Filtering

“It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth." Matthew 15:11 (NLT)

I watched with curiosity as my husband took a drink of his coffee and then dumped the rest down the sink. He then reached into the cupboard and took out a filter, poured a second cup of coffee into the mug, which he then drank. You see, the first cup had coffee grinds in it and for it to be more palatable a filter was needed to get rid of the grinds.

Not everything we think or feel should come out of our mouths. We should not let the words we speak hurt others; rather we are “to encourage one another and build each other up” (I Thessalonians 5:11). We are admonished to speak the truth, but to speak it in love; in other words, filter what comes out.

The best way to filter what comes out is to filter what goes in our minds. We are admonished to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8). Therefore we need to be conscientious about what with what we are filling our minds. What kind of music are we listening to, what is our chosen reading material, what are we watching on television or in the theater? How are we spending our time? Perhaps the more time I spend in the Word and with the Father, the less will need to be filtered that comes out of my mouth. How about you?