Have you ever sat down to think about this or that? Have you ever done something that makes you say, “What was I thinking,” afterwards? Have you ever thought about doing something wrong, dirty or illegal? I read in the bible, Proverbs 23:7 which says “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, said he to you; but his heart is not with you.” See, it really doesn’t matter what you say because it’s what is in your heart that count. The scripture above says it all. Take as an example, you come to my house and I’ve cooked dinner for my family and even though it’s just enough for us, I invite you to join us. Think about it! With my mouth I’m saying, come on and eat but with my heart I’m saying, I hope she says no because I don’t have enough. So, in actuality I really don’t mean the words that have left my lips and because of that I’ll be judged harshly by God. Why? Because, as a child of the King, I am supposed to love my neighbors and be the keeper of my brother and sister and I should also be ready to help no matter what the situation. Luke 6:45 says “A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.” When you think about doing something bad to me, it’s just as bad as you doing it. See, if you heart is clean then your lips speak clean words but when your heart is dirty all that you share is dirty. Yea, you may be able to hide it for a while but eventually it’ll come out because all it will take is for someone or something to trigger it. Think about it. After you eat greasy or spicy foods, you sometimes end up with heartburn and/or gas that will eventually have to come out, right? Well, if you keep eating hate for your brother, lies about your sister, gossip about your neighbors and malicious intent for your co-workers, eventually it’ll come out no matter how you try to cover it.
You’re still pissed off because your co-worker got the job you thought was yours and even though you’ve remained cordial with him/her, each time they come to your desk for help, your anger gets closer and closer to coming out until one day it will. But see, it doesn’t really matter if you ever say it or not because you’ve been thinking it all along and as the previous scripture states, as a man thinks so is he. So even though you act like you like him/her, you actually hate them and this is causing you to be punished by God. You’ve been mad at your ex-boyfriend for the way he treated you and even though you say you’ve moved past it, you haven’t and now you’re ruining a good man’s life because you’re holding him accountable for what your ex did. Think about it! Your last man cheated on you so now you’re so jealous you’re pushing the new one away with all your insecurities. You want to check his text messages, voice mails, emails and pockets when he comes home but he doesn’t treat you like that and he’s never given you a reason to not trust him but you do. Why, because you are thinking about all the malicious stuff that your ex did. But what you should have done is prayed to God saying, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10),” after the old relationship so that you don’t have to hide behind pleasant words because they will be true and coming from your heart. Proverbs 26:24 says “People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.” If you don’t mean what you say, then you are a deceiver, which means you are a liar, fraud, cheat and/or con artist. It’s like you praying for me and even though I hear the nice words that are coming from your mouth, they aren’t reaching God’s ears because your heart is dirty and what you really want to say is the opposite of what you’re actually speaking. Think about it! When you have all of this nasty mess in your heart, it’s blocking your blessings and not the blessing of the folks you hate on. Each time you think something bad about me, you’re blocking your blessing. Each time you think about doing something bad to somebody, you’re blocking your blessing. You choose to let God into your life which means you choose a new life, so why are you holding on to all of the old stuff? When you chose God, you chose a new beginning and just like he wiped your slate clean, you have to also wipe the slate clean of all the stuff you’ve been holding in your heart for folks that have done you wrong. You can’t change folks but you can surely change you.
Colossians 3:1-17 sums up everything that I’ve said above and I wanted to share it with you. Just as something for you to think about. Let go of all the hurt and anger that is in your heart for whatever or whoever because it’ll consume your life and I know that your life is much more than that and way more than the ugly person you’ve become. Step into the newness that God has given you and become a better you just for you.
“ 1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Lakisha, the Author 