“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” – Matthew 15:18
What we eat may be unhealthy but it can’t make us unclean in God’s eyes. Our bodies take care of that naturally as Jesus explained in the verse before this one. On the other hand, what we say…. That can really make us unclean in God’s eyes!
The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the terrible power of our words to hurt others AND ourselves. Hasty, rude, angry, cruel, obscene, profane, divisive, or selfish words not only reflect the poor health of our souls, they reinforce that worsen that health. Words can absolutely be sinful. We must recognize that and repent whenever we sin with our mouths.
We must also recognize that if we have a pattern of sinful words it reflects a heart that needs additional transformation in Jesus Christ. Don’t excuse away your words. Embrace the spiritual work of drawing nearer to Jesus and letting Him transform your words. Invest in your daily time with Jesus, studying and meditating on His Word, talking to Him in prayer, and worshiping Him both privately and publicly. You may need to invest in counseling to help apply His Word more fully to your hearts so that you speak life rather than death and holiness rather than defilement. Be willing to do whatever it takes to get your heart and mouth in alignment with your Savior. #FollowJesus