You and Your Words are One!

(Prov 15:28 GW) The heart of a righteous person carefully considers how to answer, but the mouths of wicked people pour out a flood of evil things.

This morning we continue our current series In this verse Solomon goes back to addressing the importance of our words. We have already learned that the power of death and life are in our tongue (Prov 18:21), that our words indicate the quality and content of our heart (Mat 12:33-35), that we will have to give account for every idle word that we have spoken (Mat 12:36), and that we will either be condemned or justified by our words (Mat 12:37). Needless to say, our words are pretty important.

I believe that what Solomon is getting at is the fact that the Godly have received the revelation of the importance of their words, and because of this revelation, they carefully consider what they are going to say BEFORE they say it. Solomon benefitted from and took every opportunity to exalt God’s wisdom and he knew that this wisdom could be communicated through spoken words. That being the case, we can see why words are too precious a resource to be wasted. It behooves us, then, to study “how to answer” what we must answer, so that God’s wisdom can flow from our lips.

In the second verse of this same chapter Solomon said, “Knowledge flows like spring water from the wise; fools are leaky faucets, dripping nonsense.” While the wise give careful thought to their words, the foolish fail to consider them altogether. They say the first thing that comes across their minds and before they know it their words have opened the door to trouble. Like an animal who repeatedly walks into a trap or a child who repeatedly makes the same mistake, so is the foolish man who allows his words to ensnare him over and over again.

James said: “All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body” (3:2). In other words, if you can control your tongue, you can control your life. The righteous, Godly, and mature believer does not underestimate the importance of his or her words; they place the right level of emphasis on the thought behind what they are to say, to whom, for what purpose, and with what goal. The foolish and wicked, on the other hand, is either ignorant of the importance of words or he disregards the Godly instruction telling him to keep his tongue; the result is that he endlessly babbles away, never truly giving careful thought to what he says. Sooner or later his words will catch up with him and he will pay the price for the words of his mouth.

So what does this mean to you ? It means that your words are important because you and your words are one. Think about the foolish things you have said in the past and then think about those who heard your foolishness. When they heard the foolish things you said, did they think, “Wow, those words are foolish,” or did they think, “Wow, he (or she) is foolish”? You know that the latter is the right answer. If you say foolish things you will be considered a foolish person. If you say wise things you will be considered a wise person. That being the case, you ought to give careful thought to what you say.

You can’t escape your words and they can’t escape you.

Father, I know that my words and me are inextricably linked. Therefore, I declare, by faith, that I give careful thought to everything I say. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I only allow things that are pleasing to You, and that will edify others, to proceed from my mouth. I only say those things that I desire to come to pass. I think before I speak, because I know that my words expose the quality and content of my heart, that my words will always be linked to me, and that I will always be linked to them. Thank You Father, for helping me to control my tongue! In Jesus’ name. Amen!