Did you know our words have power?   They do!  What we say can fuel a fire or quench the flames.  We can praise someone’s accomplishments and abilities or tear them down with the words we say.  It is important to think before we speak and offer words that uplift and encourage, not tear down or bring shame.

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”~ Proverbs 12:18-19

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death…”  Think about that!  Our tongue (what we say) has the power of life and death!!!

We can sow value in someone’s life with good words, but we can take away value with words that sting, wound and tear down.

Also in Proverbs we learn that “a lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”  ~ verse 28 of Chapter 26

Using our words to lie is probably one of the worst ways to injure others, and eventually ourselves.  Lies always have a way of coming back around to the one who said them.  Lies never do anyone any good.  The devil is the father of lies and he would love nothing more than to trap us into thinking it is okay to tell a lie.

I Peter 3:10 states, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”  Deceitfulness is a form of lying.  Being deceitful is not being truthful.

Even if we have said something hurtful or harmful to someone else, we can speak life-giving words to restore the damage that was done.  It may take awhile for the other person to accept an apology or forgive an offense, but if we keep sowing kindness into that person’s life, eventually forgiveness and restoration can come.

James Chapter 3 speaks a lot about our words.  We need to depend on God to help us tame our tongues.  The Holy Spirit will guide us and help us not to say things we shouldn’t.  We must, however, listen to His leading and not be too quick to speak without considering our words.

Quote from my pastor who spoke on this topic this morning, “We lack the power to change our words, but with the Holy Spirit’s empowerment we can perfect our speech.”

Let’s look to God and pray Psalm 141:3, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the the door of my lips.”  He will do it!