Where Your Words Are, There Your Heart Will Be Also

In Matthew 6:21, Jesus teaches an important spiritual principle: where our treasure is, there our hearts will be also. What this means is that whatever we treasure, whether earthly riches or God, our hearts will follow. The object of our affection is what we value and worship.

A similar principle can be said about our words. Where our words are, there our hearts will be also. While it is true that our words flow out of our hearts (Matt. 15:18), it is also true that our words form and shape our hearts. What we say influences what we think and feel. This is why speaking curses against yourself leads to actual destructive effects and why suicidal ideation leads to actual suicide attempts.

“What we say influences what we think and feel.”

James speaks of this truth in depth in chapter 3 of his letter. He compares the human tongue to a rudder on a ship and a fire in a forest. Rudders are small, but they are able to steer the entire ship. Likewise, a fire may start small, but it can grow to engulf an entire forest. James sums up the power of the tongue in this way: “It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6b)

We must be very careful when it comes to our words. What we say has more influence over the state of our hearts than we like to admit. If we speak words of complaint, those words will foment bitterness and entitlement in us. But if we make it a discipline to speak words of gratitude and thanksgiving to God, even when there isn’t much to be thankful for, our hearts will grow in genuine gratitude and thanksgiving, and our love and joy in the Lord will increase.

The psalmist knew of this principle when he wrote these words:

“Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

for I will yet praise him,

my Savior and my God.” — Psalm 42:5

Here, the psalmist understood that he could command his soul by commanding his mouth to praise. He didn’t initially want to worship; his soul was downcast within him. But he forced himself to praise God, to recognize God’s goodness and faithfulness, and the result was a renewed hope.

Let’s take Paul’s words in Phil. 4:8 to heart, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” But let’s not just think about such things, but speak them. The power of these words of truth and beauty will strengthen our hearts in any and every circumstance.