Out Of The Heart, The Mouth Speaks

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, acts of adultery, other immoral sexual acts, thefts, false testimonies, and slanderous statements. Matthew 15:18-19. The heart is where we first commit sin. It is where ideas brew and grow, eventually causing us to take action towards that sin. The more we dwell on sinful thoughts and feelings, the more likely we are to act upon them. Even our modern-day psychiatry understands that thinking negative things can have dangerous consequences. Negativity is often a product of depression or insecurity. It can stem from illness, life events, personality problems, and substance abuse. Like many things in life, negativity too, can become a habit. Frequent criticism, cynical thoughts, and denial can encourage sadness. These negative tendencies can cause our brain to distort the truth and make it even more difficult to break the negative cycle. Negative thoughts lead to negative emotions, those emotions build up in our hearts tempting us to want to act out in sin. The mind is a powerful thing and what you feed can affect it in a powerful way. Breaking the cycle of sinful and intrusive thoughts is very difficult but it can be done. Remember, God knows all the challenges we face in this world, that’s why he gives us the Bible full of good advice on how to conquer any problem that comes our way.

The Bible tells us, that the best way to get rid of sinful and intrusive thoughts, is to fill our minds and our hearts with God’s word. We are reminded in the Bible just how sinful we truly are and how easy it is for us to fall into sinful ways, but God gives us plenty of ways to help combat sin. In 1 Corinthians 13:4 God tells us that, Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. When you love your spouse, these character traits should reign supreme. While they can get under our skin and cause us frustration, we are called in turn to respond in love. Paul also reminds us, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. What I love more than anything in this verse is that if we pray, are thankful, and let God know what is on our hearts, He will guard our hearts and our minds. Sometimes the only way that you get around negative thoughts, is to have the power of God on your side. I don’t know about you, but I need all the help from God I can get. I have no power on my own to fight all the sinful things of this world. That is why Jesus came and died for us on the cross because we can do nothing without Him.