![]() ![]() With our careless words we can build people up or tear them down. Prov 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death… Our words also have power (and I’m not referring to positive confession here). Gen 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Psalm 33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made… It was the word of God that spoke the world into existence and created all living things. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. Sinful speech is a symptom of sin-sickness in our hearts – a sickness only God can cure.Matt 12:33-37 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. They call to us to humble ourselves before the throne room of God, asking Him to purify us from the inside out. But, friends, they are not a call to “try harder” or “bite your tongue.” They are like a mirror to us, revealing the sin lurking in our hearts when we are tempted to be enamored by our own self-righteousness. And if you’re like me, those “speech and tongue” verses will jump right off the page and smack you in the face. If I want the overflow of my heart to be uplifting, encouraging, and healing, my heart must be transformed in His presence.Īs you dig into the book of Proverbs on your own, I highly recommend that you pull out your favorite Bible highlighters or colored pencils (I prefer crayola twist-up crayons!) and mark up those pages with the repeated themes that show up time and time again. Only Christ can transform me from the inside out – and only being transformed from inside out can transform my speech. I cannot will myself to be wise and holy. But to control our speech takes more than just knowing what we shouldn’t do. Proverbs, an intensely practical book, describes for us the practical outcomes of our speech. Jesus gives a sobering answer to my question in Luke 6:45: “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” What is a girl to do? As much as I read what the Proverbs have to say about my speech, why does my tongue trip me up time and time again? Like the prophet of Isaiah long ago, my heart cries – “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5, NKJV) Sometimes I even begin to despair – nothing reveals my fallen humanity like my speech. As a person who finds myself ensnared by my words more frequently than any other aspect of my life, these verses sting and cut. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. – Proverbs 26:21Īs I read through the admonitions about our speech contained in the book of Proverbs, I hear the words of James in my heart: So is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. – Proverbs 20:19Īs charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, Therefore do not associate with a simple babbler. Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets They go down in the inner parts of the body. The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels – Proverbs 12:18īut a harsh word stirs up anger. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,īut the tongue of the wise brings healing. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,īut the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. When words are many, transgression is not lacking,īut whoever restrains his lips is prudent. The Proverbs have a lot to say about our speech. Page after page was brimming with that tell-tale pink highlighting. A few years ago I was working my way through Proverbs, innocently highlighting, when some of the verses began to make their way off of the page and burn into my heart. Depending on what book I am studying, I pick a color scheme to make repeated topics and patterns stand out to me more vividly. I like to color-code when I study Scripture. To read our full disclosure policy, click here. Welcome back to Do Not Depart! If you haven't already, subscribe to the Do Not Depart RSS feed or email updates to receive regular encouragement and tools to abide in God's Word. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |