Three Aspects Of The Heart (Part 2)

The Warnings For The Heart
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

Luke 5:45 NKJV
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Proverbs 15:28 NKJV
The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

It would be one thing if everything in our heart whether good or bad stayed in there, but as we know all too well, that’s not possible. God created us with the capacity to express ourselves and society helps in nurturing self-expression as we grow. Ever since infancy we have learned the value of self-expression to gratify our needs and wants. This self-expression takes many forms; crying, smiling, begging, lying, pleasing, sulking, praising, and so on. Some good, some bad, but all from within.
God warns us to “guard our heart” and to “study how to answer” because too often we just spew out whatever’s on our heart and mind. This “spewing” takes many forms but often it finds its way to that precarious instrument called the mouth. If the heart is wicked and vile, the mouth will produce wicked and vile speech. If the heart is pure and good, then in turn the mouth will produce pure and good speech. This is very important because the bible further states that, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV). James 3 refers to the tongue, despite its size, as an incredible force that governs the rest of the body. He compares it to a bit in a horse’s mouth (v. 3), a rudder of a ship (v. 4) And a kindling fire that ignites a whole forest (vs. 5-6). So, we are warned to guard our tongue and our actions that represent our inner self. They definitely have an impact on the outcome of our life and the lives of others. We must consciously and consistently ask God to examine our hearts and place them under His will and purpose. - JSS

Psalm 139: 23-24 NKJV
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.