Title: Fought in the heart
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. – Ephesians 4:29a
I remember one time as a child that my father actually spanked me for telling him to “shut up!” I learned these words from my older brothers and sisters and used the words not even thinking how dirty they really were.
Jesus said “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matthew 15:11).
To this day I don’t say “shut up” to anyone for any reason. Why? There is no good will and no kindness in these words. They are ugly and my father made sure I understood that what comes out of the mouth can be mean and hurtful or can be used to encourage and lift each other up. In the end the battle for purity in the mouth is fought in the heart.
Real men build and lift each other up
