Today I was reading through a study I have been doing for some time in Ephesians, when I read something that I know I have read plenty of times, but it echoed over and over in my mind. The text referred back to verse in Luke 6:45 “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Or basically the mouth speaks what the heart is full of…..I sat back against the couch and chewed on this thought. A verse came to mind in Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Our hearts are the epicenter of who we are. We can change our looks, our location, and our language, but at some point the truth of who we are, which lies within our hearts will flow out of our mouths. The truth will be known.
During this time in the world we live in, when we are quarantined, isolated, uncertain, the truth of who we are will be revealed in what flows out of our mouths. Sometimes anxiousness will cause us to allow frustrations to escape through our words. Sometimes we speak without thinking. But it is then that the truth of what lies deep in our hearts will cause us to stop, ponder our words and realize we have spoken with harshness or anger. It is then we step forward and apologize, ask forgiveness, and then ask God to forgive us and help us to think before we speak! But I believe, also, that those that know of God, but don’t have a true relationship with Him, will be revealed by what proceeds from their mouths.
It has taken me 59 years, but I am finally learning to “not” say what first comes to mind. I haven’t perfected this skill yet, but I find myself thinking about what I am about to say, and deciding to just say nothing. You may have already conquered this skill, but I have struggled with it my entire adult life. I sometimes over share, I sometimes speak what comes to mind, and I sometimes say what truth is about a particular situation whether it is necessary or not. And I confess I haven’t always asked God if I should say something before it is released from my mouth. I have prayed and asked God to help me in this area and I realized a few months ago that I was thinking before I allowed something I was thinking to escape my lips. I wanted to say “Hey, I was about to say something, but God said no and I didn’t!!!” But decided to keep it to myself! I want to walk in a way that honors God. Whether in the middle of a pandemic or living in what used to be normal life. I remember hearing a former music pastor tell the choir I was a part of, to ponder in our hearts our questions, as he was giving us instructions. So I am trying to ponder my thoughts before I release them! But I digress from the verse that I first shared.
During this time, when we have so much time, ponder what is in your heart. Think about the words that flow from your mouth. Do they honor God? Are they uplifting? Are they encouraging? Are they loving? Are they beneficial? I want to encourage you to examine your heart. Determine whether He is the Lord of your heart, your thoughts, your life. I am taking time to do the same. We are spending time with family and possibly friends 24/7, which could be a stressful time, maybe we need to isolate to a quiet place (even if that means hiding in your closet) and allow Jesus to minister to our hearts and minds, and reveal what is in our hearts.
Love y’all.
Dana2day 