Matthew 15:11 – “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” (NLT).
How are we defiled by the words of our mouths? I mean, after all, they are just words are they not?
To understand this concept, we first need to understand what words are. Words are the conscious and deliberate sounds that come out of our mouths, motivated by that which is in our hearts (Luke 6:45).Words are sounds that have meaning. But when they are combined with the intentions of our hearts, they can be very powerful because they can bring death or life as covered in the previous article.
When we truly mean what we say and a statement is coming from the heart, it is more powerful than a casual statement or joke for example. The sincerity of one’s heart affects the power of the statement. The more you mean that statement, the greater the amplification. So, there is a difference between saying, “I declare healing over you in Jesus name”, because it seems like the appropriate thing to say; and “I declare healing over you in Jesus name”, said with understanding, conviction, and boldness. I hope this makes sense.
Now let’s go back to our bible verse. Firstly, what does it mean to “defile”? It means to corrupt, to soil, or make dirty something that is pure. When we go against the word of God, we sin, and sin makes us dirty – it defiles us.
The word of God’s says:
- “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another” – Leviticus 19:11.
- But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth – Colossians 3:8.
- Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving – Ephesians 5:4
- Brothers and sisters do not slander one another – James 4:11
- Do not judge, or you too will be judged – Matthew 7:1
- Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, … – Ephesians 4:29.
Lies, filthy language, foolish talk, dirty jokes, slander, and judgements are all corrupt words. The above scriptures instruct us on the use of words with the last scripture stating that we should let no corrupt word proceed out of our mouths. When we go against these scriptures and do the opposite, we sin thereby defiling ourselves and that is how we are defiled by the words that come out of our mouths.