Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29
Sometimes we forget that God hears everything that comes out of our mouths (Psalm 94:8-10). He is not pleased when we speak words that tear down what He wants to build up. In fact, the Lord says, “Let him who means to love life and see good days refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking guile” (1 Peter 3:10).
In Matthew 12, Jesus uttered these sobering words to the mean-spirited, self-righteous people of His day:
You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation. (Matthew 12:34-37 The Message)
A CHECKLIST
Let me encourage you (as I encourage myself) to think before you speak. Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I speaking words that build up or tear down?
- Is God pleased with the words coming out of my mouth?
- Do my words glorify the King who died to save me?
- Am I repeating rotten things that I don’t even know are true?
- Am I speaking words of faith or words of doubt?
Remember, your words reveal your heart. So ask God to show you what is in your heart (Psalm 139:23-24). If rottenness, wickedness, bitterness and faithlessness are there, confess it and ask Him to cleanse you and remove all the dross, all the sin. He wants to use us and bless us, but He cannot if we are determined to use our tongues to destroy.
Take God at His word! If you truly want to love life and see good days, keep your tongue from evil.
Pastor Olakunle Yusuf can be reached via 08023423396 or email: [email protected]. Shalom!