The Esau Syndrome

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.
— Luke 6:45

It has been said that in an average day, from morning to night, we speak enough words to fill a book of about 50 or 60 pages. In an average year, our words could fill 100 books consisting of 200 pages.

But I don't think it is necessarily a good thing to say so much, because the Bible says we will be held accountable for everything we say. Jesus said, "And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak" (Matthew 12:36).

Our words determine where our hearts are. Jesus also said, "What you say flows from what is in your heart" (Luke 6:45). If your heart is hard, then it will show by what you say. If you are bitter, then you will find yourself talking about it, because bitter people love to spread it around.

Watch out for the Esau syndrome. Hebrews 12:15–16 warns, "Â…Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal." Esau traded away God's lifelong gift to satisfy a short-term appetite. The weeds of bitter discontent can ruin a whole garden in no time.

If your heart is filled with bitterness, then it will come out in your words. And if your heart is filled with lust, that will come out in your words as well. For some people, everything is a sexual innuendo or a double entendre. Everything they say seems to have a sexual connotation.

But if you have a heart that is filled with grace and love and wisdom from God's Word, that, too, will come out. And that should be the goal of every believer.

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Copyright ©2011 by Harvest Ministries. All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.