The Heart-Mouth Connection (Proverbs 4:23-24)
- Rachel Coyle
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. ²⁴Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. —Proverbs 4:23-24
My friend recently participated in a ministry at a medium-security prison. Beforehand, she completed a full background check. The day of, she carefully selected her outfit based on the guidelines: no metal on or inside a piece of clothing, no jewelry, no gang signs or colors. She set off for the prison with her ID tucked in her pocket. Multiple guards continued to check it, even after her hand was stamped with ink visible only to an ultraviolet light. Prison guards understand the threat from both directions: what comes into the prison is just as important to protect against as what goes out.
Today’s passage evokes this sort of image. “Keep your heart with all vigilance,” we’re told. The Hebrew literally says, “above all guarding, guard your heart.” We tend to diligently keep our cars and houses locked to guard against predators. But how careful are we to protect our hearts?
At one time, Christian culture diminished the phrase “guard your heart” to refer only to being careful who you date. Protect your romantic emotions, the thinking went. But this doesn’t capture the full scope of Solomon’s admonition because the heart refers to much more than mere emotions. In Scripture, the heart is who we are in our innermost being. It’s our thoughts, desires, motives, and beliefs. The heart influences our everyday decisions. God commands us to love Him with all our heart (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30). Guarding your heart this way yields great reward.
Consider what you allow into your heart. How are the ideas and people you listen to, follow online, read, and watch influencing you? What do they make you want, chase after, think about, long for? Do they move you to love God and others more, or something else? Solomon urges us, Above all guarding, guard your heart.
Why is it so important that we keep a careful watch over our hearts? Because “from it flow the springs of life.” The choices we make are the overflow of what’s in our hearts. What we allow in will come out. This week’s passage begins to explain what this means and what it looks like as it relates to our speech.
Jesus made a similar heart-mouth connection when He said, “what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 15:18a) and “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). If we want to examine our hearts, we should start by examining our words. The focus in our passage is on “crooked speech” and “devious talk.” Throughout the Bible, God clearly states His expectations of how we are to speak (Ephesians 4:25, 29; Philippians 2:14; Colossians 3:8,9; 2 Timothy 2:16). Any veering off of His clearly marked path is “crooked” or “devious.” In practical terms, this includes every kind of speech–whether slander, gossip, or venting our anger or frustration, in person and online. As Christians, the words we say and the tone we use should honor Christ, please Him, and exemplify Him.
If you’re like me, by now you’re squirming in your seat. Who hasn’t stumbled in their words? Be comforted to know you aren’t alone. James 3:8 tells us the tongue “is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” We can all relate to the need to put off sinful speech. Mercifully, the Spirit helps us in our weakness so we can learn to speak in ways that build others up and glorify God.
Maybe it’s time to check the security measures we’ve set up around our hearts. What’s allowed to pass through should draw us to love God and others more. As we fill our hearts with truth from God’s Word and the example of Jesus Christ, our words will, by God’s grace, overflow with life and peace to others.
For Reflection
What can you do today to “keep your heart with all vigilance” in both directions—what goes in and what comes out?
How can you “put away” the kind of speech—written and spoken—that doesn’t honor Christ?
Thank God that Jesus’ perfect record is counted to you through faith in Him. Ask Him to turn your heart toward Him and help you guard and protect your heart carefully.
Rachel Coyle is a biblical counselor, Bible teacher, and author of Help! She's Struggling with Pornography from Shepherd’s Press. She and her husband Philip have six children. Scripture memory plays a pivotal role in their parenting and homeschooling as they sing, write, and discuss the meaning and application of passages. The Coyles live in South Carolina where they're members of Boiling Springs First Baptist Church.