24th August , 2007

CHRISSI ELLANKOON

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

- Matthew 12:35-37 (New International Version)

Words are a complex tool. They are used to communicate truth, find directions and build relationships. They are also used to bless or curse people. All in all words are powerful. Jesus tells us what we bind on earth in bound in heaven and what we loose on earth is loosed in heaven. That binding is done by the power of the spoken Word.

With all the power that words have, there is one function that they lack, retraction. Once spoken, you can never take those words back, it doesn’t matter how hard you try. Although you may be sorry and try to make amends, the fact remains that once the words are spoken you cannot take them back.

I am sure like me you have found yourself in situations where you have said something and then, the minute it has left your mouth, you wish you never said it.

The tendency to speak before we think is a common problem among many of us. I think one of the main reasons is that we really don’t understand the power of the spoken word.

Jesus tried hard to instill through his teaching the power of the spoken word. In Matthew 12:35-37, Jesus is addressing some Pharisees and tells them, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good that is stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the things that are stored within him.” Your words, therefore, reveal what is within your heart, it shows the condition of our heart.

With this in mind consider the words you speak. If I was to come and sit in on one of your conversations, what would it tell me about the condition of your heart? Are you edifying people and building them up? Is your heart the wellspring of fresh pure water which is refreshing to both your self and others? Or is there something else going on with in your heart, some hurt and bitterness which is being expressed in your words?

An interesting exercise is to try listening to the conversations you are having. Take a moment to evaluate the conversations you have had throughout the day. Are there any trends emerging? Are these conversations reflecting some issue that you need to go to God for healing? From this little exercise, you can learn what is really going on in the inside of you. It is important to understand one day we will be called into account for the words we have spoken, even the careless ones. Jesus tells us in this same passage of Scripture that we will be judged by the same words that we used on others. Isn’t that a sobering thought?

Words are a gift from God; the ability to communicate with each other should not be taken for granted. As Christians, we should be looking for opportunities to speak life into the lives of people around us. Most importantly, we should treat our words as we would any powerful resource that we are given, and use them responsibly, knowing that we are accountable for them.

One of King David’s prayers was a simple statement: “Create in me a pure heart". We too should be striving for a clean heart, asking God to come in and cleanse and heal areas. Keeping our heart in good condition will enable us to speak positively into the lives of others.

Got a verse or a short passage you'd like us to look at? Just send an email to editor@sightmagazine.com.au.