Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)
“You’re never going to amount to anything.”
“You’ll never change.”
“Why do you even try? You always fail.”
When we hear these sorts of phrases we should be instantly aware that they are not healthy to say to someone.
Proverbs 18:21 tells us that “the power of life and death is in the tongue,” so if we say any of the above to someone, we are – at least spiritually and emotionally – harming them with our words.
But are we aware of other ways in which we speak death?
When we’re stressed or upset and say, “That’ll be the death of me.”
When we’re frustrated or angry and say, “They’re a lost cause.”
When we’re overwhelmed or facing chaos and say, “Just shoot me and put me out of my misery.”
Recently I heard someone say, “We just love you to death!” She was trying to bless and encourage, but was quickly corrected by others in the group: “You should say we love you to LIFE.”
Oh – yep. That IS much better.
Today, may we be very aware of the blessings (or curses) that we speak, and may we speak LIFE in all circumstances!!
God,
Thank you for your call to speak LIFE into others. Today we come to you asking you to help us choose good things to store up in our hearts. May our mouths speak what is good, pure, holy, and encouraging. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. By your Spirit, help us to speak LIFE – not death – to those around us, we ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of… by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matthew 12:34–37 NIV)
A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart… for the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Luke 6:45 NIV)
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4 NIV)