The Heart Revealed
Have you ever said something you wished you could take back?
In America, we have taken pride in our civil liberties and legal protections regarding freedom of speech. Unfortunately, it is a God-given freedom that some of our neighboring country men have not been afforded. On the other hand, we are bombarded daily with an onslaught of social media tweets, comments, and opinions regarding our lives be it solicited or unsolicited.
Although we have been rightfully permitted this freedom, have you ever said something that you wished you could take back? I have. Have you ever thought, if I had just taken a moment, I would have said that differently? You may have made comments in conversations regarding people, places, situations, or circumstances that were tasteless or ill-mannered. Perhaps in the middle of a heated argument you uttered things that were hurtful to a friend or loved one. You may or may not have intended to say those things, but when your heart is full it speaks.
Luke 6:45 says, “for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” In this passage of Scripture, Jesus teaches that the words that come out of our mouths is a direct reflection of what is in our hearts.”
When one thinks of something being abundant it can be said to be full or overflowing. What is overflowing in your heart? The Scriptures identify the heart’s overflow as issues (Proverbs 4:23). The issues of offense, unforgiveness, malice, hatred, and jealousy, etc. can be embedded in the bedrock of your heart and begin to overflow beyond its capacity.
Once that capacity is reached issues escape your mouth in the form of words like forceful rushing waters breaching the wall of a fortified dam. Even in our nation the issues that were formerly constrained are constrained no longer. For the mouth has spoken and revealed the heart of this nation and its people.
Like any dam that has been breached in the natural there is a way to repair the breach, however, it is better to avoid a breach than to have the arduous tasked of fixing one. To avoid a breach, I suggest you remain prayerful and apply the followings principles in Scripture:
Guard your heart - Proverbs 4:23
Guard your mind – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
Guard your mouth and lips – Psalm 141:3-5
Allow Holy Spirit to perform daily heart checks – Jeremiah 17:9-10
Ask for a pure and clean heart – Psalm 51:10
Keep a repentant heart – I John 1:9
Forgive – Matthew 18:21-35
Do all in the Spirit of Love – I Corinthians 16:14
Do keep in mind that someone has been wounded by your words and it takes compassion and a spirit of humility to admit error. If you have had a breach, I suggest you pray and apply the following:
Deal with the spirit of offense immediately – Matthew 18:15
Realize it may not be easy – Proverbs 18:19
Make a commitment to follow the principles of Scripture to avoid causing future breaches.
In conclusion, I want to encourage you to allow Holy Spirit to set a guard around your heart and mind as you keep watch over the doors of your lips. There have been many things said that you and I wish we could take back, but the reality is once words have been said they are recorded in eternity. They can be stored upon the minds of the hearers and played back through memory recall repeatedly. It is better to avoid unnecessary pain caused by words than to try to fix the damage that follows the breach. I pray that the next time your mouth reveals your heart, it speaks words that are filled with wisdom, love, and grace.
Prayer
Father, I am asking you to turn the search light of Holy Spirit on my heart. Where there are issues that I have not dealt with I ask that you reveal them to me now. Give me the courage to confront what needs to be confronted and forgive what needs to be forgiven. I was told that words do not hurt, but you have said that words can kill. Let me not be guilty of killing the spirit of those I love and care about. Help me to treat the stranger with the same compassion. I ask that you fill my heart with love and right words. I pray that the words I speak will be life to those that hear them. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus, my Savior, my Redeemer, and my King, Amen.