Jesus, teaching about things that defile a person, addresses what comes out of our mouths. He draws a direct line from the mouth to the heart because what we say comes from our heart. We can do a great job of masking our thoughts so that no hears them or sees them. What we cannot do, though, is mask our words. When we have something on our heart, we are more likely to talk about it. When we bottle up those things, they begin to affect us in numerous ways, and that’s why our words flow out of our hearts.

• What’s on your heart lately that you find yourself talking about to others?

This idea can be scary to some of us. When we really look at what and whom we talk about, it can shine a light into the darkness of our own lives. If a direct line can be drawn from our mouth to our heart, then we must look at how we use our words. What is the current condition of your heart? What attitude comes out of your mouth that originates from your heart? Probably 99 percent of the time, the spiritual battles in our life come straight from our heart!