Photo by Metin Ozer on Unsplash
Words cut deep.
Usually, we think of that phrase in the negative. Cutting is often destructive—an undoing.
Yet, in the fallen world, sometimes undoing is needed. Sometimes healing first means disrupting. It means assaulting the bad. Accosting the evil.
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Words are powerful.
In the beginning, God created by speaking—the instantaneous combustion of matter. Throughout history, He’s likewise involved Himself in our redemption journey by audibly breaking through the barrier that separates us.
Now, we extend His word ministry. It’s our job to rekindle dormant and sometimes snuffed embers.
Our words are powerful.
But, more often than not, when I open my mouth, I bring the world in on a secret I wish I could keep silent—I’m an idiot. And I know that my story is your story too.
Sin has taken it’s toll on each of us. Our judgment is flawed. We blurt out the wrong thoughts at the worst of times. Our words get us into a world of trouble.
But God is kind and patient. He tempers our idiocy. And in Christ, He fixes it once and for all.
I know I’ve hurt people with my words, but I also know God has used my words to help people. That’s how He works.
We see this so vividly in the Proverbs.
Just consider how frequently the book of Proverbs speaks to our speech.
The term “Word” or “Words” is used 46 times.
Similarly, “Mouth” is used 46 times.
“Lips” is used 33 times, “tongue” another 19 times, and “speech” can be seen 13 times.
God cares how we use our words.
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In the space that follows, I want us to consider six reflections from the Proverbs about our words and their significance in the Christian life.
1. Words Can Heal
Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Here’s what’s comforting: We don’t have to know the right thing to say. God will often use our posture of compassion to season whatever words come out, so that they help people.
Don’t ever talk yourself out of saying something kind. We underestimate just how helpful our words can be.
Words can heal, but also words can destroy.
2. Words Can Destroy
Proverbs 16:27
A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
Words can be the vehicle for our sins: lying, theft, greed, adultery, … you name it. Here, the words are indirectly hurting others.
Other times, the words themselves do the hurting.
As we know, verbal abuse & hate speech are real. And cause real and lasting damage.
We underestimate just how harmful our words can be.
Perhaps the adage should be, “Sticks and stones can break bones, but, oh my goodness, words can ruin someone’s life.”
The good news is that, if we’re in Christ, then he’s absorbed all your hateful speech like a black hole. He has consumed all of it from your debt ledger.
And he prescribes a measure to help reduce the sting once they’re out—repentance and forgiveness.
Repentance and forgiveness ought to be the air we breathe as Christians.
Words Heal. Words Destroy. Bottom line, words have consequences.
3. Words Have Consequences
First, our words have personal consequences.
Proverbs 14:3
By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
Our words sometimes have a direct cause/effect on our lives.
We’ve got to be careful here. The Proverbs, in one sense, suggest that if you walk wisely, life will be better. But the Proverbs are not a life-betterment manual.
We’re not meant to wield the Proverbs as a guide for maximizing our lives—that would be selfish.
We’re called to be wise BECAUSE it honors God and blesses other people. A byproduct is that life will SOMETIMES, MAYBE, be more peaceful for us.
We will experience the consequences of our words, and so will others.
Second, our words bring consequences for others.
Proverbs 11:11
By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
Words can have drastic impact—especially the more influence you have.
Since words are so important, they must be seen as tools to be stewarded.
In this way, words are like a sharp knife. My son is at an age when we need to teach him to use knives responsibly. He wants to use them, yet he must have supervision. They seem fun to him, but he must understand they’re dangerous and they are only meant for a select purpose.
You want to keep knives securely guarded. When you use them, you want to use them precisely, not carelessly—because they have a great impact.
If we’re honest, we usually underestimate the power of words.
We underestimate how long words can live once we send them out. You can’t take words back. Sometimes they carry for decades.
So, we’d better make them count.
We can use our words to impact the world, but the Proverbs are also meant for our walk with Christ and our growth in him. In this way, our words say a lot about us and reflexively shape us more than we realize.
4. Words Overflow from the Heart
Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Words are like a direct extension of what’s in your heart. God made us to be verbally expressive. Tone, elaboration, word choice—all come downstream of the heart.
If you’re really sad, you can’t hide it. If you’re excited, you can’t contain it. If you are harboring anger in your heart, it’s almost impossible for your words to conceal that.
Jesus said in Luke 6:45, “… for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
We just talked about how our words make such a difference. My word choice means the difference between loving people and putting them down.
And if my words are downstream of my heart, I really need to do the work of self-assessment. I need to cultivate a healthy heart.
God’s got us covered here too.
5. Words Condition the Heart
Proverbs 18:7
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Our words can mean the difference between conditioning ourselves toward humility & love, & service, or toward pride & hate. The words we say on the outside shape who we are becoming on the inside.
It’s true, the more you say something, the more you become that which you say. If you dedicate your words to twenty reps of kindness a day, then kindness will become second nature.
Love is a helpful paradigm here.
We treat “I love you” as an exclamation—we realize it freshly when our beloved does something awesome, so we dote on them with a phrase that communicates affection.
Yet, in God’s economy, “I love you” is supposed to be a conditioning exercise. It’s more of the effect of “I am choosing to stay committed to loving you.”
Words overflow from the heart. Words condition our hearts.
But, ultimately, and this is key in the Proverbs, words expose wisdom or folly.
6. Words Expose Wisdom or Folly
Proverbs 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
Words highlight the wise and the foolish of this world.
But, words aren’t the point—they simply shed light on the actual issue.
Am I walking in the right light before God?
At the core, do my words demonstrate that Christ is my life?
If we are in Christ, our words will show it. If my words aren’t Christlike, then I have serious soul-searching to do.
With that, let me suggest a moment of self-assessment:
Do your words help people?
Do your words hurt people?
Do your words shine a spotlight on yourself?
Do your words shine a spotlight on Christ?
Perhaps the greatest encouragement is found in Proverbs 2—my favorite proverb on words.
Beginning in verse 6, it says,
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Christ’s word is the final word. Hallelejah!
So, here’s my biggest encouragement—no matter how you processed the self assessment questions above: Ask God to sanctify your words.
Ask that he would sanctify your words for your growth, for the Kingdom’s expanse, and ultimately, for His glory.
