Convictions And Our Words

Today I want to talk about how a person can be bound by his or her words and about convictions.  The Holy Spirit’s convictions are very important in a believer’s life and we shouldn’t take them lightly but we should always respond to those convictions appropriately.  

Can you think of a time when you felt you were being convicted of something and you responded with repentance?  If it dealt with sin and your response was to repent then that was a great choice.  But sometimes we make things much harder on ourselves then we should.  For instance sometimes we struggle with some kind of temptation and without thinking rationally we blurt out of our mouths something that puts us in bondage.  If we are not careful of what we say and we speak from an emotional state, like maybe anger at the time, then our words may come back to haunt us.

I remember getting upset with my wife on the phone one day when I called her at work.  She said something about the personal calls she gets which sounded to me like she was saying that I was calling her too much, so I said, “I will never call you at work again.”  What I should have said was that I will not call you so often or something like that.  As of today I have never called her while she was working and it has been a few years.

I was talking to a relative not long ago about this subject and he told me about a problem he and a guy he knew had, it was buying stereos, always having to have the best one that came out.  So instead of saying I am going to try to be content with the one I have and not be so impulsive, he said I will never buy another stereo, and he never has, but many times he wishes he never made that statement.

I remember hunting deer many years ago, everything was going fine, I saw a deer and shot it which was alright and legal.  The problem was when I got close enough I could hear him whining and making noise before he died and it bothered me so much that I said I will never hunt again and I never have.  There have been times I wish I never said that.

You may think these are trivial things but a man is only as good as his words.  The Word says in Matthew 5:37, “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’  For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”  Remember we will be acquitted or condemned by our words.  Are you a person that keeps his word or do you talk just to pacify people?  

It also says this in James 5:12, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.”  If you are a person that exaggerates, or lies, who is going to believe you and what kind of reputation will you have?  It is very important to keep your word and very important that you think before you blurt out something that will put you in bondage.  Yielding to the Holy Spirit’s conviction is imperative for our Christian experience and our walk with the Lord.  But be careful what you blurt out of your mouth because you will be responsible to the Lord for what you say.

There is a sad story in the Word about something a man said that he would do if God would give him victory over his enemy at the time.  At that time people not only lived in their houses but so did their animals.  This man said that he would sacrifice to God the first thing that came out of his house when he got home if he gained the victory over his enemy with God’s help.  To his shock and horror, when he got home his daughter came out of the house first and I am sure his words haunted him for many years after that.  The man’s name was Jephthah and you can read the story in Judges 11:29-40.

We all need to take this message seriously; I hope it was a blessing and help to you.  May God bless you and have a great day!!