The Circumcision of the Heart | Speaking After the Covenant
In Romans 2:29, Paul speaks of the “circumcision of the heart.” What does this mean? It is a symbol of…
- Cutting away fleshly desires, thoughts, and habits
- Leaving behind your old identity and embracing your new identity in Yeshua
- Embracing your covenant relationship with God
In Hebrew thinking, circumcision and covenant are closely tied. Our heart’s circumcision symbolizes that we are in covenant with God, cutting away the old way of life and embracing the inheritance of our Father.
This connects to Yeshua’s teaching, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45). Whatever we are in covenant with (the flesh, the world, or the Lord) is what will come out of our mouths. We must learn to speak after the covenant, not our circumstances or old mindsets!
How the Word Changes Our Hearts
The words we speak are a manifestation of what is in our hearts. God discerns the intentions of the heart. Faulty thinking and double-mindedness eventually produce rotten fruit that manifests in our…
- Words
- Tones
- Attitudes
- Thought patterns
- Habits
This is what James meant when he said, “Don’t be double-minded and unstable in your ways.” You will feel off balance when your heart and words don’t align, specifically with God’s. This is a prompt to return and focus on the Lord, asking Him to cut off what is not of Him in your thought life so that your mouth won’t sow seeds of contention.
The Bible says that the Word is sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts to our hearts, judging our thoughts and attitudes. The circumcision of the heart is done by the Word.
- The Word became flesh in Jesus the Messiah.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John 1:14
- The Word is our sword against the enemy.
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…”—Ephesians 6:17:18
- The Word is God-breathed and useful for teaching and correcting.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”—2 Timothy 3:16-17
Therefore, you must be in the Word if you want to be shaped and circumcised by it. This allows you to have deeper covenant revelation and speak in a way that cuts off the enemy, giving you victory. This ultimately leads to the fulfillment of your Kingdom purpose.
Understanding Your Covenant Rights
The Lord is a covenant-keeping God. Your covenant relationship with Him is more than just a concept; it is a legally binding agreement. Through covenant, God reveals how His unbreakable promises hold us together, even when we falter. Covenant is not about human effort, but about being transformed to operate in a new way of life!
Under the blood covering of Yeshua, we are grafted into God’s family and share in Israel’s inheritance as covenant people. The purpose of embracing covenant relationship is to walk in the fullness of our salvation, operating in our true identity and Kingdom assignment.
The Bible reveals God’s many covenant promises to His children, including…
- Your covenant right to prosper in your purpose as you meditate on God’s Word (Joshua 1:8)
- Your covenant right to take authority over snakes, scorpions, and the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19)
- Your covenant right to operate in peace in every situation (Philippians 4:6-7)
We embrace our covenant rights with humility, not entitlement or pride. In Matthew 5:5, Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” To be meek is to refuse to take control into one’s own hands, trusting God’s control, and remembering that all rights and gifts come from Him, not ourselves.
As we walk in spiritual meekness and trust in God as our Abba, we will begin to walk in proper authority, seeing His power operate through our covenant rights!
The Words We Speak in 5785
We are in the Hebrew year 5785, and the decade of the 80s, which is pey. It is the decade of the mouth. The words we speak matter. Moreover, the words we speak in this decade must be in alignment with the Lord. It is time for the nations to arise and worship the King. It is time our mouths proclaim His goodness and glory!
The nations are at a turning point, but so is the Kingdom of God.
We have a choice to speak according to God’s Word, get our news from God’s Word, and come into alignment with God’s Word through the circumcision of the heart.
Rather than speaking words that align with fear, ask God to purify your heart and wash it with the truth that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). God did not give you a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).
Proclaim these truths when the lies of the world are pressing in!
God as Covenant-Keeper
God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants, giving them a physical mark of circumcision. The physical circumcision was a reminder of the circumcision of the heart that was within them. They were “cut out” of the nations and set apart for Him, to be in a covenant relationship with Him.
The covenant’s intent was to define Abraham, his descendants, and ultimately Israel, as belonging to God, and to be their delight. As a response to the covenant, they received divine protection and provision.
Remember, Abraham believed God, and this was counted to him as righteousness—he believed in his heart God’s promises. This means that the circumcision of the heart starts with belief.
When we believe, a covenant is made, and our hearts and souls cry out for and belong to the Lord. When we depend on Him for all things, seeking His Kingdom and righteousness first, we can trust that He will provide and protect us because of the covenant agreement.
The question the Lord is asking many in the Body of Messiah today is this…
- When the world is in chaos and confusion, spitting lies out of the mouths of false prophets and false gods, will you return to your covenant with Me, trusting Me, cutting off the flesh, and aligning with what I say?
He is asking His covenant people to choose Him at this turning point in time and trust in the things that are not yet seen but promised.
- “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”—Hebrews 11:1
- “’Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.’”—Joshua 24:14-15
The Circumcision of the Heart Bible Verses
Meditate and pray these verses, asking the Holy Spirit to revive you with fresh, purifying water and a new word to circumcise your heart so that you will speak after the covenant, not after the flesh!
- “’A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.’” —Luke 6:45
- “He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” —Genesis 17:13-14
- “‘And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?… Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.'” —Deuteronomy 10:12, 16
- “Plow your uncultivated ground [for a season], and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise (dedicate, sanctify) yourselves to the Lord and remove the foreskin [sins] of your heart…” —Jeremiah 4:1-4 (AMP)
- “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ…” —Colossians 2:11
Living as New Creations
We see how circumcision of the heart represents the removal of our old identity and mindset, allowing us to speak and live as new creations in alignment with God’s covenant. How should we respond to this understanding?
- Praise God. Though circumcision and discipline are painful, they are done to protect. God’s Word repeatedly teaches that obedience protects us. It protects our health, finances, families, and homes. Praise God for the circumcision of the heart (see Hebrews 12:11).
- Take thoughts captive. Before you speak, take your thoughts captive and make them obedient to Jesus. Ask Him to cut off any part of your speech that is manipulative, impure, or unwholesome. If it isn’t going to build or benefit those who listen, don’t say it (see 2 Corinthians 10:5).
- Cleanse your mouth. This will be a process, not to be done in the flesh but by the Spirit. Ask yourself if there is any unwholesome talk about to depart from your lips, ask Him to bridle your tongue (see James 3:2).
- Guard your gates. What we consume influences how we think and speak. Guard your eye and ear gates, as they feed into your heart gate (see Proverbs 4:20-27)
Pray
- “Father God, I praise You for You are a covenant-keeping God! You are my good Father who provides and protects, guiding me into Your ways. I thank You, recognizing Your ways are higher, Your ways are better. Lord God, I come boldly to Your throne, asking You to send a fresh anointing of Your Spirit upon me, prompting me to take my thoughts captive, making them obedient to You. Lord God, cleanse my mouth and my heart. Cut off any unclean and unwholesome thought or word in me. Bridle my tongue! Place a hedge of protection around me, guarding what comes into my atmosphere. Let me not pick up anything through my eye or ear gate that will pull my heart away from You. I pray these things in the name of Yeshua, amen!”