Donna said something wise yesterday – “As we continue on with taming the tongue, I keep getting the feeling that my tongue is not the real issue.  About 10 inches south is a heart that does not always beat for Him.  Pray for me as I’ll pray for you that our hearts will be tender to Him and our tongues will be the reflection of true devotion to the One who entrusted us with such a powerful tool.”

She’s right.  Matthew 12:34-35 says, “How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.  The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”

Out of the overflow (abundance) of the heart, the mouth speaks.  Yikes!  Putting my hand across my mouth is only a little band-aid on the surface!  It hardly masks the deep infection that lies within my heart.

No wonder it feels hopeless sometimes.  I might succeed in keeping my mouth shut – briefly – but the real problem is in my heart.

“The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” Matthew 15:18-19

So what in the world can we do about the condition of our hearts?

This study is not a bad start.  The author might have titled it 30 Things You Can Do Wrong With Your Tongue.  If we allow it, the study should be making us aware of how our words can be displeasing to God.  Knowing that we have a problem – a fairly serious problem – is a good start.

But it doesn’t solve the problem of the heart.  We must ask God to reveal to us what is going on in our hearts, what lies beneath the ugly words and habits?

And then we have to acknowledge the truth he shows us.  And repent, turn away from it.  Let go.  Let go of anger, bitterness, and resentment.  Let go of jealousy, envy, self-centeredness, and pride.  Let go of the need to feel accepted by everyone else, be smarter than everyone else, be funnier than everyone else.

He is faithful and will heal our hearts – if we ask Him to.

Our words will be transformed if we allow Him to renew the state of our minds and hearts.

Let’s allow Him to change us.  We need to.  We must.

One of the MOST scary verses in the Bible is the continuation of the passage quoted above.

“But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

Let’s get our hearts right, ladies.  Pray for me.  I’ll pray for you.  Love you!

And I’m skipping Day 12, The Betraying Tongue.  Betrayal is a heart issue anyway.