A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
Luke 6:45 (CSB)

Recently, I was texting with someone, and when I read her response, a nasty comment slipped out of my mouth. Immediately, I felt convicted and thought, “Where did that come from?”

I reread the text a million times and realized there was nothing unkind or negative in the comment. Thankfully, what came out of my mouth never made it into the text thread.

But it still brought me back to the question, “What is going on in my life and my heart that caused me to react that way?” Luke 6:45 tells us that our “mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.”

I didn’t just have a mouth problem. I had a heart problem.

Looking Beneath Our Words

The conviction I felt became an invitation to pray and ask, “Lord, what do You need to show me and teach me?” As I took time to reflect, I realized that insecurity and fear were playing a part in my reaction.

Jesus reminds us that our speech flows from what we carry in our hearts. Sometimes we are full of love, patience, kindness, and grace. Other times, our words expose insecurity, jealousy, fear, or pride that we didn’t even realize was there.

Once I reread the friend’s message, I could see that she was simply giving me more information about the topic we were discussing. My heart, however, was feeling fragile and unsure. I had interpreted her words through my own insecurity and responded unkindly.

Paying Attention to Our Responses

We need to pay attention to our words. Sometimes they reveal that our hearts are not in line with who God is calling us to be or how we want to treat others. When we recognize those reactions, we can pause to examine them.

Often, we want to blame someone else for our behaviors or explain them away by saying we were having a bad day. Maybe we insist that we didn’t mean to say those words.

And while a difficult interaction or a hard day may contribute to a harsh response, our words still reveal something going on in our heart that needs attention. We need to look deeper and ask God to help us understand what is happening within us.

Asking God to Search Our Hearts

So what do we do? We take time to ask God to search our hearts. Psalm 139:23–24 gives us a wonderful example of how we can pray:

“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my concerns.
See if there is any offensive way in me;
lead me in the everlasting way.”

We can pray these words sincerely, trusting God to reveal what we need to know. Learning to control our tongues matters, but we need God to do a deeper work in our hearts. As we bring our fears, insecurities, and pride to Christ, we can ask Him to heal our hearts so our actions and conversations can overflow with grace.

Have you spoken harshly about someone, even if that person never heard your words? Have you noticed an unkind response forming before you said anything? How do you talk to yourself when no one is listening? What might those words tell you about your heart? Spend time with God sharing what is on your heart.

Join me in praying this simple prayer today.

Father, I know my words reveal what is happening in my heart. Search my heart and show me what is really going on in there. I want my heart to overflow with Your goodness and kindness instead of frustration or anger. Forgive me and help me in this area of my life.