The Circumcision of the Heart | Speaking After the Covenant
The circumcision of the heart is…
- The cutting away of fleshly desires, thoughts, and habits
- The leaving behind of the old identity and embracing the new identity in Yeshua
- The symbol of the covenant
In Hebrew thinking, circumcision and covenant are closely tied. Making a covenant is the same as cutting a covenant. So then, when the circumcision of the heart takes place, we are “cutting off” the ways of the flesh and coming into a covenant agreement with the Lord, who He is in our lives (the King of kings), and who we are in Him (a new creation).
This then ties to Yeshua’s teaching, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” In other words, whatever we are in covenant with (the flesh, the world, or the Lord) is what will come out of our mouths.
Therefore, let us gain a deeper understanding of the circumcision of the heart and make a daily choice to cut off faulty thinking so we can start to speak after the covenant in which we have been grafted into.
The Circumcision of the Heart is Done by the Word
The words we speak are a manifestation of what is in our hearts. God discerns the intentions of the heart. Therefore, if our mouths speak words that sound like truth, but our hearts are not cut off from old ways of thinking, this faulty thinking is double-mindedness and eventually produces rotten fruit that is manifested 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. When your heart and words don’t align—specifically with God’s—you will feel off balance. 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 Christ.
“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’s purpose.
The Lord is a covenant-keeping God. He wants you to understand the covenant you are part of so that you know…
- The blessings that come from walking in covenant alignment (purpose, prosperity, provision, and protection)
- The curses that come from disobeying and walking out of covenant alignment (confusion, destruction, and defeat)
Because the Lord is a good Father, we can trust His Word will come to pass.
We read in the Bible how every promise of God comes to pass—whether it is a promise that comes from obedience, which is intended to bless, or a promise of a curse, which is intended to turn humanity to Him.
He is a Father who knows how to discipline perfectly. And He is a good Father who loves us perfectly. This is why He gives us free will to choose Him and His ways of operation.
The Circumcision of the Heart and the Words We Speak in 5782
We are in the Hebrew year 5782, 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!
The Circumcision of the Heart and Covenant Understanding
God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendent, 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 be a unification and a delight to Abraham, his descendants, and ultimately Israel for belonging to the Lord. They belonged to Him, and as a response (remember, Abraham BELIEVED God, and it was counted to him as righteousness—he BELIEVED in his heart the promises of God) to the covenant, they received divine protection and provision.
With this said, the circumcision of the heart starts with BELIEF. Then 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 Christ today is this…
- When the world is in chaos and confusion, spitting lies out of mouths of false prophets and false gods, will you return to your covenant with Me, trusting Me, and cutting off the flesh and align 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 Holy Spirit to revive you with freshwater that purifies 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
Now What?
Now that we know that the circumcision of the heart is a cutting away of the flesh so that we can speak and sow seeds that are in alignment with the Word of God and covenant, how are we to respond?
- Praise God. Though circumcision and discipline are painful, it is done to protect. Over and over again, we read in God’s Word 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 Christ. 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!”