"God is greater than our hearts and knows all things."
1 John 3:20

Admittedly, it can be difficult to quell feelings of discouragement if these are deeply ingrained. Yet, Jehovah’s spirit can help you progressively to overturn “strongly entrenched things . . . raised up against the knowledge of God.” (2 Cor. 10:4, 5) What is meant by the phrase “God is greater than our hearts”? At times, our heart may condemn us, especially when we become painfully aware of our imperfections and shortcomings. Or it may be that because of our background, we have an inordinate tendency to think negatively of ourselves, as if nothing we do could be acceptable to Jehovah. The apostle John’s words assure us that Jehovah is greater than that! He sees past our mistakes and perceives our real potential. He also knows our motives and intentions. (Ps. 103:14) Yes, Jehovah knows us better than we know ourselves! w 8/1/05 18, 19a