The Key is The Heart

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this glorious Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama!

What do you say – to others and yourself?

The words we speak matter. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” What if we lived and spoke as if that were true? Would we change how we speak?

What really got me thinking about this earlier this week was a message we listened to at Bible Study this week. Pastor Jabin Chavez had an incredible message titled, How to Surrender to God. He was talking about Jacob, how his mom had named him, and how the naming essentially established his destiny. I couldn’t help but think about how I speak to my Beautiful Bride, Tender Warriors, and every person I am blessed to have in my life. Am I speaking death or life?

Let’s take a step back for a moment; are the words you and I speak to ourselves bringing forth life or death? Let me share a few more scriptures:

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.

Matthew 12:34

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Proverbs 4:23

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Matthew 15:18

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

We may want to say good things, hope to say good things, and intend to say good things; however, what comes out is what is in our hearts. Pastor Crais Groeschel once said, “You do what you do because of what you think about you.” What do you think about you? Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” What thinketh we? I will tell you who we are, a masterpiece! Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Do you believe it? You don’t have to tell anyone; we can tell from your actions.

I want to share another scripture that really got me going this week. Philippians 4:6 – 7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” If you have been around the church, you have probably heard that scripture. Don’t worry, pray, and you will have peace that transcends understanding. What got me is what comes next; Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I get that 8 follows 7, and I have read both of those scriptures separately. But when you connect them, we are told to pray and think about things that are excellent and praiseworthy. What if we truly did that? What do you think the condition of our hearts would be then?

Thank you for going down this rabbit hole with me. I beg you, Friends, please take care of yourself, your heart, first. I can encourage you to treat people well, speak words of life, etc.; however, if your heart is not healthy, it will not matter. None of us can bring forth something different than what we are.

So funny, I started this Happy Friday thinking I was going to write one message and ended up writing a completely different one. But I have no doubt we got it right; the key is the heart! I close by praying Psalm 51:10 over each one of us: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious family, and please stay well!

Kev