Since the earliest days of my youth, I’ve been aware of the use of words.

I used to think if I used the right words, I’d be understood. Decades of life and ministry have shown me that there will always be a few people who are seemingly committed to misunderstanding me.

What can be further aggravating is that, by default, I process others’ words literally. You know the expression that says, “You know what I mean.” Well, I don’t always know what you mean. I often remind myself to listen and look deeper.

I used to think everyone said exactly what they meant and meant exactly what they said. But we know better, don’t we? People don’t mean every word they say in a literal sense. We don’t always say exactly what we mean.

Yet, as part of my calling, God gave me a gift for speaking. For the sake of connection, I’ve learned to communicate using literary devices such as allusion, euphemism, hyperbole, metaphors, and similes. I’m not an English major, but I work hard to choose the right words to convey God’s heart because I know words matter. Words have enormous power.

Mechanically speaking, the tongue controls the nuances of how we speak; it is the strongest member of the body! But your word power is determined by your heart health. Words are the expression of what’s on your mind. Jesus Himself is the Word because He is the expressed nature of God’s heart. “No one ever spoke like this Man” (John 7:46)!

Click this link and read what Jesus says about our words: Let’s read Luke 6:43-45.

😊 In a cemetery in Ireland, a tombstone with this inscription reads: “Here rests in silent clay Mrs. Arabella Young / Who on the 21^st of May / Began to hold her tongue.” I hope you learn when to hold your tongue long before your tombstone is set in place.

In the late 1980s, Run-DMC highlighted that some people talk too much. Some people don’t talk enough, which can also be bothersome. But we all need to think more about the impact of our words.

Don’t get me wrong; I like hearing people talk because I find it wildly entertaining. But the first time I ever read Revelation, I got too excited about this sentence, “There was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour” (8:1). Perhaps that’ll be God’s gift of rest for us weary introverts.

Proverbs 18:21 establishes, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Those who are thoughtless with their words suffer the consequences of their reckless speech, and so do their victims.

I also find Jesus’ Words in Matthew 12 convicting: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (36-37).

We should eliminate words that perpetuate dysfunction.

When your heart is NOT right, your words will go wrong. Every problem in life can’t be solved with more words. It’s okay to keep some of your thoughts to yourself.

Here’s a partial, non-exhaustive, biblical list of forms of speech that reveal heart problems.

1. Angry words (Ephesians 4:30-32) spoken by angry birds can lead you into sin. Anger is not a sin; it’s simply an emotion you were created to feel. But you must tame your tongue when your heart is untamed and unwhole.

2. Words of complaint and criticism (Ephesians 4:29 & James 5:9) can be a vice. Such constant corrupt speech means you’re not thankful for the good in your life. Philippians 2:14 says, “Do all things without complaining.”

3. Doubtful words (James 1:5-8, Matthew 8:23-27) show that your faith is wavering. When doubt is spoken, heard, and entertained by you, it can lead you into instability. Starve your doubts to death by only feeding your faith.

4. Filthy language (Colossians 3:8) has hurt the witness of many Christians. Profane and perverse words should not adorn the temple of the Spirit.

5. Judgmental words (Matthew 7:1-2) are ignorance-based and often come from religious people with a bad attitude. We don’t know all the facts or the entire context about anyone’s life, so we are not qualified to condemn them. Such condemnation is based on assumption, hearsay, and speculation. You might think you’re qualified because of what you saw or heard. But even eyewitnesses often give varied reports. Our nation’s laws suppose all people are innocent until proven guilty. I wish religious church people believed that. But God is your judge and will ultimately judge all things and all people.

6. Gossipy words betray confidential information (Proverbs 11:13) and separate friends (16:28). Christian, you better sober up and stop spilling your tea. It’s a poison that can permanently erode relational trust.

7. Slanderous words (James 4:11, First Peter 2:1) speak against others. The devil’s name in Greek is diablos, which means slanderer and false accuser. IF you are operating in self-righteous pride, making slanderous, false accusations, you act like the devil.

Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” But sometimes, we choose the wrong words, like rotten apples, that make our situation stink.

For example, a busy psychiatrist overheard the new receptionist (with a bad attitude) on the phone at his busy office. When she hung up, he warned her. “From now on, when on the phone, you can say we’re quite busy, but not it’s a madhouse in here.”

We should express more positive words that build life.

Jesus says, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). The Spirit says in First Corinthians 13:13, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Our motive should be to always love people, so let’s be determined to use these three tools that speak life.

1. Words of faith build confidence in God. Not only do others need to hear them from you, but you need to hear this encouraging language from you. Jesus’s imperative at all times is to “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22)! If someone pops up with “I doubt it,” see it as an opportunity. Tell them, “All things are possible to them who believe” (Mark 9:23).

2. Words of hope build encouragement and enthusiasm for a better tomorrow. This visionary type of talking helps you and others believe things can change for the better because God has good plans for us all (Jeremiah 29:11). The child of God has consolation in every situation because of our blessed hope! And this “hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

3. Words of love are the greatest. First Corinthians 13 is the best guide. Our words should be patient, kind, never jealous, never bragging, nor arrogant. Love speaks with grace for the benefit of others, rejoices in the truth, and never fails. First Peter 4:8 says, “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Why does this matter?

It’s because sin matters!

One of the original inductees of Faith’s Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11) has God’s Word for our application. King David is known as a man after God’s own heart because he was quick to repent.

C.S. Lewis described David’s Psalm 19 as “one of the greatest lyrics in the world.” David enjoyed a perfect revelation of God’s presence. The first 10 verses show him delighting in God’s works and Words.

Then, verse 11 begins a deeper insight of the Spirit into God’s Words: “Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.”

And tender-hearted David sensed the sneakiness of sin in his life in that convicting moment. So, in God’s presence, he questioned, “Who can understand his errors” (12a)?

David began to pray for himself. “Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression” (12b-13).

David didn’t want to be under sin’s control. He knew his sin was an offense to the King of all Kings, so he cried out for deliverance from sin’s grip. He knew God was the source of his pardon and power to be better and do better.

Your word power is determined by your heart health.

David knew this, so he prayed what all sanctified servants of God should echo: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (14). If you love your sin more than God, ignore this psalm. But, if you want to follow Christ, your prayer should mirror David’s.

Christian, examine and pray for your own heart.

If you know you’re not a Christian, the Holy Spirit convinces you to repent of your sins and place your faith in Christ.

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Have you ever wondered what it means to be a Christian? Click this link and let me explain that using God’s Words to guide the answers.