By Francis Frangipane
Much of what we are living today we were speaking
yesterday. Of course, not everything in one's future is determined by
his words. However, in real ways, our words are seeds that bloom in
future hopes and fears; they are the trailblazers of our future, the
pioneers of our tomorrows.
Still, most of us are too
casual, or ignorant, about the weightiness of our words. Recall: it was
Jesus Himself who warned, "For every idle word men may speak, they will
give account of it in the day of judgment." He continued, "For by your
words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned"
(Matt. 12:36-37 NKJV).
We will each
stand before God and give an account for our words. We actually will be
justified or condemned by the things we uttered in life. In truth, idle
words create idols, false realities and hollow goals, to which we bow
down and serve.
The Kernel of Life or Death
There
is a weightiness to words, a spiritual substance within our words, and
that substance has the power to impact those who receive them. Jesus
said His words were "spirit and [they] are life" (John 6:63). The
substance in Christ's words is eternal life, and believing His words
transforms us.
So also our words can contain either
life or, conversely, they can contain death. If I wrote a string of
profanities, blasphemies and curses, would not the vileness of such
words, at least temporarily, degrade your soul with their toxic affect?
Our words, manipulated by hell, can actually become weapons the enemy
uses to destroy us and wound others, as Job challenged his so-called
friends: "To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit was expressed
through you?" (Job 26:4).
When we slander or gossip,
we must ask ourselves: Whose spirit is being expressed through us? You
see, Satan seeks to use our words against us. With our words, we
criticize but do not pray; we judge without showing mercy. These things
immediately affect our future. Satan knows that if he can capture our
tongues, he can capture our future. As it is written: "The tongue...sets
on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell" (See James
3:2-6).
The devil can take our careless, insensitive
words and literally crush people with them. Although a word has no
measurable mass, it can become an unbearable burden on a person's soul,
especially a harsh word spoken in anger. It can actually destroy
another's life.
Still think words are unimportant? A
definite aspect of our salvation unfolds when we "confess with [our]
mouth Jesus as Lord" (Rom. 10:9). Our confession takes salvation out of
the vague, provisional state and makes it a distinct, effective
dimension of our life. Our confession of faith in all things helps chart
our lives in a Godward direction.
Prayer itself is the
expansion of the heart toward God through words, and when you pray
according to the will of God, your words begin to shape your future in
God.
Combining Spiritual Thoughts with Spiritual Words
"Now
we have received . . .the Spirit who is from God, that we may know the
things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in
words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words" (1 Cor 2:12-13).
As
we combine spiritual thoughts with spiritual words, the things freely
given us by God begin to manifest in our lives. This is not to say that
merely repeating words has power, as if by magic. No. However, the Bible
calls us to combine "spiritual thoughts with "spiritual words,"
enabling new dimensions to open in our relationship with God.
Becoming Like Christ, the Word
The
church is beginning to realize its singular purpose is to be like
Christ. To be like Jesus, however, is to be purified in both heart and
speech. James said that "if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he
is a perfect man" (James 3:2). Our words, therefore, are a measure of
our maturity.
Or consider Isaiah. When this mighty
prophet saw the Lord, he was immediately convicted concerning his words.
Isaiah said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean
lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips" (Isa. 6:5). Taking a
burning coal from the altar, the first thing the Lord cleansed was
Isaiah's speech.
Likewise, when we truly see Jesus,
our words will also be brought under the burning coal of divine
conviction; a process of cleansing will begin. Thus, Peter says,
"Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God" (1
Pet. 4:11).
It is an honor to be anointed to speak a
timely word; it is a greater honor to speak a timeless message. Christ
spoke both. If we were, this day, required to stand before God, would
our words justify us or condemn us? Would we be honored for speaking the
utterances of God?
Lord, put a guard over my heart
that I might not sin with my mouth. Master, purify me that my words
might be the expression of Your heart. Help me to crucify my instinct to
talk. May I serve You as one entrusted to speak, as it were, the
utterances of God.
