Let me tell you
two stories about words.
A couple asked to
meet with the church board to discuss a situation they blamed squarely on me. They opened with a salvo of critical
statements and then launched into a tirade of accusations about my character.
Somehow a simple misunderstanding, a set of missed expectations, escalated into
full-blown attack. Did they lay a hand on me? No. Did they fire a bullet into my body? No. But their words hurt worse than a
beating! Even the memory of that night
still hurts. (Their allegations, by the
way, were found to be baseless.)
Many years ago a
father-like figure found me in a hotel coffee shop early one morning. I was
broken by failure and disappointment, ready to leave my calling as a Christian
minister. Events of the previous two
months had convinced me that I was not the right kind of man to serve Christ’s
church as a Pastor. Joe sat down with me
and the words he used that morning were a healing salve. He expressed confidence that I could find my
forward, that I could regain my confidence, that God was good and that He
restored those who trusted in Him. I hung onto that affirmation for dear life,
recovered my balance, and moved ahead.
Two conversations; two very different
results. Some
conversations leave me feeling refreshed, encouraged, saying – “I can do this!” And some . . . well, I feel like a need a bath. James reminds us of the power of our words. "And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship
turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. So
also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny
spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is
full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course
of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell
itself." (James 3:4-7, NLT)
Reading that, you
might determine to put a filter in place to clean up your speech. It won’t work! That’s like trying to clean up
a toxic waste dump by filtering the water that flows out of it. Want to change the effect of your words? Want
to change your speech? It
demands a heart transformation.
Jesus tells us that our words are the overflow of our heart. (Matthew 15:18) What we say reveals what we
think, what we believe, what we truly love and value. God, the Holy Spirit, can and will change the
source from which our words flow. He can
remove greed, pride, lust, hate, fear, greed; replacing those poisons with generosity,
humility, real love, peace, and a desire to share.
What is our part?
First, we must own our words. Don’t blame what you say on others. Have a filthy mouth? Admit it. Don’t excuse it
as ‘what everybody does.’ Do you gossip endlessly about the foibles and
failures of others? Tell yourself it’s a
sin. Do faithless words of fear
constantly rain from your mouth, tearing others down, defeating their dreams
before they’re even born? Stop excusing
it as just ‘telling the truth.’ Take
your broken, sinful heart to the Savior and ask Him to make it new. Pray that your words will be like a
refreshing spring rain, producing life wherever they are heard.
Here’s a word from
the Word. "The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring
forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. … By
them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can
discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from
willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of
great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:8,11 NIV)
__________
Change My Heart Oh God
Change my heart, oh God,
Make it ever true.
Change my heart, oh God,
May I be like You!
You are the Potter,
I am the clay.
Mold me and make me;
This is what I pray.
Eddie Espinosa
© 1982 Mercy /
Vineyard Publishing (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
CCLI License #
810055
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