The focus of our previous meditation was the ruin that a loose, lousy tongue can cause.  It is therefore necessary to understand the context within which a believer should speak. Biblical speaking pattern should revolve around Ephesians 4:29 – “Let not any filthy word go out of your mouth, but if any is good to building up in respect of need, that it may give grace to the ones hearing.” A rule of thumb is established here: if what you are about to say will not add up for someone, don’t say it. A mutual ministry which we owe one another is that of building up. That is God’s desire for all of His children, because His goal is to bring us unto the measure of the stature of Christ, a perfect man.

“Until you win the internal corruption war, you can never win the corruption war outside.”

However, we cannot have victory with regards to what we speak unless we probe even deeper. The words that we speak have their source in our thoughts. Thoughts are the roots of our words, and these, in turn, are the roots of actions. It means that if we do not have control over what we think, we cannot have control over what we say. Moreover, what we think about is also furnished by what we let into our minds via the eye and ear gates. We are often inundated with materials – written, audio, and visual. These things do not leave our minds the same way; but they bend us toward evil or good. For this reason everyone who desires a matured life in their walk with God must be selective of the materials they consume. In our text we see the need to protect the heart diligently. One way to do this is to never allow anything to go in there that has the tendency of corrupting it. Until you win the internal corruption war, you can never win the corruption war outside.