WORDS

“I’m dying for a piece of that chocolate cake!” “I’d give anything for hair like that!” “That drives me crazy!” “I can’t stand…!” “Shut up!” “I’m too fat/too skinny/too short/too tall…” ”You are such an idiot!” “I don’t care.” “I’ll never get out of debt.” “Sorry, but…” “I’m stupid/dumb/ugly…” “You don’t know what you’re talking about!” “I’ve always got this problem/this sickness/this disease/this…”

How many of these statements (and others like them) have you said to yourself or, worse yet, to others? I think we’ve all been guilty of uttering at least one of these at some point or another – and some of us actually invent a credo for ourselves by repeating them. It’s been said that you teach people how to treat you. Your words have a lot to do with that.

Let’s create a fantasy. Let’s say you found that fictional bottle on the beach, rubbed it, and a genie appeared in a puff of smoke, saying, “Whatever you speak from hereon will come to pass.” How often would you say, “I’m too fat/too skinny/ugly…” or “You make me sick!”, or a myriad of other negatives? I dare say that if you knew for a fact that the words you speak would immediately be your reality, you would speak nothing but positive things about you, your spouse, your friends, your authorities, even your enemies. Gone would be hurtful words you wish you’d never said.

So, we all know there’s no magic bottle and there’s no genie. Is the rest of that scenario a sham, as well? Do the words you speak really matter?

Bridge

When Solomon penned the book of Proverbs, he said in Chapter 18, verse 21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Maybe if we paid more attention to what came out of our mouths, we’d be happier with our lives.

Imagine for a moment how different your life might be if you made a point to ask the Holy Spirit to replace every angry, unkind, negative statement you are tempted to say to or about yourself, others, or your situation with an encouraging, uplifting, positive comment. Jesus said in Matthew 15:11, that a man is not made unclean by what goes into his mouth, but by what comes out of it.

Blesson

Besides showing us the ability to control a horse’s direction through a bit and bridle, and noting a spark that can cause a forest fire, James 3 compares the tongue to a rudder on a ship. Though very small physically, the tongue steers a person’s life much the same way as a rudder steers a ship. In spite of the harsh weather conditions that can create huge waves in the sea, the rudder is powerful enough to steer the ship. Likewise, no matter the circumstances, the tongue is powerful enough to steer your life.

None of us is capable of controlling every single word that we speak 100% of the time. Thus, we need to take David’s advice in Psalm 141:3, to “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.”

Substance

Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their whole body as well. Look at the ships too: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are nevertheless directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot determines. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set among our body’s parts as that which defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. (James 3:3-6, NASB) 

Speak without thinking, and your words can cut like a knife. Be wise, and your words can heal. (Proverbs 12:18 ERV)

 

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