Communicating from the Heart

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight O Lord…” Psalm 19:14

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. We celebrated and blessed Mom’s during a special service at Cornerstone – with Music, prayers and blessings for Moms. After which we also celebrated on a personal level at a special family luncheon with my wife, kids, mother, father, and sister. Cards, gifts and flowers were given -- words and expressions of love and appreciation. Hugs, kisses, and smiles were given, also. It was a very good day.

Karlene spoke for the special Mother’s Day Celebration at Church. She spoke about the power and importance of our words. Words have creative power. They also have destructive power. It all depends on what we want to arm ourselves with – positive, life-giving words or negative, venomous words. The choice is ours.

As Karlene shared from the Scriptures, it got me thinking – what am I communicating with my life? Each of us are communicating daily. Either verbally or non-verbally we are sharing or showing something to all who are around us. The question is – what are we sharing? Our words, thoughts and actions all come from what is in our hearts.

Words.

The writer said; “let the words of my mouth” be acceptable to God. Which begs the question; are my words acceptable to God? What kind of words am I speaking on a daily basis? What kind of language do I allow to come out of my mouth? What kind of attitudes are residing in my heart?

A clean heart leads to clean lips. The Bible states; “from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Whatever we hold in our heart will come out of our mouth. If we harbor resentment, anger, envy, bitterness, hatred or any such attitudes, you can be sure that they will make their way out of our mouths. Negative words that flow out of our mouths are not acceptable or pleasing to God. Unacceptable speech comes out of unattended-to hearts.
Thoughts.

The psalmist also penned; “and the meditations of my heart…” Why are the thoughts we think so important? Because what we think on is what we act on. Proverbs 23:7 states;
“As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” What we meditate upon will come out in our actions. Again, Proverbs 4:23 plainly states, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” That is why Norman Vincent Peale, when preaching on this subject, said, “change your thoughts and you’ll change your world.”

The apostle Paul recognized the need to change the way we think. In much of his letter to the church at Rome, he writes about the battle between the worldly mind and the mind that is regenerated in Christ. He also wrote about re-training your mind by what you think about. The bottom line being to “that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2).

Actions.

You’ve heard the saying; “Actions speak louder than words.” Often we communicate louder without words than we do with words. Our countenance, our spirit, our body language – non-verbally speaks loudly. The great poet Emerson said; “Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying.”

The actions that we portray are the result of the thoughts that we think. Again, quoting Emerson, “The ancestor of every action is a thought.” If we change our thoughts and our words – then our actions will become different also. If we think on good things and talk about good things, then our lifestyle is going to abound with good things. Those things are acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God. By the way, they will also be pleasing to those around you.

It starts in the heart.

The heart is the seat of the emotions. The heart is the epicenter of all that we say and do. The heart is the key to becoming who God meant us to be. That is why our hearts need to be renewed in Christ. That is why those with renewed hearts need to guard them. To experience real positive change and growth in your life is a matter of the heart. The condition of your heart will determine what flows out of your life and what God’s Word can do in you.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Change your thinking and you'll change your words.
Change your words and you'll change your actions.
Change your actions and you'll change your life.