Words are Costly

I wanted to follow up with my last blog by pointing out that while talk may be cheap, easy to do with little immediate consequence, every word spoken is of great value in determining what your life and future will be like.

I sense the great significance of this truth more every day; the words of my mouth may cost me a great deal more than I want to pay. Proverbs is full of wisdom for us concerning our words. Mostly, it seems to me, wisdom encourages us to pay very careful attention to the words coming out of our mouth because they reflect the reality of our heart, and solidify it in our life and future.

Words Reflect Our Heart Condition
The Bible shows us again and again that we can be sure of what is really in our heart by simply paying attention to what is coming out of our mouth! When I hear certain comments coming out of my mouth I know that it is time to get in the Word so I can be filled again with faith, hope and peace. Other words show me that I am harboring the poison of unforgivness or hurts that I must take to God and allow him to heal, gain new perspective on hurtful situations, and receive his grace to love others as he loves them. Sometimes what comes flying out of my mouth slaps me in the face with the realization that I am allowing things into my heart that will poison and destroy my life.

When I started looking for verses that reflected the importance and value of our words I came across many verses that intimately linked the condition of our heart with the words of our mouth. Let’s look at what the book of Proverbs has to say about words in relationship to our heart condition:

We must guide and lead our heart if it is what will guide our mouth! This verse tells us that a wise man does this, consequently his words promote instruction.

Compare this to Proverbs 10:11:

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

Again, the words and speech of the righteous bring forth life from the well of our hearts. What is flowing out of the hearts of the wicked? Violence is what is in the wicked man’s heart, and this verse tells us it overwhelms his mouth. That shows me a picture of a volcano. A volcano cannot spew out hot lava unless there is hot lava with pressure deep inside of it. When the right amount of pressure and heat and whatever else is needed line up, the result is overwhelming and unstoppable.

Let me put it another way. As I type I am drinking a tasty 4-shot latte with a touch of honey. Imagine that as I take a quick break from typing to sip my hot beverage my husband bursts into the room with a loud exclamation. Being quite surprised and known to react to such a startle by possibly causing harm to those nearby (unintentionally, of course), I shower the room with hot-tasty-quad-latte. Why did the latte spill? It was not because of the surprise Duncan gave me, or my reaction to the surprise. I could not have spilled the drink if there was nothing inside the cup to spill.

Think about what may be “overwhelming” your mouth today. Remember that it cannot come out if it was not first placed in your heart. It is not the fault of circumstances or pressures in your life. It is just what’s in there, and when squeezed or shaken, what will come out.

Here are a couple more verses for you to think about today.

Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin. Proverbs 10:14

These verses show us that we must be very purposeful and proactive about what we are putting into our heart! Verse 10 tells us when we do this that “…wisdom will enter your heart and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.”

Finally, Proverbs 4:23:

Today, begin to form the habit of listening to what is coming out of your mouth. Is it filled with life and wisdom, or death, fear and deception? What can you do to begin replacing death with life?