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Change Your Heart; Change Your Speech
In this episode, Elder Sarita Bernadette explores the profound power of words from a biblical perspective, emphasizing how our speech reflects our hearts and influences our lives. She discusses the importance of guarding our words, aligning them with God's truth, and transforming our inner selves to speak life and grace.
New episodes every Friday
In this episode:
In this episode, Elder Sarita Bernadette explores the profound power of words from a biblical perspective, emphasizing how our speech reflects our hearts and influences our lives. She discusses the importance of guarding our words, aligning them with God's truth, and transforming our inner selves to speak life and grace.
New episodes every Friday
In this episode:
- The power of words in scripture
- How words reflect our hearts
- Accountability for our speech in judgement
Scripture Reference:
Psalm 141:3 VOICE
Key Takeaway:
Our words reveal the condition of our hearts.
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Creators and Guests
What is Joy In Every Step?
Joy In Every Step is a Scripture-centered podcast hosted by Elder Sarita Bernadette, a Bible teacher, preacher, and retired elementary educator. Through warm, practical teachings rooted in God’s Word, Sarita encourages listeners to trust God through every season of life. Each episode offers biblical wisdom for navigating fear, grief, uncertainty, forgiveness, emotions, faith, and spiritual growth.
Whether you are walking through a mountaintop season or a difficult valley, Joy In Every Step is here to remind you of one enduring truth: God cares about you, He is present, and His joy can meet you in every step.
Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful servant of the Lord, elder Sarita Bernadette. Long before podcasting existed, a promise was spoken. That one day, Sarita's voice would bring comfort, clarity, and understanding through the word of God. Years later, when God opened the door, Sarita took the next step in faith.
Introduction:What began as a leap of faith has become a weekly invitation to walk more closely with God, discover the joy found in his word, and receive fresh revelation for every step of the journey. Whether you're walking through the valleys or standing on the mountaintops, Sarita's heartfelt messages will guide you back to God's promises with wisdom, warmth, and the gentle reminder that he cares deeply for you. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to Joy In Every Step. I'm glad you're here. Psalm one hundred forty one and three. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord.
Sarita Bernadette:Keep watch over the door of my lips. The Living Bible reads, Help me, Lord, to keep my mouth shut and my lips sealed. Yet another version, the voice reads, Guard my mouth, O Eternal One, control what I say. Keep a careful watch on every word I speak. Words matter.
Sarita Bernadette:Words matter. And we need the help of the Lord. Beloved, we talked about this in one of the early episodes. We're coming back to it today in order to take an even deeper look. We're going to be heavy on the scripture references, so prepare your heart and your mind.
Sarita Bernadette:True confession. I fell in love with words and wordplay early in life. I wouldn't call myself a verbal file, but I do find the English language interesting. Growing up, there were times when my parents had to rein me in, truly. It wasn't unusual to hear the occasional watch your mouth, girl.
Sarita Bernadette:I never used bad language or what we'd call, swear words, nothing like that. I knew better than that. However, there were times when I'd test the limits with my speech. I learned very early that one's words can build up or tear down. They matter.
Sarita Bernadette:Proverbs eighteen and twenty one. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it, for death or life. Words indeed have power. As I said, they can either build up or tear down. Beloved, the Bible tells us that the world was framed by the words of God.
Sarita Bernadette:The word framed comes from a term meaning to create, to form, fit together, put in order, adjust, or prepare for a purpose. Hebrews eleven and three. By faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so that the things which worse which are seen were not made of things which are visible. The New Living Translation reads, by faith, we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Genesis shows God speaking light, land, and life into reality.
Sarita Bernadette:There were no physical materials. God simply used his words. Genesis also tells us that we were created in his image. Genesis one verses twenty six and twenty seven. Then God said, let us make human beings in our image to be like us.
Sarita Bernadette:They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God, He created them. Male and female, He created them. We were made in the image and likeness of God, meaning we have the ability to create, to reason, experience emotions, etcetera, when we reflect His character and we represent Him here on earth.
Sarita Bernadette:Because we were created in His image, we have the capacity to frame some things in this world with our words. That is why we must watch what we allow to come out of our mouths. Again, words matter, they have power. Ephesians four gives us some guidance about our speech. Ephesians four and twenty nine.
Sarita Bernadette:Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. The voice translation reads like this. Don't let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths, instead offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way, your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them.
Sarita Bernadette:So, we must ask ourselves, is what I have to say beneficial? Is it helpful? Does it build others up? Is it encouraging? Does it convey grace?
Sarita Bernadette:Colossians four and six. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone. Our speech should be filled with spiritual fruit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Oh, yeah.
Sarita Bernadette:Heavy on the self control. That verse mentions salt as well. You know, a little salt sprinkled on food makes it better. Right? And it says, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
Sarita Bernadette:If we're careful, we'll learn to respond in a way that is appropriate for the situation. From the book of Proverbs, Proverbs fifteen and four. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Then twelve and eighteen. Rash words are like sword thrusts sword thrusts but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, our words should give life Harsh words cut. And once they've been released, they can't be unsaid. The bible teaches that changing your speech requires transforming your heart. It starts there. This is David in Psalm 51 verses 10 through 12.
Sarita Bernadette:Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain in me a willing spirit. David wrote those verses after the prophet Nathan challenged him about his sins. He he asked God for a new beginning.
Sarita Bernadette:He wanted to go beyond just changing his actions. He knew he needed a complete transformation from the inside and that only God would be able to fix what was tainted deep within him. David's words remind us about the importance of guarding our hearts. What we say comes from what we fill our inner being with. Luke six forty three-forty five.
Sarita Bernadette:A good tree can't produce bad fruit. A bad tree can't produce good fruit. A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thorn bushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. 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.
Sarita Bernadette:What you say flows from what is in your heart. Beloved, what's inside is going to come out. Jesus also reminded us in the twelfth chapter of Matthew as He was delivering the Sermon on the Mount. He said that a man's heart determines his speech. This is Matthew twelve thirty five and thirty seven.
Sarita Bernadette:A good man's speech reveals the rich treasures within him. An evil hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it. And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. Your words now reflect your fate then. Either you will be justified by them, or you will be condemned.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, in the end, we are going to be held accountable for what we say. We'll have to be more careful. James three verses eleven and twelve. This is from The Voice. Does a spring gush crystal clear fresh water and moments later spurt out bitter salt water?
Sarita Bernadette:My brothers and sisters, does a fig tree produce olives? Is there a grapevine capable of growing figs? Can salt water give way to fresh water? Beloved, bitter and sweet water cannot come from the same well. Selah.
Sarita Bernadette:Isaiah 5five ten and eleven. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. My Lord, here God's word is likened to rain and snow that water the earth and help things to grow. His words are powerful, active, and sure to achieve what God intends.
Sarita Bernadette:We established earlier that we were created in the limit image and likeness of God. Right? Our words go out with intention as well. They will succeed. They will hit their target.
Sarita Bernadette:That's why we must be careful with them. So having said all of that, I want to pose a question. This has been heavy on my mind and heart lately, and I've heard several messages on the same theme. You know, God does that. Here's the question.
Sarita Bernadette:Do the things you say to and about yourself align with what God says about you? Would you say those same things to or about someone else? Perhaps you have the self talk thing handled and that's wonderful if you do. God bless you. I'm happy for you.
Sarita Bernadette:But for some of us, we still need a little help. If you already have it all together, just go ahead and pass this episode along to someone else, and thank you. Beloved, there are some things we say routinely in casual conversation and in self talk, sometimes it's just self thought, that harms us. It's not good for us. And they're tricky because they're lies dressed up to sound like wisdom or humility or sometimes even self control.
Sarita Bernadette:They're sneaky little snares that impede our progress. They actually tell our spirits that they tell our spirits what we really think about ourselves. And and sometimes they tell us what we think about others. Right? Something to think about.
Sarita Bernadette:We're gonna leave it right there for today. Bit of a cliffhanger. Right? Be sure to tune in next week because we're gonna continue with this topic. We want to get into some of the specifics of what we're saying and how the word of God says something different.
Sarita Bernadette:We have to be more careful. We really need to dig in and dissect the words that we are using when we're talking to ourselves. Meanwhile, we need to examine our hearts. Examine your heart, beloved. Ask the Lord to point out what you may be holding onto, what you may have buried deep inside.
Sarita Bernadette:Ask the Lord to point that out to you and ask Him how it's affecting your speech. This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcast and give us a follow there.
Sarita Bernadette:Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you
Introduction:next time.