What is Really in My Heart?

"Well, you really never know what's in a person's heart" is one of a seemingly infinite number of ideas to which most hold that are directly refuted in scripture. In fact, Jesus tells us that "the mouth speaks of that which fills the heart" Matt 12:34. Then three verses later He declares that the mouth's disclosure of the heart's content is so reliable that it is by our words that we are justified and by our words we are condemned v.37.

Now there may be other things in my heart, such as good intentions, a desire to treat others fairly, and nearly all of us have a big fat dose of "well-meaning," but Jesus teaches that it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. In other words, whatever the heart holds the most will pour forth from my mouth. Now I may have tons of good traits as well but if, for example, a critical pharisaical spirit dominates the real estate in my heart then much of what I say will hit others like more unwanted correction. Like "spiritual halitosis," even when I mean well, I cannot hide the malodorous fog which others have grown to expect most every time I open my mouth to speak.

Tons of other sins can fill the human heart. Anger, hypocritical duplicity, lust, deception, lying exaggerations, and a host of other sins can live in abundant measure in our hearts. Remember Jeremiah warned in 17:6 that the heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it (NASB).

The good news is that God can change the heart. He promised His people in Ezekiel 36:26 that "I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you" (NASB). After lying, hiding, and covering up his adultery and the murder of an innocent man, King David asked God to create in him a clean heart Ps 51:10. No doubt David had some good traits but the bad ones had owned the lion's share of his heart for too long.

So let's stop pretending that we can hide what's in our hearts. That gaping chasm that is right under our nose has been disclosing who we really are longer than we may realize.

Pastor Mike Snelgrove