Luke 6:45, “⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.”

Grumpy, angry words coming out of your mouth? That is a sign of the heart speaking. Ouch. Isn’t it easier to blame it on anything else? “If they hadn’t done this or that…” or “If this hadn’t happened…”. What really comes out our mouths is our heart’s reaction to the “this” or the “that”.

There are times that we need to be more careful as our physical bodies can definitely affect our emotional and mental state. Recently, I read of the “HALT” principal in the Bible Study Abigail (Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Revive Our Hearts, 2019). “The principal basically states that if you are:

• Hungry
• Angry
• Lonely
• Tired

… that you need to ‘halt,’ or take a moment to think before you speak or act.”

Following the “HALT” principle will help us reign in our heart before things come out our mouths. This is something that I am still very much working on. Last night, while frustrated and tired, my mouth was in gear before I remembered this principle. Let’s just say that it would have been better had it not been. Sigh.

Good news… God is gracious to forgive and to help us.

1 John 1:9: “⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

So… let’s do a heart checkup today. What words and attitudes are coming out of your mouth? Check your heart. Then, go to our Father for help!