Inside Out: A 40 Day Journey to Transforming Your HeartSample

Evil Heart --> Righteous Heart

When we think of people with evil hearts, we might think of Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein or even movie characters like Darth Vader or Maleficent. They knew they were evil and reveled in it. We, though, might have no clue that evil is hiding in our hearts and righteousness is far from us. Hebrews 3:12-13 warns us, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

We know that some things are blatantly evil, like genocide and child prostitution. But what if we are deceived into thinking some things aren’t as evil as God says they are? What if evil is lodged in our hearts and we don’t know it? Romans 3:10 reminds us that, “None is righteous, no, not one.” Jesus knew this better than anyone. When he saw people who thought they were righteous, He said to them, “You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).  Evil can be undetected because it doesn’t always seem to have consequences.  We go unchecked in what we say and do. “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). 

Evil in our hearts usually manifests in what we say. Our tongue can either be used to bless or curse others. Unfortunately, our tongues are one of the most challenging areas to have under control.   James 3:8-10 says, “No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.” Everyone is made in the image of God, and thus, even if someone says or does something evil toward us, we are to not respond in kind. Wanting to “get even” is part of having an evil heart.  1 Peter 3:9-12 says, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

If we want to pursue a righteous heart, we must ponder how to answer without malicious intent, without hatred, slander, or spite. Proverbs 15:28 says, “The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.” And Psalm 37:30 says, “The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.”

We know our heart is righteous when we can say, “All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them” (Proverbs 8:8). We can also observe what sort of fruit is being produced by the words we speak to others. Luke 6:45 says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

The frustrating thing is that even when we want to say the right things, so often, our “good intentions” go to the wayside, and we slip up. The Apostle Paul understood this all too well. He says in Romans 7:18-19, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”  This is a very defeating place to be, especially when we know how our words harm others. 

Proverbs 12:13 says, “An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.” And Psalm 34:13 says, “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.” How can we get out of the snares our words have entangled us in? How can we keep our tongues from evil?  We can escape by inviting the Holy Spirit to empower us to control our tongues. He alone is the solution for taming our tongue so that we bless instead of curse. For many Christ-followers, the Holy Spirit is like this gift they’ve been given that stays wrapped. Luke 11:13 says that God wants to freely give us the Holy Spirit so that we can live a righteous life. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” If we want to purge the evil from our hearts and live a righteous life, we need to invite the Holy Spirit to change our hearts. Only with His help can we be transformed from the inside out! 

Take a Moment:

• What words have you said that are unrighteous toward others? 

• With whom do you need to let go of “getting even” and try to be a blessing instead? 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, please empower me with the Holy Spirit to overcome the evil that is on my tongue and bless others instead. It is hard not to get even, but I want to have Your righteous heart toward others. May the Holy Spirit give me the strength to speak words that bring life. Amen.