OF THE HEART AND THE MOUTH
“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” Matthew 15:17-18 NIV
There is a sobering clarity in Jesus’ words. The Pharisees were concerned with ceremonial cleanness, yet Christ exposed a deeper pollution—one that no ritual can wash away. It is not what we take in through physical means that defiles us, but what flows from within us: words laced with bitterness, speech born of pride, slander disguised as concern, or silence soaked in resentment.
What we say reveals who we are at the core. Our tongues simply give language to the hidden conversations of the heart. This is why God doesn’t simply call us to change our speech—He calls us to give Him our hearts. A transformed heart will eventually speak a new language: one marked by grace, truth, and humility. Sanctification is not a matter of merely avoiding foul words or masking our tone. It’s about the Spirit taking residence deep within, softening what is hard, healing what is wounded, and cleansing what is unclean. The aim is not moral politeness but holy transformation.
Let us ask, What do my words reveal about my heart? Not to condemn ourselves, but to invite the grace of God to continue His inward work. For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks—and by His grace, we want it to speak of Him.
Prayer: Father, I thank You that You are not content with surface change, but that You reach into the depths of our hearts to make us new. Cleanse me from within, Lord. Where there is pride, plant humility. Where there is bitterness, pour out Your mercy. Let the words of my mouth reflect a heart yielded to You, for Your glory and the good of those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
CI.
RELATED RESOURCES
• Luke 6:45
• James 3:2
