It comes from the heart

I've been listening to a series by Andy Stanley called It Came From Within. It's been one of those series that I will listen to over and over again because it's been convicting and transforming. In the first part, he preaches on the "Hidden Chamber." In Matthew 15:18, Jesus says, "But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart..."

Jesus says, as a matter of fact, that it is possible to tell what's in your heart by what comes out of your mouth. Instead of looking at our heart, we've developed a sophisticated filter that monitors our words and behaviors. Everyone tells us what to say or do, but we neglect the heart. There are issues below the surface that need to be addressed. People say, "watch what you say," or monitor and filter your words, but those words aren't just bad manners, they're a reflection of your heart. People argue this, but there are tons of studies that prove it. The staggering percentage of Olympic athletes who say they would cheat if they knew they wouldn't get caught and other studies overwhelmingly prove Jesus' words to be true.

Yesterday I had a conversation with my dad about a friend of his who has had a terrible run of unfortunate circumstances. He was injured badly in an accident, he lost his job and he's struggling. In the midst of his struggles, he's pointing fingers at the government. He might have legitimate claims, too. Meanwhile, over the past few years his hatred for President Obama has revealed a dark side of racism. He uses words to describe him that should never be used to describe another human being. He said that it's been over 25 years since he's used words like that and he's been driven to feel racism again. He blames Obama. I boldly defended mankind and said that Obama is not forcing this person to hate, rather he already had hate inside his heart. He's been able to monitor it for 25 years because it's socially unacceptable to be racist. However, when the pressure is on, his filter is punctured and his heart is revealed. I would argue that this person has been racist long before he knew who Barack Obama was. It's a condition of the heart. Scary, huh?

Another example of this unfolding before my eyes was in the way I saw respectable people treating each other during the recent events of the recall debacle. Individuals who wore tolerance banners and preached open-mindedness became some of the least tolerant and close-minded people I have ever seen. When the pressure was on, their heart was revealed. They masked their hate with a variety of cute words and ideas that seemed progressive. They had developed a filter in order to make life work and have relationships. That filter was pierced and their heart became visible to the world. It's another scary scene.

On a much smaller scale, the times you appear to act out of character reveal your heart as well. You say something or do something and quickly realize you shouldn't have and then defend yourself by saying things like, "that's so uncharacteristic of who I am" and "I usually don't do (or say) things like this." You get angry and blow-up at your wife or kids. You yell obscenities at another driver at an intersection. Every once in a while, the truth comes out. That which lurks in that dark place and has never been monitored pierces the filter.

This is why the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote in Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Solomon wrote many things, but he says this is the most important. Guard your heart because you live from the heart. You parent from the heart. You lead from the heart. What got in there that shouldn't be there? What's coming out that lets you know there's an issue in there? Life has a way of lodging things in the heart. Take responsibility for what's inside. Learn how to monitor and guard your heart, not just your words. Watch what goes in and what comes out.