You Are What You Eat!!! 

We have all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Now, if that is completely true, some of us should have turned into a chicken wing, a taco, a honey bun, or a large sweet tea by now. I’m not naming names. I’m just saying some of us have been dangerously close. But the point of the saying is simple: what you keep putting into your body will eventually show up in your life. Eat junk all the time, and eventually your body will start sending little warning signs. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it yells. Sometimes it says, “Sir, we need to have a meeting.” But that same principle is true spiritually. What we feed our hearts will eventually come out of our mouths.

This devotional was inspired by something one of our pastors, Donovan Moody, shared yesterday about living righteously. As he was teaching, it made me think about how righteousness is not just about what we avoid. It is also about how we live, how we treat people, how we respond, and yes, how we speak. When I first rededicated my life to the Heavenly Father, one of the first books I started reading was Proverbs. I did not fully understand everything at first, but I knew I needed wisdom. I needed help with how to live, how to think, how to respond, how to make decisions, and how to walk in a way that pleased God. That is why Proverbs is so important. Proverbs is wisdom for everyday righteous living. It does not just speak to what happens on Sunday. It speaks to Monday morning attitudes, workplace conversations, family disagreements, friendships, money, discipline, anger, and the words that come out of our mouths.

Proverbs is like wisdom in work boots. It meets us right where we live. And one thing Proverbs makes very clear is that righteous living includes righteous speech.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” That is a strong statement. Not “the tongue can be a little helpful.” Not “the tongue can sometimes be a problem.” No. Life and death.That means our words can build or break. They can heal or wound. They can encourage or discourage. They can bring peace or stir up more fire.

Proverbs 12:18 says, “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” That means some words cut people, and some words help people recover.

Proverbs 15:4 says, “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” That tells me our words are not small. They can either give life or weigh someone down.

And Proverbs 10:20 says, “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver.” In other words, words spoken with wisdom, truth, and righteousness have value.

But Jesus takes it even deeper in Matthew 12:35 when He says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.”

Did you catch that? Whew! Man! Goodness gracious!

Words do not come from nowhere. They come from storage. What is stored in the heart eventually comes out of the mouth. So the question is not just, “What did I say?” The deeper question is, “Where did that come from?” If anger keeps coming out, maybe anger has been stored up. If bitterness keeps coming out, maybe bitterness has been sitting too long. If complaining keeps coming out, maybe we have been feeding on fear, frustration, and disappointment. If gossip keeps coming out, maybe we have been eating from the wrong table. Because you are what you eat. And spiritually speaking, you will eventually speak what you have been feeding on. That is why we have to be careful about what we allow into our hearts. What we watch matters. What we listen to matters. The conversations we entertain matter. The thoughts we rehearse matter. The voices we keep giving access to matter. Because sooner or later, what is inside will ask for a microphone. But here is the encouraging part: if the wrong words have been coming out, the Heavenly Father through Lord Jesus can help change what is being stored within. He can clean the heart. He can renew the mind. He can teach us wisdom. He can help us pause before we speak. He can help our words become healing instead of harmful.

The goal is not to become fake and say the “right” thing while our hearts are still full of the wrong thing. The goal is to let God do such a work on the inside that what comes out of us begins to sound more like Him. Words of grace. Words of truth. Words of encouragement. Words that correct with love. Words that bring peace. Words that give life. So today, pay attention to your words. Not with shame, but with awareness. Your mouth may be revealing what your heart has been eating. And if you do not like what has been coming out, do not just try to control your tongue. Ask the Heavenly Father to change the diet of your heart. Because when your heart is fed by His Word, your mouth has a better chance of speaking life.

Next Step

Today, take inventory of your words. Ask yourself: Have my words been feeding life or feeding discouragement? Before you speak, pause and ask, “Will this build, heal, correct in love, or bring peace?” Then spend a few minutes in Proverbs and ask the Heavenly Father to help you store up wisdom in your heart. Because your tongue will eventually serve what your heart has been eating.

God bless you, God keep you. God loves you and I love you too!