Matthew 15:15-20 – “But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” ¹⁶ Jesus said, “Even after all this, are you still so foolish? ¹⁷ Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then passes out into the sewer? ¹⁸ But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. ²⁰ These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God, a word kept echoing in my heart and head.   That word was Unfiltered.   That is amplified in Matthew 15:15-20.   This reveals a problem most tend to gloss over.

Some say, “I just tell it like it is, or I speak my mind.”   Yes, but is that the mind of Christ?  Unfiltered words are an overflow from the heart.  They reveal the true condition of the heart.  They are not to be excused.  It’s not your Irish or whatever heritage coming out; it is you!  You are responsible for your words and actions, and no one else. Just because you can, does not mean you should!

In 1 Chronicles 4:10, we have the infamous prayer of Jabez.   This prayer reveals a heart fully surrendered.  A totally surrendered heart will always filter its tongue.

The prayer of Jabez reveals that before God can enlarge our borders, He must enlarge His place in our hearts.   Jabez sought a blessing so he could be a blessing.  He totally submitted to God, dedicated his life to service, and sought spiritual power and deliverance.

Life, as revealed in Jabez and Matthew 15, is not about us; it is about the kingdom!   If our hearts are filled with God, our focus is not on us but on others.   If someone is lost, we seek to see them saved.   If they are hurting, we seek to see them healed.   If they are deceived, we seek the light to shine on them.  If they have gone astray, we seek their restoration.   Unfiltered hearts blast others, but a heart that overflows with God realizes that soft answers turn away wrath.

Our words reveal our hearts.  We can try to justify unfiltered words by saying that it’s because we care, but it is usually because we want what we want.     I ask, “LORD, let the words of our mouths be words from Your heart.”

May your filter filter out the unfiltered words that harm!