Overflow

Have you ever wished you could retrieve something you've said? Who hasn't? We've all spoken carelessly, rashly or harshly, and no matter how quickly we realize the damage our words have caused, or the extent of their stupidity, there's no way to unsay them once they've left our lips.

Sadly, often our most hurtful words are directed toward those we love the most. Our very own families usually receive the worst of our speech. Sometimes we say things we don't really mean - but are such words actually revealing what's really in our hearts?

I believe our speech problems aren't really speech problems at all. They're heart problems. What we say reflects what's hidden in our hearts - whether good or bad.

"For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." (Matthew 12:34b)

I'll encourage you to read the full context of this passage in your Bible, as Jesus denounces the Pharisees for saying that the healings He performed were the result of being in partnership with the devil. Their blasphemous accusation against Him was merely the overflow of evil hearts hostile to the presence of God among them. They couldn't help but speak such evil, because their very hearts were full of wickedness.

Conversely, those whose hearts are filled with a treasure of good will naturally speak with goodness as the heart overflows to the lips.

For now, for the sake of your family, your friends, your co-workers or your online buddies, I want to offer eight ways to fill the treasure chest of your heart with good, so that the o-v-e-r-f-l-o-w of your heart will be good stuff pouring from your lips.

O - Open your heart to the Lord. This is the first and fundamental step toward filling the storehouse of your heart with good. Sin leaves a nasty stain on each man's heart, a terrible blemish that darkens us spiritually, separates us from a holy God, and eventually kills us with an eternal death in hell. The only way to cleanse the heart and make it worth anything good at all is to receive the complete forgiveness and cleansing of sin that Jesus Christ alone can offer. Open your heart by believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sin, repenting of your ways and giving Him control of your life. He will enter into your heart in the power and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit, and fill you up with all the good He offers. When you open your heart to the Lord, the overflow on your lips will be such things as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

V - Vacate your own agenda. Lay down your self-centered ways, your selfish ambitions and self-sufficiency. Get rid of all the junk that clutters your heart with worry, doubt, fear, pride, lust, envy, anger and bitterness. Allow the Lord God to search your heart and convict of sin and unrighteousness. The apostle Paul said it this way: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I life by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (Gal. 2:20). When you've vacated your own agenda, then when you open your mouth the overflow from your heart will be free of any anxious, worrisome words, free of unwholesome talk, free of crude and coarse joking, free of gossip and hurtful comments, free of arrogance and prideful boasting, and free of bitterness and rage.

E - Enjoy Christ! Enjoy the life you have in Him. Delight yourself in the Lord. Let your heart sing with thankfulness and gladness to the One who has rescued you from darkness and brought you into the Kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins! Rejoice in the Lord always - when things are good and when times are bad. He is your Rock, your Refuge, your Shelter in the time of storm. Look at all He's done for you. Count your blessings. Meditate on His incredible love and mercy poured out for you. Cherish Christ as the priceless treasure above all treasures that He is. Abide in Him fully. Let His word abide in you. Remain in His love by obeying His commands, and listen to what He promises: "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11). When a true enjoyment of Christ Jesus fills your heart, then that joy will overflow when you open your mouth to speak.

R - Read the Bible. What a marvelous gift God has given to us by giving us His Word! Read it. Study it. Meditate on it. Pray through it. Memorize it. Rely on it. The Bible is the infallible, inerrant, eternal Word of the living God revealing the Almighty to mankind. It is Truth, and Truth is the authority that must govern our lives. "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, training and correcting in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:16-17). When your heart is filled with the word of God, then the overflow as you speak will be wisdom, praise, gratitude, encouragement, admonishment, and so much more - it will be the word of God and the message of Christ Jesus.

F - Fellowship with God in prayer. If you want to fill your heart with good, then spend much time in prayer-fellowship with the Father. We forfeit so much peace and joy and contentment in our lives by shallow or neglected prayer-fellowship with our Lord, who promises so very much, yet we ask so very little. Look at the strength Jesus Himself in the flesh drew from His Father in heaven in prayer. If Jesus needed such prayer-fellowship with God, how much more do we! Sincere, meaningful prayer with the Lord acknowledges our dependence upon His power in our weakness, His provision in our need, His protection in our trouble, and His presence in our lives. When our hearts are filled with the strength and comfort and peace God provides to us in prayer, then the overflow on our lips will reflect the sweet fellowship we enjoy with our Savior.

L - Love, love, love. Because He first loved us. Take some time and truly meditate on the ultimate demonstration of God's love for you at Calvary. See the compassionate eyes of Jesus fix upon yours as He hangs from the cross. Hear His tender, merciful words, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34), uttered on your behalf even as He gasps for each breath. Feel the weight of sin He bore in His body on the tree - your sin, your punishment, your place. Why did Jesus endure such agony and pain for you? Why did He suffer and bleed and die such a horrible death as crucifixion? It was because of His amazing love - a love we do not deserve, a love we could never earn. When you meditate on the overwhelming love of God for you, then your heart will be filled with love, and the words of your mouth will overflow from the heart with love and goodness toward others.

O - Oversee your heart. Protect it with all diligence. Guard it well. Tighten the borders and let nothing impure enter in. As soon as you let down your guard or leave the gate open, the adversary will sneak in begin destroying you. He'll come in through the door of rationalizing thoughts, as you reason with yourself, "This movie isn't that bad...this website isn't too off-color...this novel isn't that graphic." He'll come in through open gate of compromise. Jesus told His followers to "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). Wherever you let your guard down, that's where the enemy will advance. And he comes like a thief with a mission to kill, to steal and to destroy. You must oversee your heart! Guard who and what comes in. Guard every gate and set a watch on every wall. When you oversee your heart with all steadfastness and faith, the treasure of your heart will be kept safe and the overflow remain pure.

W - Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. Worship is so much more than the songs we sing in church Sunday morning. It's more than raising our hands or bending our knees. It's more than dropping a few bucks in the offering plate or donating land to a charitable organization. It's more than a random act of kindness that makes you feel good about yourself. Worship is the daily, living sacrifice we present to the Lord as we yield ourselves completely to His will. Worship can be beautifully expressed in the external, but it's truly a matter of what's inside the heart. This is what God sees. When our hearts are filled with the wonder and awe and reverence and adoration of our incomparable Savior, our Prince of Peace, the King of kings and Lord of lords, then our lips will be quick to speak of the grace and glory of our God as praises overflow from hearts that are captivated by the name of Jesus.

May your heart be filled with the goodness of Christ Jesus and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, so that as your heart overflows the glory of Christ may be forever on your lips.