Taming the Tongue

When my boyfriend and I used to have arguments he used to say a lot of mean and hurtful things to me. Of course i was so not innocent either because i said my fair share of evil things too. I used to always tell him words are like bullets once you pull the trigger you cannot take them back because the bullets have already started traveling and once they hit the intended target there will be damage whether big or small. Words are very powerful that’s why it is so important to be mindful of the words we speak.  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].” Proverbs 18:21 (AMPC)  That’s why i always hated the saying ” sticks and stones may break my bones, but words you say wont hurt me.” That saying is not completely true because words do hurt when they are not used in the way God intended for them to be used. I don’t know about anyone else but words used to hurt me bad, and i don’t know about anyone else but i  used to cry off of the words people spoke. I must admit words still hurt  but i don’t allow them to affect me the way they used to when i was younger. Words have the the power to destroy or restore a person’s reputation. Words have the power to declare someone guilty or prove someone’s innocence. They have the power to stir up strife or bring peace. They have the power to tear down or build up. The words we speak have the power to change the mood of the whole room for worse or for better. When God brought it to my attention about how damaging our words can be i started paying attention to the words i spoke and the words others spoke. I realized that people speak so many things to and about others and they justify it. But, when someone speaks evil to or about them they get angry on go on a path of revenge. I started asking God why do we do this? It sounds very delusional to speak ill or others, but not want others to speak of you. He showed me that it can become a never ending cycle of sowing and reaping evil words. We seem to have a hard time understanding we reap what we sow. We sow evil, but we expect to receive good. The words we speak  are not an issue all by them self , but it is the source in which they come from, which is the heart.   ^“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” Luke 6:45 The evil we speak reveal the evil nature within our hearts. Words of anger, worry, fear, revenge, gossip, manipulation, pride, self-pity, jealousy, insecurities, and etc all come from an evil heart. Instead of trying to justify  evil words we speak we should own up to them and admit that they are evil. The words we speak are only a reflection of what our  hearts are full of. A lot of us are full of deception because we think we can speak evil words but, yet say that our hearts are not full of evil. James 3:8 says “But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” No man can tame the tongue because the tongue is linked to the heart and only God can  give us a new heart, and replace our self-centeredness with His love. Therefore, we must stop justifying the evil words we speak and call them what they are, and we must learn to depend on and rely  on God  to bring about the change in our hearts. If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and walks like a duck then it is a duck!!! Our words have power. Let’s  start using our power to call life into dead situations, to build up and not tear down, to create peace instead of strife, to lead in the path of truth instead of deception. The things we speak are the fruit we eat. “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:37