Murder in the Tongue

God often reminded us in the scripture of the power that lies within our mouths. Scripture literally says in Proverbs 18:21 that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” So with that being said there is a great level of responsibility on our parts as Christians to keep a tight reign on what spills out of our mouths. As a matter of fact James said, “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.” James is literally saying that if you call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ and your mouth is out of control then your life is useless. You cannot be used to build the kingdom if your mouth is out of control. I recently had the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with a very prominent well-known figure. If I said his name or posted a picture of him almost everyone would know who he is. And I feel confident that if I typed his name in this blog most everyone would immediately have thoughts and perceptions of this man based solely on what they have read or heard from other people. Even I personally had preconceived notions of this person’s character, integrity, and personality formed solely on the words of other people. However, after a couple of hours of sitting down with him I left with a radically different impression of who this individual was. I found that he was a man with a great deal of integrity and I really enjoyed the time I got to sit down with him. However, as I left the Lord brought Proverbs 18:21 to my mind and for the first time I think that I really began to understand the true meaning behind this scripture. We literally have the ability to MURDER the integrity and character of other people and may possibly do it more than we realize. We need to be very sensitive and careful about voicing our own personal opinions and biases of other people we have never taken the time to get to know. God has called us to uphold the integrity of others, not tear it down. When we take the time to stand in front of our spiritual mirrors and see ourselves for what we really are apart from Christ, it’s very difficult to voice the faults and flaws that we find in other people. When we look at our own wretchedness and what Gods grace has done in our own lives, we are a lot quicker to extend that grace to others. Ephesians 4:29 says “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.” So let me ask you a question do your words bring grace to those that hear them or do they possibly bring death to those that hear as well as the one being talked about. Let me leave with you with a verse to chew on today and remember what Momma said, “If you don’t have something nice to say than don’t say anything at all.” “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” Matthew 15:18


Surrendered for Life,

Brother Mitchell

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