What We Say Says Something About Us

Did you know that what you say says something about you. Not only to others, but if we listen to ourselves, what we say is telling! In today’s post, learn where our not-so-nice speech comes from and how we can live with more joy and peace.

I have something my family calls my driving word. Although I have not used it for many years, my children still remember it.

This off-color word only came out when I was driving. It welled up inside me and spewed out of my mouth when someone would pass me on a double yellow line, or when an insane driver would cut me off, or when a driver was just being plain crazy!

One day, when my two little ones were safely strapped into their car seats and we were happily singing along to WE SING SILLY SONGS, a car turned right in front of ours, and I almost hit it! It was a very close call, and I was quite shaken! From the back seat, a wee sweet voice yelled out my “driving word” for me!

I was heartsick! What a lesson straight from the mouth of a babe… my babe!

The Problem

My problem was not other drivers. My problem was me. And my problem was not my mouth. It was my heart.

We All Have A Heart Condition

Jesus tells us that what we say comes from the condition of our heart.

The Problem

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. Luke 6:45

The word “heart” in the scripture verse above is CARDIA in Greek. It refers to our mind, emotion, intellect, and will. What we say is what we think, feel, know, and want to say. What we say gives us a very good look into the depths of our hearts! And what others say shows us what is in the depths of their hearts, too!

This is a very interesting and telling perspective. When we are aware enough to listen to what we say, we can hear and see the condition of our very heart! 

Our Lips Give Voice To Our Heart

Our hearts and lips work in tandem. They are a team! Our lips give voice to our inner thoughts- what’s in our hearts. I don’t say my driving word anymore, but here’s the thing. If I’m not careful, I sometimes think it.  I no longer give voice to it, but left unchecked, I can still find that word in my heart! This saddens me greatly! 

It’s like part of my heart is still untamed and sick. And that is exactly how all hearts are! 

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jere 17:9

Our Cheating Hearts

Our hearts—our minds, emotions, intellect, and will—are habitually dishonest and misleading. The heart’s continual cry is to have its own way. Often, the cry of our cheating hearts builds up and makes us so uncomfortable that the pressure created is released in the words we say! I call that word vomit. It’s a graphic word picture of our sick hearts!

Even if we are children of God, our hearts remain a constant problem. We must be aware of that. 

Watching Over Our Hearts

The good news is that as we walk closer to and longer with Jesus and fill our thoughts, intellect, and feelings with His ways and His thoughts, our will starts to be His, and so does our heart.  The fight to keep our hearts and lips in check will always be there, but it does get easier! However, we must always watch the condition of our hearts.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Pro 4:23.

In other words, we must watch what we put into our minds, what we feed our intellect, what emotions we give license to, and the reign of our will over our lives. This is a constant and close watch because it will, I repeat, WILL determine the course of our lives!

WILL determine the course of our life!

How To Guard Your Heart

When my driving word creeps up from that dark, hidden depth of my heart, I need to render it powerless once again! It often looks like this… acknowledging that this word is wrong and willful, telling God I am sorry, and then submitting to what God would have me do. That usually looks like blessing a crazy driver and asking God to show Himself big in the driver’s life.

And when my heart realigns with God’s heart, the benefit is such peace and joy! 

The condition of our heart and mouth is for us to choose! We will never completely tame our hearts on this side of heaven. But we can grow spiritually closer to God, Who is there to help us and forgive us when we falter.

Our heart can fill the course of our life and those around us with ugliness, strife, baseness, defilement, deception, and hurt. That is the ugly truth! Or we can choose to give our hearts and lips over to the Lord and then earnestly guard them. The outcome will be life-changing. And that’s the good news!

I hope you will choose a life of grace, joy, comfort, gentleness, truth, blessings, peace, and all the wonderful results that come from a heart that abides IN HIM!

A Good Verse To Meditate On This Week

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Pro 4:23.

Happy Sunday, friends…