The Question Everyone Asks

Many say, “Does it really matter which name I use? Heavenly Father knows my heart.”
It sounds humble — but it’s a deception wrapped in comfort. Scripture never once teaches that right intentions make wrong actions acceptable. From beginning to end, Yehuwah calls His people to truth, not tradition.

When we say “He knows my heart,” we often mean “He’ll overlook my disobedience.” But Yehuwah is not blind to sincerity or error; He tests both. He does not accept mixture, for He is pure and set-apart.

When His Name Was Replaced

Yehuwah warned long ago that His people would forget His Name and replace it with the names of false deities.

Yeremeyehu “Jeremiah” 23:25–27
25 “I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’
26 How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart,
27 who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Ba’al.”

In the original text, Baʿal literally means lord, master, owner. It is the same title that was later substituted into nearly every English translation where the true Name Yehuwah once appeared.

When translators replaced His Name with LORD and GOD, they repeated the very act condemned in this verse.
The phrase “LORD GOD” literally reads as Baʿal Gad, the “lord/master of fortune.” (Read More About This Idol Here)
So when people say “LORD GOD” thinking they are honoring the Most High, they unknowingly repeat the same offense for which Yesara’ale’s forefathers were rebuked.

The Heart Isn’t a Substitute for Obedience

Good intentions do not make falsehood truth.

Imagine calling your closest friend by another person’s name — every day, in every conversation — even after learning their real name. Eventually, it’s not affection; it’s disregard.

Yehuwah never said, “As long as you mean well, call Me whatever you want.”
He said, “This is My Name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.” (Exit “Exodus” 3:15)

To remove, hide, or replace that Name is to edit the covenant itself.
The prophets, priests, and scribes who did so claimed, “He knows our heart.” But their actions betrayed whose heart they followed.

How the Substitution Spread

1. Scribal Fear and Control: Ancient scribes, under political and religious pressure, declared the Name “too set-apart” to pronounce.

2. Roman Invasion and Systemization: When Rome conquered Yesara’ale and destroyed the temple, it seized the writings and unified them under imperial authority. Translators then enforced the “LORD” and “GOD” substitutions to align with Roman titles and hide the true name of the Most High.

3. Church Tradition: The practice became law in translations, catechisms, and liturgy, training generation after generation to speak idol titles instead of the living Name.

Through these layers, the world forgot Yehuwah’s Name, yet His remnant continues to restore it.

Why “He Knows My Heart” Fails

• Scripture calls willful ignorance a transgression. (Laws “Leviticus” 5:17)

• Idolatry is defined by misdirected worship, not emotion. (Commands “Deuteronomy” 11:16)

• Yehuwah rejects mixed praise. (Amos 5:21–23)

The heart is known by what it chooses. A “right heart” aligns with Yehuwah’s truth; it does not excuse disobedience.

When we call upon false names, even unknowingly, we give glory to another. We re-tell the story of redemption with the wrong author’s name on the cover.

Yes, It Matters

It matters because His Name is His identity.
It matters because the covenant is written in His Name.
It matters because Yehuwah said His Name would endure forever, not be replaced with titles of idols.

Every prayer, every song, every act of worship carries a name. The question is: whose name are we lifting?

Return to the True Name

The promise of Yehuwah still stands: “Those who know My Name will put their trust in Me.” (Songs “Psalm” 9:10)
The world may cling to tradition, but those who love truth will call on Yehuwah.

Let our lips restore what was hidden. Let our worship return to purity.
Let us give back to Yehuwah the praise that belongs to Him alone.

Your heart matters, but obedience proves it.
To love Yehuwah is to honor His true Name.
And yes… it matters.