Hey y’all, happy Saturday. I hope this weekend is good to you, and y’all stay safe. Let’s get into it. Lately, I’ve been learning to find the beauty in taking my time. I think about the cars I’ve bought in the past, the opportunities I’ve jumped at, and even some of the relationships I rushed into. If only I would’ve Taken. My. Time. There’s clarity in moving slowly, especially when you’re not jumping at the first thing that looks good on the surface. Sometimes our heart’s desires align with a moment, and because we’ve been waiting or lacking, we run full speed ahead. Maybe it’s that cheap car when we really needed transportation, or a relationship we clung to because we were tired of being alone. But once the deal is done, or the heart is in too deep, we find out it was a lemon all along.

“So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.”

Proverbs 4:23 TPT

I’m not just talking about cars. I’m talking about covenants we made with counterfeits, those too-good-to-be-true offers, those emotionally unavailable partners, those business moves that seemed like breakthrough but were actually breakdowns in disguise. The world says to follow your heart, but the Word says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV). Following our hearts can lead us into messes that we later ask God to rescue us from, or to give us grace just to survive. We ignore red flags when we’re led by our cravings instead of God’s counsel.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Psalms 51:10 NKJV

This week, I almost fell for a counterfeit opportunity. It looked promising because it matched areas where I’ve been feeling lack. But thank God, I was moving slowly. A quick search showed me it was a scam. It was disappointing. Not just because someone tried to deceive me, but because there are people out here whose hearts are committed to deception. I didn’t get mad, instead I prayed for them. I pray that we’d all slow down and listen to the Holy Spirit instead of chasing our hearts. I pray for the ones offering counterfeits, whether in love, in business, or in ministry, that their hearts would turn toward God and they’d stop letting the enemy use them. Let’s move slower, with wisdom, and descernment.

“Teach me good judgment (discernment) and knowledge, For I have believed and trusted and relied on Your commandments.”

Psalms 119:66 AMP