What You Say

Think about the words you say, or have said, over the years.  How many would you like to be able to take back?  Our words can be a blessing or a curse; they can heal or destroy, or bring life or death.

Read what it says about the tongue in James 3:5-10, “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

James put the tongue in the same class as fire and we know what a spark can do if not put out, it can destroy thousands of acres of land, burn down whole cities and much more; it is such a destructive force and the tongue is very destructive also and it can’t be completely tamed.  As believers, we need to strive to control our tongues because the uncontrolled tongue can do so much damage.  There are things that you and I have said that we can never take back and the destruction that we may have caused can never be corrected.

Read what it says about Esau in Genesis 25:27-34, “So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to Jacob, ‘Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.’ Therefore his name was called Edom.

But Jacob said, ‘Sell me your birthright as of this day.’

And Esau said, ‘Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?’

Then Jacob said, ‘Swear to me as of this day.’

So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Esau sold his birthright!  When this took place, Esau could never take it back although he sought it with tears.

Read what it says in Hebrews 12:16-17, “lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.”

You can find forgiveness through repentance for sins but sometimes the consequences never change and we will have to live with them.  I have heard it said, “sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me,” this is not true.  Words can definitely hurt you, and me, and can even destroy us psychologically and emotionally and can cause physical damage also.  Words spoken have been the cause of wars and they have also brought about peace.  Nations rise up against nations and are bent on destroying one another because of words and many people have lost their lives because of words spoken.

The tongue can be very useful, used in the right way.  Read what it says in Proverbs 15:1-4:

“A soft answer turns away wrath,

But a harsh word stirs up anger.

The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,

But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

The eyes of the Lord are in every place,

Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”

So, remember what you say is very important, it can hurt you and also hurt others and bring about some terrible consequences.  Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!