Faith Filled Family Magazine September 2016 | Page 115

me that the same curse words
have been used over and over,
throughout the ages. Shouldn’t
they have gone out of style by
now? Yet they continue to be
used and abused– by young and
old. One of the saddest things
to see and hear is a child cursing every other word, or an older
person cursing. All of it is pointless no matter who is doing the
cursing. These words should be
far from the mouths –and heartsof believers.
What about criticism and harsh,
cruel judgment that we inflict on
others with our words? This is an
example of a spiritual heart condition that needs attention right
away. Unfortunately, we do not
see the condition of the heart so
the person can go on for long
periods of time this way without anyone having the courage
to confront the individual. Yet,
when we hear words that are
mean-spirited coming out of the
mouth of a believer on a regular
basis, they need us to pray for
them, and finally tell them. They
may not be aware that this is a
problem that is hurtful to them
and to the body of Christ.
After all, as far as they know, they
are a Christian. They accepted
Christ as their Savior. So why
do they need a lesson in watching their words? They need it
because it is hurtful to others.
The tongue is like a dagger
when used in such a way. James
said it is like “fire” that damages
everything in its path. He also
called it a “restless evil, full of
deadly poison.” He also said of
the tongue, “no human being can
tame it.” (James 3:7-8). Wow,
that’s powerful. Think of it: every
beast or creature God made can

be tamed according to scripture.
This means that even animals
we would never imagine can be
tamed, actually can be tamed.
But no one, no human being
has ever, or can ever, tame the
tongue. What a thought! But
remember the tongue gets all
of its information from the soul
of man – his heart. The heart
includes the mind, the emotions.
Our perceptions, experiences,
and what we think and believe
as a result all come into play
when you’re talking about what’s
in a man’s heart. Jesus said, “…
For out of the abundance of the
heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke
6:45).
Flattery would certainly fall into
the category of idle words. The
Bible speaks against flattery
letting us know it is not to be
trusted. The reason is because
there’s usually an underlying

intent. When a person is sincere,
they do not need to flatter you
with their words. They are simply
trying to encourage you or build
you up. But when it is flowery,
and overdone, it is insincere and
not to be trusted. “They speak
idly everyone with his neighbor;
with flattering lips and a double
heart they speak.” (Psalm 12:2).
Yet the same chapter encourages us by saying, “The words
of the Lord are pure words. Like
silver tried in a furnace of earth;
purified seven times.” (Psalm
12:6). We can trust God’s words
to be light and life to us. His
words and bring healing and
hope to us. If we would only
speak His words and speak life
to our own lives, and to our own
situations, what a difference we
would begin to see. I choose to
speak God’s words over my life.
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