Words Out Of The Heart

 

Words Out of the Heart

By Liz King

    How many times have you heard words have power?  Words matter.  Words can build up, tear down, praise, convict, condemn, and free.   Words also can determine the state of your heart.  It can mirror your spiritual condition.  Many claim to be Christians but their words do not match what they claim.  To understand how much our words matter, The Bible says we will give an account to God for every idle word we have spoken Matthew 12:36.  So, if words matter so much, why aren't we more careful with them? So, what words exit your mouth? What do your words reveal about your heart?

    Matthew 15 talks about how Defilement comes from the heart.  Defilement coming from your heart which flows out of your mouth can also defile others.  It can defile the opinions that they have of others.  When people speak, they reveal who they are sometimes.  Our words can determine on how people also see you. What comes out of your mouth? Is it slander, hate, anger, deception? Is it encouraging, filled with truth, building others up?  Is it filled with praise, compassion, mercy and in God's love and truth? Note, I say God's truth and love because it has now become so twisted that people equate human love and what their feelings to holy truth and love.  We have all been benefactors of the words of others, both good and bad. Some have defined how we see ourselves and have debilitated us.  

    I have done my share of words and they have not all been good.  It also revealed my true relationship with God.  I have slandered and complained about people.  I have had words of anger.  I have words of hate.  They were not filled with mercy and compassion.  I didn't take my words to God; I took them to other people.  We trust our words more with people than we do with God.  When words exit your mouth, you can NEVER take them back.  Where do your words land?  Our words plant seeds in other people's hearts.  These seeds can be good or bad.  What are your words fueled with? Some can be fueled by anger, hate, bitterness, and lies.  Our words can be self-motivated, to build yourself up and the other person down.  By slandering someone we can make ourselves feel better.  By our gossip we can share the sins and spiritual struggles of others with no intention of helping the other person, it is to show how bad the person is and how "good" we are.

    God has taught me so much about my speech.  I still struggle, but I try to be aware of my heart.  God taught me a revelation about the scripture Hebrews 12:15 which says, "The root of bitterness defiles many."  If we let the root of bitterness take root in us towards someone, it causes anger and hate towards that person.  When you have anger and hate towards someone and you begin to complain to others, it begins to change or form a tainted opinion of that person. There is such a thing as righteous anger, but we cannot dwell on that anger because that's when bitterness can take root.  So, the words we speak can cause others to begin to hate or love another individual.  When we speak of someone do we speak of them with mercy and compassion? Is your speech more about yourself and others, or is it about God and what he's done in you and others?  

    What consumes our time, what we expose ourselves too enters our spirits.  So, if you entertain things of the world, such as pornography, money, gossip, cheating on your spouse, politics, hate, then that is what will come out of your heart.  Out of your mouth will come perversion, greed, selfishness, pride, hate, anger, dissatisfaction.  If you meet a person who claims to know Jesus and nothing, but profanity comes out of their mouth, there is a spirit of anger, and they are choosing to curse others than bless them.  There is not forgiveness or blessing there.  

    Being a Christian is about a relationship with God, developing a closeness with him.  It is spending time with him in prayer and in his word to know his character.  It is about not having a one-sided relationship with God. It can't be about you; it has to be about him.  When our relationship with God is about us, we get a perverted perception of God.  We begin to justify our wants, needs, and sin.  We justify things that do not align with his word and his character and paste his acceptance to it.  You can tell someone who has a very genuine relationship with God and who does not, because of their words.  You can fake a relationship with Jesus for only so long before your words and actions will give you away.  Am I perfect?  No, but He is slowly perfecting me.  I can't make myself holy, only Jesus can.  If I do it on my own, it will be futile. If Jesus does it in me, it will be eternal.  He and his love will come out of my mouth.  I will guard what I say.  I will speak with wisdom and compassion and mercy.  My speech will be less about me and more about him.  I will speak life instead of death.  God has slowly changed my desires, thoughts, and what I surround myself and what enters me and has been changing what comes out of me.  It has a lot to do with surrendering myself to him.

    I encourage you to examine your words, by examining your heart, but most of all ask God to examine your heart.  What are you allowing in your heart.  What seeds are being planted with your words.  The bible warns of people that honor him with their lips, but their hearts are far from him.  They teach commandments of men rather than God.  So, if we are going to give an account for every idle word we have spoken when we get before the throne of God, what will you give and account for?  Will it be idle talk of fluffy kittens or when you talked about someone, you cursed someone, you slandered someone, inappropriate comments of someone?  Will it be talks of lust or talk of God's kingdom?  Will it be hate, or God's love?  If more negative and ungodly talk comes out of your mouth, ask the Holy Spirit to help you and examine your relationship with God. He is faithful to forgive and restore.  God's perfect love casts out so much.  His perfect love will cast out anger, fear, hate, bitterness, if you seek him in spirit and in truth. Let him change your heart to be more like his.