Does Your Heart Stink? (Proverbs 12:20)
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Proverbs 12:20
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
but those who plan peace have joy.
Proverbs 12:20 reminds us that our plans reveal more than our strategy; they reveal our hearts. We like to imagine that our inner life is private, sealed off, unobservable. But Scripture keeps pressing this point: whatever fills the heart eventually spills outward — in our words, in our habits, and yes, even in our plans.
A deceitful heart doesn’t stay hidden; it naturally bends toward self-serving schemes. But the one whose heart is at peace with God can plan peace for others — and paradoxically, that’s where joy is found. Joy isn’t the reward for getting life under control; it’s the fruit of a heart that has already been embraced by God’s peace.
In other words, we don’t just need better plans. We need a renewed heart — the kind only Jesus gives.
And when that happens, our plans start reflecting not our anxieties but His peace.
So reflect on your plans:
What do they reveal about the condition of your heart?
There’s an old movie I rewatched recently — my favorite movie ever — called Facing the Giants. There’s a scene where they talk about your attitude being the aroma of your heart, and they went around asking if their hearts stunk…with a big sniff. I’m reminded of that now.
Does your heart stink?
What better time, and rather who better a person to bring it before, than the Carpenter of carpenters whose trade is not rebuilding houses, but rescuing and restoring hearts.
Let’s pray.
