His Ambassador Blog

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

When you were growing up, did you ever hear the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”? It’d be nice to believe, right? But the reality is, and the Bible speaks on this, words are so important. What you say, how you say it, when you say it: it all matters. God even goes as far as to say that the power of life and death is in the power of the tongue. Our speech is meant to bring life to everywhere we are. Often, we can get careless with how we use our words and not only can this bring others down, but eventually our words can bring ourselves down as well.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)

God has very specific and important commands for what we say and how we speak to others.

Firstly, God says to let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouths. This includes obscene and vulgar words or phrases, as well as insulting comments about others or even yourself. Not only is corrupt communication of the words themselves, but also how you say the words. It is important to refrain from speaking negatively about others or speaking in a way that doesn’t represent the character of God truthfully. “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) Jesus’ main point in these verses is that our words are a representation of what’s in our heart, whether good or bad. It’s a humbling reminder that our words will reflect not only ourselves but also Jesus if we claim His name. Therefore, we must be wise about the things we’re saying, because it’s possible we could hurt someone or turn someone away from Jesus.

Secondly, we should be using words that are good and uplifting to others. Not only should we stop using corrupt communication, but we should replace that with words of life and goodness. Proverbs 15:4 says, “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness is a breach in the spirit.” Another verse is Proverbs 16:24 which says, “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Did you know that there are multiple health benefits to honeycomb? According to freshhoneycomb.com they include high nutritional value, 9 valuable vitamins and minerals, support for heart health, boosts the immune system, protects liver function, fights colds, improves gut health, and promotes healthy sleep cycles. It’s amazing what words that are sweet like a honeycomb can do for the person you are speaking to. Speaking life to others may look like giving someone a compliment, encouraging, or inspiring someone, or simply letting someone know that they are loved! It’s also important to speak goodness over yourself which means choosing not to say degrading things about your body or your mind as well as understanding and repeating truths about your identity in Christ. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Paul tells us here that we should use speech that is seasoned with salt. Salt is used to enhance the flavor of your food and to preserve the freshness of something. Our interest should be in enhancing our conversations with others so that they will feel better and more refreshed after speaking to us. We should bring goodness, gentleness, and kindness through every word we speak.

To work on taming our tongue and choosing to use speech that is good and uplifting we can do three things.

First, check your heart. Luke 6:45 says, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth fruit that is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” What we are saying and doing reflects the state of our heart, good or bad. If our speech is sounding corrupt, we should go to God in prayer, repenting and asking to be drawn closer to Him and asking Him to cleanse our hearts.

Second, ask God to tame your tongue. James 3:8, “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” The tongue is so powerful that we cannot tame it on our own. We cannot make our speech righteous and lovely from our own work. This must be done by the work of God through prayer, as well as submitting to the work of the Holy Spirit’s conviction on how you can improve your speech and communication.

Lastly, strive to represent Christ well. Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”  If you call yourself a Christian, you are a walking witness of Christ. This means everything you do will reflect on Him, this could be good or bad. We should constantly be seeking goodness, holiness, and righteousness in everything we say or do. Seek to be a good representation of Him with your words.