SCRIPTURE:

for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matthew 12:34)

The “heart” Jesus is referring to in this passage (see Matthew 12:34–37) is not the organ that pumps blood throughout the body. He is talking about the “spirit man.” The heart is a container, a bucket that holds things. Your heart or spirit man is the same way. It is the real you. It holds spiritual things and the spiritual things it holds are words. Whatever words are in there, in abundance, will come out of your mouth. These words may not come out when you’re sitting in church and everything is cool, the music is good, and everybody around you loves Jesus. It’s when you go out into the world, when things happen, and pressure comes against you, that’s when the real you will manifest in the form of speech. The triggermay be something a co-worker or your spouse says that prompts a negative response from you.

You might even have made a commitment that you will not say certain things anymore—regardless of the circumstance. Look at Peter. He thought he had it made. He told the Lord he would never forsake Him, but everything was cool when he said this. Once things in the world put pressure on him, Peter suddenly said he did not know Jesus. He spoke this out of the abundance or “treasure” of his heart.

The “treasure of the heart” refers to a deposit. So, a good man out of the good deposit of his heart can bring forth goodthings or evil things, depending upon what is in him. “Bring forth” means sometime in the future. Therefore, you must check your heart, because whatever is in it is going to be your future. If you want your future to stay the same, just keep saying what you have been saying. If you want your future to change, you need to say something different because what you sow is what you are going to reap.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, I examine my heart and repent for every negative word that has flowed out of my mouth. With the help of the Holy Spirit, I purpose to speak only that which agrees with Your Word and will produce good things in my life and circumstances. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

This devotional is excerpted from Bill Winston’s must-read book, Power of the Tongue. To order your copy now, click here. In Canada? Click here.