Matthew 15:18
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
When a person has a heart attack or a stroke, the doctor often tells the patient they need to change their diet for their heart’s sake. The doctor tells the patient that what they have been eating caused a blockage in the heart, which led to a heart attack or stroke. Though the doctor may be able to correct the blockage, he cannot keep it from happening again if the patient continues to take in food that causes a blockage. If a patient wants to live an enjoyable life without the effects of a stroke or heart attack, they must change their diet so that their heart can stay healthy.
What you take in spiritually does affect your spiritual heart. Many believers are living with a blockage in their spiritual heart caused by taking in the wrong things, which has caused them to grow cold. The Pharisees were more concerned with what a person took in their physical body more than they were concerned with what they took in spiritually. Jesus reminded them in Matthew 15:11, Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Jesus knew that those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart. Jesus knew that caring for the intake of the spiritual heart is of much greater concern than caring for the intake of the physical body. What you take in can defile you. To defile something means to soil, mar, or contaminate your life. If you don't want to defile your life, don't defile your heart by taking in things that will contaminate your walk with Christ. Let me point out the process of defiling your spiritual heart.
First, you take in that which defiles you. You see or hear things that will defile you, and the more you take in, the more those bad things have the opportunity to defile your heart.
Second, you think on that which defiles you. Proverbs 23:7 says, For as he thinketh in his heart,… You can only think on that which you take in, so to take in that which mars, soils, or contaminates your spiritual walk is what you think about. You cannot think good when you take in that which is bad.
Third, that which you think on eventually comes out. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, …out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. What you take in eventually comes out. That is what Jesus was saying in verse 18 when He says, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. Whatever you take in eventually will come out. You cannot take in that which defiles you without it defiling you on the inside and eventually coming out and defiling your life and testimony.
My friend, if you are to keep from that which defiles you, be careful with what you take in because everything you take in goes to the heart. In other words, you need to change your spiritual diet if you don't want your heart to be defiled. Many believers live a cold life toward God because they have defiled their heart with the things of the world only to have a part of their heart die with a spiritual heart attack or stroke. If you take in false doctrine under the pretense of taking in the good and spit out the bones, the false doctrine will defile you and eventually come out. Those who leak compromise are those who have been taking in something they should have never taken in. If you don't want to defile your heart, change your spiritual diet to only take in that which purifies the heart, and only good will leak out and not compromise.
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