Out of the Abundance

Matters of the Heart

Did you know that "heart" is a five letter word? Take your hand and hold it out in front of you. Now spell out word heart using a letter per finger. Did you get a revelation from this exercise? Well if you didn't I, I did.

A few years back during morning worship service, one of my sisters in Christ made a mention about the word heart. The word that she gave was powerful. But for me, God took it a step further. The exercise that you did was what He had me do. And what He showed me then was this...........what you do with your hands comes from your heart. This simple yet, powerful lesson stuck with me. As anything that God reveals to His children, when what He speaks to your heart is for you, you will not forget it. Praise God! What you do with your hands is just one matter of the heart. The other matter is what you speak.

The word of God tells us that we are to keep our hearts with all diligence for out of it springs the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). Let's face it, things come up. Family members die, people lose jobs, words are spoken that hurt to the heart and so on. Everyday there is an issue. Yet, with all of this, we have been commanded by God to keep our hearts. With every command, many of us want to know why? What is the big issue with keeping my heart? Well, let's look at what Proverbs 27:19 says, "As in water reflects the face, so a man's heart reveals the man." Friend, the abundance of your heart speaks to those you encounter and it tells them what you are all about.

God gives a warning in His word that we shall know a tree by it's fruit. Evil trees cannot bear good fruit and good trees cannot bear evil fruit. This is talking about the things that we do. As so it is with our words. Matthew 12:34 states that evil people cannot speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Our words reveal to others the condition of our hearts. What are the matters of your heart? What un-forgiveness are you harboring that is causing you to speak bitterly of someone else? When those issues that God warned us about spring up, what are you speaking from your mouth as you deal with them?

Do you know that your heart is a representation of a garden before God. In your heart He has promised to plant the seed of His word that you may bear the fruit of that seed. The seed that He planted, dear friend, is the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus died so that you could have an abundant life. Now I want you to think about it. As a matter-of-fact, just close your eyes and visualize what that abundant life in Jesus Christ looks like. Reflect on what He has told you in His word as to the promises He has made of His kingdom. What do you see? Now picture that being in your heart. How awesome is that vision!

Everybody's abundance may not look like the one you envisioned. That's because God desires that vision of abundance for you. But as He has said in His word, it will only come by you keeping your heart with all diligence. Things of the world cannot be allowed in your garden. Your heart is the place that was only meant for God's Word. Friend, if God's word is not in abundance in your heart, then my prayer for you today is that God will reveal to you the abundance of your heart. I pray His Holy Spirit will show you what you have in abundance. And if it is not the word of God, then you have work to do in cultivating your garden.

Our words are meant to glorify the Lord. Our actions our thoughts, everything springs from the abundance of our heart. I pray that yours will be an abundance to speak good and bear the good fruit of God's word. Blessings.

"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."

(Psalm 139:23-24)