Jesus did not mince words when speaking about the power they possess.
“You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words.
A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard.
Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously.
Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.”
Matthew 12:34-37 The Message
Minds like a snake pit
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase, snake pit? The point is the word does not invoke a positive impression. Chances are some Hollywood image of a floor filled with agitated, slithering, hissing snakes ready to strike.
Eugene Peterson (the author of The Message) used this image to drive home the point of Jesus’ message about the power of your words.
If your mind is full of malicious negativity, how do you expect to have anything positive to say?
You may defend your actions by saying that you speak what you feel, and while it may be true, it is also the problem.
The New Testament writer, the Apostle Paul, puts it this way:
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 New Living Translation
A close personal relationship with the Godhead enables you to change (transform) your thinking.
Your heart gives meaning to your words
King Solomon tells a story in the Old Testament book of Proverbs about a miserly man who invites a guest to dinner. He tells his guest to eat up, but in his heart, he thinks something entirely different.
“For he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
‘Eat and drink!’ he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.”
Proverbs 23::7 English Standard Version
It is vital to say what you mean, but it should only be told from a heart that God has cleansed.
Solomon has a lot to say about matters of the heart.
“The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm.
Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart.”
Proverbs 17:27-28 The Message
In other words, someone with an understanding heart doesn’t need to say much, and someone who doesn’t know much is wise to remain quiet.
Every one of these careless words
Jesus cautions you about the words that come out of your mouth.
He says that they will come back to haunt you.
How often have you seen a story about someone of notoriety getting called on the carpet for saying something they did not know was being recorded? It is called a “hot-mic” moment that is generally embarrassing—or worse.
He says that words must be taken seriously because they are powerful.
Words can be your salvation or your damnation
“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – you choose.”
Proverbs 18:21 The Message
The choice is yours. If your mind is a snake pit, you choose words that kill. If a close personal relationship with the Godhead has changed your life (mind, will, & emotions), your words are life-giving.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. I will pass it along as I learn so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.