Words from the Heart

Author: Joseph

Date: July 26, 2020

Have you ever wondered what relationship our speech has to our heart? There are some people who, when they speak, appear sharp and cunning, yet they are crude or cruel with their words and they tear down a person’s spirit. Others may be less charismatic or witty, yet their speech is gentle and pure, able to encourage peoples’ heart and lift their spirits. These aren’t the only two categories. There are many other manners of speaking and ways that people affect each other with their speech. What is important to notice here is that the manner in which a person speaks is often related to a person’s intentions, which come from their heart. So then, what does it mean when a believer of God, who should have good intentions (as they seek God’s will and to love others as He does), speaks in a manner that is evil? The answer is simple: when we do not speak as God desires and expects, it is because our hearts are not completely submitted to Him. Our hearts are half-heartedly doing what God expects and desires and, therefore, evil has been allowed to enter us.

Yeshua, rebuking the Pharisees for their slander, said, “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil” (Matthew 12:34-35). The Pharisees had spoken evil against God and Yeshua was correcting them. Yeshua revealed that their hearts were corrupt and evil, which is why they could not speak what was good. He compared the hearts of people to a treasure (bad or good) from which they draw their words from. Evil speech comes from an evil heart and good speech comes from a good heart.

When our hearts are divided in their submission to God, we grant entry to what is ungodly and evil. Bad thoughts creep in our mind and evil desires begin to tug at our hearts and our will. Even if we are disciplined enough to hold them back in our actions, when we speak, our hearts are revealed. Suddenly we find ourselves cutting one another down with our words or slandering others. Or, perhaps we find ourselves joining in with others who are speaking carelessly or in a demeaning manner. Words of hatred, division, vulgarity, and others sorts of sinful things begin to spill out our mouths when we have allowed evil within our hearts. While we may momentarily enjoy “blending in” with unbelievers around us or perhaps getting some sort of prideful satisfaction from using our words to “triumph over” one another, we are encouraging the evil that has seeped into our hearts and allow it to take rule over our mouths. This has great consequences.

Speaking again to the Pharisees, Yeshua said, “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

These words apply to the final judgment but they also apply within our lifetime. God will cast judgment upon us when we are sinning with our speech. Every word we utter will be weighed and He will repay us accordingly.

"Any part of our heart that is not given to God will become vulnerable to sin and evil."

We must take reign over our speech and control what we say, but this begins by allowing our hearts to be changed by what God desires and what He expects from us. God will initiate the change within us when we allow Him to and when we give our hearts wholly to Him. We also have the responsibility to protect our hearts from the influence of sin and evil (Proverbs 4:23-24). God will change us, but we need to make sure we are constantly submitting to Him so that He can do His purifying work. Any part of our heart that is not given to God will become vulnerable to sin and evil. If we willingly choose to keep any part of our heart out of submission to God, then evil will flourish and produce its evil consequences. You cannot hide evil in your heart; your words will reveal it. Your words will also cause harm to others, as all evil does, and as a result you will find yourself being unhappy, unwanted, and unsatisfied because you were unwilling to protect your heart and completely submit it to God.

Do you produce good or evil with the way you speak? Either way, know that this is a direct result of your heart’s condition. Pray to God that He will examine your heart and that He will show you what you are holding back from submitting to Him. The sooner you submit all your heart to God, you will find yourself speaking what is good, drawing from a transformed heart.

Matthew 12:33-37

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright by The Lockman Foundation (www.lockman.org).