The “word” we are going to talk about is the one we utter, the one that comes out of our mouths! Have we used our mouths correctly? Have we praised God with our words or have we used them to hurt people and gossip?
Words have the power to bless and curse. Knowing this, we need to talk a little bit about it to see if we are using it correctly!
The word as a blessing.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Romans 10: 9-10
The word can only be a blessing if we are with the heart in the right place. That is, we will only have the ability to bless someone’s life, once our hearts and our lives are centered and focused on Christ.
Any goodness that exists in our hearts, whether it big or small, does not come from us, but from the love that the Lord deposits in us. By origin we are flesh, we are flawed and sinners. Therefore, nothing good can come out of ourselves. However, when we have Christ in us, we begin to have kindness and genuine love for the people and things around us.
Therefore, if we want to be a blessing in someone’s life, with a view to building up the body of Christ and not for our own benefit, we need to put our lines and all the control of our lives in the hands of Christ.
The word as a curse.
“But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Matthew 15: 18-19
As we saw earlier, our words will always be a consequence of what we have fed into our hearts. If we fill our hearts with the things that come from God, good things will come out of our mouths, but if we fill our hearts with bad things, bad things will come out of our mouths.
This becomes a vicious cycle: we say bad things and evil enters our hearts; from the moment that wickedness enters our hearts, if we are not careful, we will feed this wickedness, which will grow.
The gossip.
“A perverse person stirs up conflict,
and a gossip separates close friends.”
Proverbs 16:28
We know that gossip is one of the most divisive things within churches. Since we have no command of our languages, we can hurt many people and disrupt many relationships.
If we do not have control over our tongues, it means that we do not fully understand the importance of the fruit of the Spirit, as we have no self-control and we speak frantically without filter and without discernment.
We need to be discerning when speaking. Knowing what to say and when to speak is very important. Thus, relationships are preserved and communion prevails.
What to do?
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29
Okay. Now that we understand a little about why we need to be very careful with words, let’s go to the practical steps:
Pray!
First of all, we must pray that God will help us to have control over our words. Asking for discernment and wisdom when speaking is also very essential.
Stop and think!
Stop and think if it is really necessary to say what you are thinking of saying! Look into your heart and see what the real purpose of saying that is! This will help us to preserve many relationships.
Ask forgiveness!
“leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:24
Once something bad has already been said and you can’t go back, ask for forgiveness and get right with the person. Jesus has always encouraged us to be meek and humble, and these are the main prerequisites for genuine repentance.
Grace and Peace.
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