I must need to learn more about the connection between our heart and tongue, because every time I read Scripture about it, and I nod and think, "YES!", I have to honestly say that it is not so easily implemented.
I was reading tonight from Psalm 140-146. In 141:3-4, David prays that God would set a guard over his mouth, and to not let his heart be inclined to any evil. My brain synapses started firing and recalling numerous Scripture references that talk about the heart and tongue issue. The first is Jesus Himself. In Matthew 12:34, He blasted the Pharisees, and told them that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Proverbs 4:23 admonishes, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
Our hearts are so important to God. We are instructed to "love the Lord your God with your whole heart." I have to wonder, that if I truly did that, would I have such a problem with my tongue? Would it really be the "restless evil, full of deadly poison" as referred to in James 3:8? Jeremiah said in 17:9, that the heart is deceitful above all things. So where does that leave us? Is there any hope for my poor heart?
Fortunately, yes! The prophet Ezekiel prophesied in 36:26 that God (in the new covenant made with Jesus) "will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."
Yea! God works in us and in our hearts! As we continue to submit to Him, He continually changes us. I still need to protect my heart and trust God to His work.
My heart condition is directly tied to what flows from my mouth, and I need to be careful with both.
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