no good. You’re a loser, a louse, an idiot. You can’t do anything right. You’ll never do or get … (fill in the blank). You can’t conquer … (name your fear). Everyone knows how bad you are at … (fill in). Wait till they catch you. Someone saw what you did. You’re dead meat!” etc. Guilt, shame and fear. It seems they don’t go away easily or quickly.

And what’s worse, there is a whole generation coming up, Gen Y (b. 1982-2002), that is moving away from objectivity and truth and moving toward experiences and relationships to discover what is real. Of course, there is a balance between the two pairs, and both can have their excesses. What’s more, it is our hearts that process the things we experience, so in a way we’re kind of stuck. But not for long.

1 John 3:20 also says, “God is greater than our hearts,” especially important “whenever our hearts condemn us.” Why? Because we know that even though we process every experience with them, they are not the final authority. God is, because “he knows everything.” How’s that for a statement of omniscience? He reigns beyond the limitations, the feelings and perceptions of our hearts. And that is where we have a choice, a choice in what — or whom — we believe. This is even more the choice for Gen Y: to believe our finite, fallen, even-though-they’re-restored hearts, or God himself and the declarations in his Word. Our hearts condemn; he forgives. Our hearts say we’re a loser; his Word: we’re winners. Our hearts: we’re shameful cowards; the Bible: honored warriors. God always gives us a choice.

We never know what our moody heart might tell us tomorrow. What are you prepared to believe?