Beware the Deadly Poison in Your Mouth

deadly poison
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I don’t like snakes.  One of the creepiest things about a snake is that nasty forked tongue.  Did you know that the tongue was especially designed by God to help the snake evaluate his environment?

A snake has a special gland in the roof of his mouth called a Jacobson’s Gland. When the snake wags his tongue, he gathers scents around him on it. Then he he sticks the two tips of his tongue onto the two corresponding holes in his Jake Gland. The gland sends the data to his brain, which processes the gathered knowledge.

Our tongues are not so beneficial, and in reality even more poisonous. Hence we have the expression, “he speaks with fork-ed tongue.”  The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary, vol. 2 suggests an English vocabulary somewhere between 250,000 words and 750,000 words (click here for reference).

[Tweet “We can use such a remarkable vocabulary to inflict so much damage.”]

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Does God Grieve?

We’ve all experienced grief. Grief may be the deepest and most painful of all emotions. We grieve loss – the loss of a loved one, a relationship, our health, a job, a possession, or anything else held dearly in our heart. The pain of grief is far more intense than anything else we may feel physically, emotionally or spiritually.

We experience emotions because we are created in God’s image, and He is an emotional God. He feels – even grieves. We find one such emotion described in Ephesians 4:29-30:

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Imagine that: God feeling a pain as intense as grief. Sadly, He does, and it comes as the result of those of us who are His. Sadly believers and churches regularly grieve God because we run our mouths needlessly.  Let’s look at how we can avoid grieving God with our words.

First, be careful WHAT you say. We are too quick to exonerate ourselves because we do not use foul language, but that is not exactly what the verse means. The word “corrupting” does not speak necessarily to the content of our words, but rather to their effect. We grieve God when our words have a destructive, discouraging effect on others.

Second, be careful WHY you say what you say. Do we use words to “build up”? The English alphabet has 26 letters that combine to form, so far, over 1 million words in the English vocabulary. We have plenty of words to use, let’s be more intentional about using words that are building blocks rather than injurious stones.

Third, be careful WHEN you say what you say. In the list of things for which God has appointed appropriate times and season we find there is a time to speak and a time to keep silence (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Do I need to say this? Do I need to say it now, or would things be better if I kept my mouth shut? Sometimes we grieve God because we speak “out of turn.”

Finally, be careful HOW you say what you say. May our words always impart grace to those who hear. May our words soothe the hurting, encourage the down, challenge the complacent, and bless those otherwise feeling cursed.

So many times the Bible encourages us to bless the Lord. May our words never cause Him to grieve, but always bless Him. THINK before you speak.

T – is what I am saying TRUE

H – is what I am saying HELPFUL

I – is what I am saying INSPIRING

N – is what I am saying NECESSARY

K – is what I am saying KIND

Blah, Blah, Blah

I have a custom that I engage many days; I read a chapter in the book of Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month. For instance, today reading is Proverbs 18. That chapter has no less than 10 verses that caution us about the use of words. Below are just a few with my emphasis added.

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the wellspring of wisdom of wisdom is a flowing brook. – vs. 4

In other words, whatever is deep down in our heart usually springs up through our mouths. Let’s hope it springs up words of wisdom into a flowing brook.


A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. – vs. 7

How many people have been brought down more by what they said than what they did? How many of us have experienced the problems our mouths can produce?

He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him. – vs. 13

God gave us TWO ears and ONE mouth. Could it be He expects is to listen twice as much as we speak?

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. – vs. 21

Sweet fruit or sour, we all wind up eating our words.

 

However, one that struck me most this morning was verse 2:

A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart. 

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were so intent on saying what you wanted to say that you weren’t listening to what others were saying? For those of you who have never done that (or who are two prideful to admit it), take it from one with experience . . . it can lead to some embarrassing situations. In his book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey sets out this principle in Habit #5 – Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood.

Our words are powerful . . . oh, that God would help us learn to use our powers for good and not for evil.

Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt . . . Colossians 4:6a

 

God, help us with our words. Help us to say the right things, the right way, and at the right time. And while you are helping us, Lord, help us to know when not to say anything.

3 Lessons I Learned from a Day of Eavesdropping

I took my wife’s vehicle in for an oil change Friday morning, never expecting that a visit to the Wal-Mart Auto Center would initiate a daylong spiritual reflection.  As I sat in the waiting area, I was forced to listen to two different conversations of people I did not know. I decided to pay more attention to what people around me had to say, and by listening, I came to three conclusions.

Conclusion #1: We need to be careful with our words.  One of my greatest challenges in life is discerning the times and seasons of Ecclesiastes 3:7 – a time to keep silence and a time to speak. Be mindful that ears are everywhere listening to what we say.

Conclusion #2: People are generally negative.  Most of Friday’s conversations involved complaint, criticism, and condemnation. I want to make a more conscious effort for my words to be positive and uplifting.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing.  Philippians 2:14

Conclusion #3:  People are hurting. We live in a hurting world, but we have the greatest message of hope – Jesus loves so much that He gave His life, and all who trust in Him can have meaning and purpose.  I must consciously choose words that build up others and point them to the hope that is found in Jesus.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. – Ephesians 4:29

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. Colossians 4:6

Let’s be more intentional with our words.  Let’s choose to speak grace and not grumbling.  Let’s build up and not tear down.  Let’s point people to Jesus and the hope that is found in Him.