The law of the human heart – what is in must come out

The law of gravity says that what goes up must come down; the law of the human heart says that what’s inside must come out:

“Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)

However hard we try to conceal frustration, ignore insecurity, hide hatred or cover up competition, it comes out one way or another. The Young’s Literal Translation shines more light on this verse:

“Above every charge, keep thy heart, for out of it are the outgoings.” Proverbs 4:23

On many office desks are in-trays and out-trays. The in-tray is for incoming mail and the out-tray is for your outgoing letters and papers. Our hearts are like our in-tray and our out-tray in one.

Slime Alert!

We need to watch what we let in because whatever it is – junk TV, magazines, unhelpful relationships, negative thoughts or wrong attitudes – will eventually find its way to our out-tray. Our hearts can all too easily fill up with rubbish. Whether we like it or not, our issues will eventually spill out in front of the people around us.

We all know what it’s like to be with someone who is anxious or envious. It doesn’t take long before their angst or bitterness starts to affect the conversation. If we aren’t careful, it has an impact on us too.

“If he that hath the issue spit upon him that is clean, then he shall wash.” Leviticus 15:8 (King James Version). When you are with someone who is harbouring resentment or nurturing a bad attitude, you can sometimes come away feeling horrible. You have been ‘slimed’ by their heart issues. When that happens, it’s really important to get into the presence of God and ask Him to cleanse you.

Pray for your brother or sister with love and ask the Lord to bring His healing and cleansing into their life too. Don’t judge them though. You don’t know what you are carrying around in your heart or what you are unwittingly dumping on your friends. This is the way the human heart works. What’s inside will come out, whether we like it or not.

Knock-on effect 

If we are insecure, it will have an impact on the way we behave and relate to others. We might try to hide insecurity, but even the undiscerning eye can spot it.

If I have a heavy heart, I may be carrying a spirit of heaviness around with me and making the atmosphere heavy for others. When we’re offended, resentment will all too often be on our lips, painted across our faces and evident in our body language. We might think, “I’m just upset or cross”. In truth, we’re probably offended.

Issues

The verse in Proverbs says that out of the heart spring the issues of life. The human heart is like a spring or a river. When it starts flowing, it gushes. The way I see things, we all have issues.

The issues that I have had to contend with over the years include insecurity, people-pleasing and competitiveness. Insecurity made me crave affirmation, the fear of man made me overly anxious about the opinions of others and competitiveness made me battle with friends to be the best. All of that was exhausting, but I didn’t even know I was doing it.

Proverbs 20:27 says that the lamp of the Lord shines into the inner depths of our hearts. God doesn’t want us to ignore our inner issues. He wants us to acknowledge what’s inside so that He can remove what’s wrong and fill us afresh with His healing love.

Getting over our issues

If you want to be free from all inner issues so that you can fulfil your purpose, you will need to allow God to dig deep in your heart. Each of our books is written to help you on this journey. Healed for Life is for anyone who wants to become their best. See www.jonaughton.com for details – you will be amazed at what God will do!