Leaving Our Old Life Behind through Baptism
August 15, 2026
The Heart is Revealed Through the Tongue
THE HEART IS REVEALED THROUGH THE TONGUE
THE MOUTH SPEAKS WHAT THE HEART IS FULL OF — Luke 6:45
Words carry weight and produce tangible outcomes. Words can offer encouragement, healing, and truth, which bring life; or slander, deception, and cruelty, which bring death. The heart conceives thoughts, but the tongue utters those thoughts into words.
We read, "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Luke 6:45). We also read, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips" (Proverbs 4:23–24).
The heart is the place of conception, where intentions, attitudes, and character are formed. If the heart is bitter, deceptive, or anxious, the thoughts conceived there will reflect that condition. The tongue is the place of birth, giving voice to the thoughts conceived in the heart. Spoken words give those thoughts authority, momentum, and consequences. Once a thought leaves the mouth, it can no longer be recalled, and its fruit—whether constructive or destructive—is put into motion. Guarding the tongue ultimately requires guarding the heart, because the mouth only expresses what has already been nurtured on the inside.
In the Old Testament, we read that Isaac ate the food his sons prepared and then blessed them (Genesis 27). The words he spoke over his sons were upheld by God and manifested in their lives. Whatever he spoke over them was not reversible. The important thing to note is that Isaac was blind when he spoke over his sons. Though he was deceived by his second son Jacob, the words he spoke over him, thinking it was Esau, were not reversible (Genesis 27:1–40).
After Jacob reached Egypt to be with his son Joseph, before his final days he asked Joseph to bring his children before him to bless them. However, he placed his left hand on the older one and his right hand on the younger one, crossing his hands, and spoke words of blessing over them (Genesis 48:8–20).
We also read about Cain and Abel bringing offerings to God (Genesis 4:3–5). God accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's. "And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell" (Genesis 4:5). So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it" (Genesis 4:6–7).
Eventually Cain killed his brother Abel, and when the LORD asked about his brother, he replied, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9).
First of all, Cain brought an offering to the LORD, but Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and their fat—the best (Genesis 4:3–4). When the LORD did not accept Cain's offering, his countenance became angry and jealous, which led him to kill his brother. He then lied to the LORD. As a result, the ground was cursed for him, it would no longer yield its strength to him, and he became a fugitive and a vagabond (Genesis 4:10–12).
First of all, Cain brought an offering to the LORD, but Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and their fat—the best (Genesis 4:3–4). When the LORD did not accept Cain's offering, his countenance became angry and jealous, which led him to kill his brother. He then lied to the LORD. As a result, the ground was cursed for him, it would no longer yield its strength to him, and he became a fugitive and a vagabond (Genesis 4:10–12).
Similarly, when Jacob was running from his father-in-law Laban, and Laban caught up with him, he claimed that Jacob had stolen his household idols. Jacob, not knowing that Rachel had stolen her father's idols, spoke and confessed what would happen to whoever had taken Laban's idols. Though Laban could not find them because they were with Rachel, the words Jacob spoke eventually came upon Rachel (Genesis 31:22–35).
We also read another account in the Gospel. When Pilate could not convince the people not to crucify Jesus, he washed his hands and declared that he was innocent of Jesus' blood. "And all the people answered and said, 'His blood be on us and on our children'" (Matthew 27:24–25).
We also see Joseph's words of forgiveness to his brothers (Genesis 50:19–21). Jonathan spoke courage into David (1 Samuel 23:16–17). Nathan's words broke the stiff-necked heart of David and brought him to repentance (2 Samuel 12:1–13).
Let the Word of God dwell richly in your heart and guard your heart and mind (Colossians 3:16; Philippians 4:7–8), so that your heart conceives thoughts that bring life and your tongue gives birth to words that bring life, not death.
SOW THIS seed INTO YOUR SOUL
