One the most important teachings in the Bible is the careful use of our words. The Bible teaches us that the tongue has the power of life and death!
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)
Even in society at large, the use of perverse words is frowned upon; how much more so for us Christians, whom the Lord warns us that we will be judged for every careless word we have spoken!
Jesus warns us:
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)
Our very words will pronounce our judgment!
Wow! That is very severe!
God absolutely detests perverse words. He states this clearly in the Book of Proverbs:
I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. (Proverbs 8:12-13)
God hears every word we speak! If God hates lies and perverse speech, it can only mean that punishment will follow.
Every time a person utters a lie or a perverse word, they unknowingly bring curses upon themselves and place themselves into a prison.
A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free. (Proverbs 19:5)
If a person is not free, they are bound. Bound by what? Bound by the very evil words they spoke!
The Bible tells us that our words may be the very cause of our life’s troubles.
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity. (Proverbs 21:23)
He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. (Proverbs 13:3)
A fool’s talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them. (Proverbs 14:3)
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. (Proverbs 10:14)
A person’s words may be the cause of all their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual illnesses!
How important it is to keep the words we speak truthful and clean!
St. Paul exhorts us:
Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. (Ephesians 4:25)
St. James warns us:
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be! (James 3:9-10)
Moreover, there is even a deeper meaning to these teachings as indicated by the following passage:
From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. (Proverbs 18:20)
This passage alludes to the fact that the words of our mouths actually feed us. This is a strange concept, but if you see it in the light of how powerful words are, this makes perfect sense.
For example, when a person is down or not feeling well and someone brings them a word of hope or encouragement, how much that means to them! It is like food to their spirit, mind and body! Sometimes, people have been healed from illnesses simply because they had HOPE and that hope likely came to them through someone’s encouraging words!
You may have heard of affirmations, which are positive and uplifting statements you can say out loud, such as:
The Lord redeems me from sickness and disease.
The Lord’s blessings are upon my life.
I am strong and healthy.
I will prosper and be in health.
My life is filled with peace.
When you speak these positive statements out loud, you actually feed yourself with their positive energy. Conversely, when you speak lies or perverse and ugly words, you fill yourself with evil, filth and death!
If you have the insight to see into the spiritual realm, you will quickly notice that the words you speak color your spirit and your spiritual surroundings either for good or for ill. In addition, you have a spiritual ‘scent’. If you speak evil words and do evil deeds you ‘stink’ badly in the spirit! Just as we want to keep our physical bodies clean so that they don’t smell badly, so we must keep our spiritual bodies clean by speaking the truth and by avoiding unclean and wicked words!
In light of these truths, we can now see why throughout the Old Testament, God was so adamant with the Jewish people that they have His words written on their doorposts and on their hearts!
Words really do carry either life or death!
God wants His beloved people to always have His words of TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUSTICE and LOVINGKINDNESS always imprinted upon their hearts and minds! This means LIFE!
St. Paul instructs us:
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
Jesus Himself said:
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are Spirit and life. (John 6:63)
The careful use of our words is paramount if we are to be true Christians!
From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things, as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. (Proverbs 12:14)
Let us fill our lives with goodness by the words we speak so that we glorify God in everything we do and say!
Amen
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