When you talk about the heart, I am reminded of this scripture.
“But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.””
Matthew 15:18-20 NKJV
Of course no one is perfect, but when we listen to what the Lord Jesus Christ has said. It can cut us deep into our soul. For the word of God is like that of a two-edged sword.
You should probably be reminded of other Scripture...
Matthew 6:20-21, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Deuteronomy 6:5-6, "
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts."
Deuteronomy 10:12, "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him,
to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul..."
Deuteronomy 11:18, "
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.
Deuteronomy 15:10, "
Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to."
Deuteronomy 26:16, "The Lord your God commands you this day to follow these decrees and laws;
carefully observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 30:6,
"The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live."
Deuteronomy 30:14, "No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."
Joshua 22:5, "But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
1 Samuel 2:1, "Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance."
1 Samuel 12:24, "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.
1 Samuel 16:7, "But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
1 Kings 3:6, "Solomon answered, “You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart."
1 Kings 3:12, "I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.
1 Kings 8:18, "But the Lord said to my father David, ‘You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name.'
1 Kings 8:58, "May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in obedience to him and keep the commands, decrees and laws he gave our ancestors."
1 King 8:51, "And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
1 Kings 8:66, "On the following day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and then went home, joyful and glad in heart for all the good things the Lord had done for his servant David and his people Israel."
1 Kings 10:24, "The whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart."
1 Kings 11:37, "However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel."
1 Kings 14:8, "... you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes."
1 Kings 15:14, "Although he did not remove the high places,
Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life."
2 Kings 22:19, "
Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people—that they would become a curse and be laid waste—and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I also have heard you, declares the Lord."
2 Kings 23:3, "The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—
to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant."
2 Kings 23;25, "Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him
who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses."
1 Chronicles 16:10, "Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice."
1 Chronicles 28:9, "“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind,
for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever."
1 Chronicles 28:19, "Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel,
keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you."
2 Chronicles 1:11, "God said to Solomon, “
Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom
I have made you king,"
2 Chronicles 6:30, "then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with everyone according to all they do,
since you know their hearts (for you alone know the human heart),"
2 Chronicles 7:10,
"On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people to their homes
, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the Lord had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel."
2 Chronicles 9:23, "All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon
to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart."
2 Chronicles 11:16,
"Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the Lord, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the Lord, the God of their ancestors."
2 Chronicles 15:12,
"They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul."
2 Chronicles 15:17, "Although he did not remove the high places from Israel,
Asa’s heart was fully committed to the Lord all his life."
2 Chronicles 17:6
, "His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah."
2 Chronicles 19:3, "There is, however, some good in you, for you have rid the land of the Asherah poles and
have set your heart on seeking God.”
2 Chronicles 22:9b, "They buried him, for they said, “He was a son of Jehoshaphat,
who sought the Lord with all his heart.”
2 Chronicles 30:18b-20, "But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good,
pardon everyone who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people."
2 Chronicles 34:27, "
Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard what he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the Lord."
2 Chronicles 34:31, "The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—
to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
Ezra 1:5, "Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—
everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem."
Ezra 7:27, "Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors,
who has put it into the king’s heart to bring honor to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way"
Nehemiah 2:12, "I set out during the night with a few others.
I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem."
Nehemiah 4:6, "So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height,
for the people worked with all their heart."
Nehemiah 9:8
, "You found his heart faithful to you, and you made a covenant with him to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites. You have kept your promise because you are righteous."
Job 19:27, "I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!"
Job 33:3
, "My words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know."
Enough? Or should I continue?
