your words matter.
your words matter.
Hey friends! It’s been a minute since I’ve written a blog so I’m really excited to share this with you! A few weeks ago when I was spending time with the Lord He just whispered to me “your words matter”, and it’s something we all know to an extent but I was able to really dive into Scripture and gain a better understanding of just how much our words really do matter.
The Lord really highlighted three areas that our words matter: your words matter to others, your words matter to yourself, and your words matter to the Lord. Let’s dive a little deeper into this!
In regards to our words mattering to others, this is what Scripture says:
“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].” -Ephesians 4:29 (AMP)
I think we all know what the “foul, profane, and vulgar” words are and we should definitely not allow those in our vocabulary. I always say “there are so many better adjectives to use than those”. Haha! However, sometimes I think we can overlook “only such speech as is good for building up others”…I have a personal example of this I can share:
Those that know me know that I am a very sarcastic person and have a dry sense of humor which is a trait that most like about me, but I recently learned to also be more discerning and aware of who I can be like that with. A friend was talking to me recently and told me that when I joke around with her it actually very much hurts her feelings and has for a while now. I was definitely shocked considering she tends to laugh and sometimes joke around about the same things too, however, in that moment I had a decision to make. I could either brush it off and say “oh, shes just being sensitive”, or realize that my words matter and although they were NEVER said with a negative intent they were hurting her and that is something I never want to do. So, I was quick to sincerely apologize to her and explain that I never meant to hurt her, I also had to go before the Lord and repent as well…I truly had no idea how my words were affecting someone else. See, we don’t know what others have been through, or maybe struggles/insecurities they are currently facing and our words may trigger that. Of course I’m not going to stop being my sarcastic/silly self but I am being more discerning on how my words could be affecting others. Like the Scripture says, our words are supposed to build up and be a blessing!
I have also been on the other side of this, where people close to me would constantly say genuinely hurtful things and mask it with a quick “I’m just kidding”. In those situations there are many times where there is a level of truth to what they’re saying, and if you’ve gone through or are currently going through that as well, I’m so sorry. I pray that what God says about you would be infinitely louder than what any person has to say. If you have something to say that is not good, you’re better off keeping it to yourself… and let’s challenge ourselves to call out the good in others! Tell people when you love and appreciate them, when they’re doing a good job, when you like their outfit, etc., these words bring LIFE and it is what we are called to do!
In regards to how your words matter to yourself, this is what Scripture says:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it and indulge in it will eat it’s fruit and bear the consequences of their words”. -Proverbs 18:21 (AMP)
How you speak to yourself matters. Sometimes we can really talk down to ourselves, we can be our own worst critic because we really know ourselves. I remember I used to be incredibly insecure physically and in my personality. I didn’t like the way I looked, I was also constantly comparing myself to other girls…I remember one day I was at the gym and the Lord gently gave me a slap and said “how dare you insult yourself when I made you in My image which is perfection?” WOAH…read that again! That changed everything for me, I finally realized that when I insult or don’t like something about myself I am actually telling God “what You did and how You made me wasn’t good enough”. Genesis 1:27 says “God created man in His own image…” and God is perfect, right?! So we were perfectly made by God in the secret place even before the foundations of the earth, who are we to insult His creation?! Everything that you may consider a “flaw” or “less than” like maybe your height, skin color, hair type, etc., was actually perfectly and purposely hand-crafted by God. You are a masterpiece! Speak life over yourself!
Also, your personality and little quirks are also placed by God…He loves those things about you! I remember in high school I was very bubbly and joyful all the time and one day one of my friends said “Abby, you just need to chill out” she would tell me that constantly and even said that my personality was the reason that my crush didn’t like me…which was not true! However, words are powerful and that stuck with me for about eight years…I had numbed my personality so much and was not myself because I thought that if I was, people wouldn’t like me. I finally got tired of it and started to act a bit like myself again, sarcastic/bubbly/awkward and as I did that people would tell me “Abby, I love _______ about your personality!” Again, I had to go and repent before the Lord and tell Him that I was sorry I wasn’t acting myself and being the way that He made me…turns out those are some of the things that now people love the most about me!
I say all of this to say that your words you speak to yourself matter more than you know. The key is to first understand the love of God. Matthew 22:37-39 says “…you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself”. The verse is saying three things…there is an order to love. You must love God because HE IS LOVE. You cannot have love or give love unless you know the One who is love. Only then are you able to “love others AS yourself”. You can’t give what you don’t have. You must love God, then you can love yourself, and then you can love others. Trust me my friend, you will never know a love better than His.
In regards to our words matter to the Lord, this is what Scripture says:
“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle (careless or useless) word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you”.
– Matthew 12:36-37 (NLT)
Your Words matter to the Lord. Every word that we say matters to Him, He says we will give an account for EVERY idle word we speak. In the amplified it uses the words “careless or useless” to describe idle words. I think many times we say things that are unnecessary, and this is a daily thing (at least for me haha). Sometimes I speak and think to myself after “was that necessary to say?”, “did that edify anybody?”, “did what I just say strengthen my relationship with the Lord?”. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that you said anything bad, it was just an idle word that didn’t need to be said. Without this verse we really wouldn’t think too much about it, but we typically speak more than 5,000 words PER DAY. How many of those are idle words that we will have to give an account for? Word vomit is real people! Lol. BUT we have the power to control our words with the help of Holy Spirit. We can ask Him to help us control our words, to let our words be life-giving, and as my Dad prays “let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I’m about to say anything I shouldn’t”.
Proverbs 9:10 says that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. This doesn’t mean we’re scared of Him, it means that we don’t want to be without Him, we don’t want to do anything that would hurt Him because we love Him. Let the fear of the Lord be so present in your life because it’s the BEGINNING of wisdom, meaning without it we may make some not so wise decisions! I’m sure we can all relate to that in some way!
Our words need to be words of love…to eachother, to ourselves, and more than anything to the Lord. Let your words be a sweet fragrance and incense unto Him, let Him feel loved and adored with every word you speak, let your words bring Him joy. Remember, as we read earlier, the first and greatest commandment is to love Him, from there everything else flows. From there we can love ourselves, and love our neighbor. Remember, your words matter.
I love you! I hope this blessed you!
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