“Les paroles s’envolent mais les ecrits restent” is a French saying which translates in English as “Spoken words fly (away) but written words stay (engraved/printed)”. Unfortunately, the saying underestimates the destructive power of spoken word(s): Spoken words may fly away, or be forgotten with time, but their effects and impacts do linger on even forever.
Jesus said, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” -Matthew 12:36-37.
Some of us believe that what we do (our actions, deeds) matter the most before God. Here the Lord Jesus reminds us that the word we have spoken, even carelessly, matter before God as much as what we do.
See, once you speak a word you lose control over it, that is why you cannot take it back. It is important to understand that a word is dead until spoken; once spoken a word becomes alive, as it were, with power to build up or destroy. Hence, Jesus said, “men must give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” Yes, the Day of Judgment is real.
I often hear people say, “Don’t mind what I said, I didn’t really mean it”. Or, “I said these words in anger, don’t mind them…” See, it is not really your intention or the circumstances that determine the destructive nature of your words, but rather the fact that you have spoken or released them…. Hence, talking about the destructive power of spoken word(s) James says that the tongue is a fire. He writes, “It [the tongue] corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” (James 3:6)
See, the words you have spoken do not only affect or impact on other peoples, but on you who spoke them as well -they can corrupt your whole person and set the course of your life on fire. Hence, Jesus said, “by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned”. (Matthew 12:37)
How sad it is to hear a wife cursing her husband and marriage by her careless words, a husband cursing his wife and marriage, parents cursing their children, pastors and church leaders cursing church members and vice versa, businessman or businesswoman cursing his or her own business. Peoples curse themselves without realising it and then complain about life and their situation and circumstances, which in most cases are only harvest of the words they have spoken.
The question is: How many lives must be ruined and how many relationships must be broken before we decide to watch the words we speak?
May God help us mind what we say, in Jesus Christ’s name!
