What Does Your Tongue Reveal About Your Heart?
By Rick Warren
"For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." Matthew 12:34 (NLT)
There is no real secret to changing from an angry person into a peaceful person. In order to get the power you need to go from anger to peace, you need to be filled with God’s love.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:5, "[Love] is not easily angered" (NIV). In other words, if you’re filled with anger, then almost everything can upset you. But when you’re filled with God’s love your perspective changes.
Being filled with God’s love requires that you have a relationship with him. Your relationship with Jesus Christ will determine how patient you are and how well you master anger.
This means you can change. You can do it through the Holy Spirit! When you become a Christian, you have God’s power living in you. Even in a crisis—when people are out of work, kids are at home, and people are in isolation—you have all the power you need to make the hard changes in your life.
And it starts by looking at your heart. Matthew 12:34 says, "For whatever is in your heart determines what you say" (NLT).
Here are some things the tongue can reveal:
- A harsh tongue reveals an angry heart.
- A negative tongue reveals a fearful heart.
- A boasting tongue reveals an insecure heart.
- An overactive tongue reveals an unsettled heart.
- A judgmental tongue reveals a guilty heart.
- A critical tongue reveals a bitter heart.
If your tongue reveals an angry heart, then ask God to heal your hurting heart with his love. The anger in your heart may come from feeling rejected, abused, or unloved in the past. You need to know that Jesus cares about your pain. He can replace the hurt in your heart with his peace and replace your insecurity with his power.
As you begin to feel accepted in God’s love, your heart will change and produce the fruit of patience and kindness. God promises, “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26 ESV).
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
Choose Faith Over Fear!
Are you ready to live with more freedom, joy, and impact?
That’s what you’ll discover how to do in Pastor Rick Warren’s 6-session, *video-based Bible study Daring Faith.
Complete with a study guide and devotion for each day, this study will help you learn how to . . . expect the best, build a life of faith, stretch your imagination, take initiative, face your fears, and trust God while you’re waiting.
So request your copy of Daring Faith when you give a gift today to help more people break free from fear and find their hope in Jesus through Daily Hope.
*Video is available in DVD or streaming formats. The workbook will be mailed to you.
*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of materials you received from Daily Hope.
This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.