Your Words Are More Powerful Than You Think

I still remember the first time I ever read the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:36. “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.”

I remember the shock I felt as I reread that verse over and over again, making sure I’d read it correctly. I remember how quickly I went to write those words down in my notebook. I remember the excitement I felt as I told my mom what I had found. This sent things spinning for me.

And do you know what Matthew 12:37–the very next verse– says? This is what is written: “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Wow. Even as I reread this now, it still jars me. Do any of us understand how profound Jesus’s statement was? Probably not.

At the time that I first read that passage, I had known words were full of  power– our family had been searching the Scriptures, trying to find out the truth about the influence of words. Here are a handful of verses that were found.

• Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. (Proverbs 13:3)
• From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:20-21)
• Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips. (Hosea 14:2)

All of these verses, as eye-opening as they may be, seemed like nothing compared to the impact I felt when I read Matthew 12:36-37. It was stated there so plainly. It was like the real “cherry on top”, so to speak. 

Because when I get honest with myself, I wonder, how many careless words come out of my mouth without me even realizing it? 

On top of all this, just last week, I read Matthew 5:22, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘you good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says ‘you fool’ shall shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

Again, this was a giant reminder that God takes words very seriously. And if He does… then we should too. 

As I enter this new week, I want to intentionally remind myself that everything I do should be for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), including what I decide to say.

One thing that I’ve found helpful in other situations where I’ve needed to demonstrate self-control is this: before I make a decision, I imagine Jesus standing right next to me, waiting to see what I’ll do. Not so that He can condemn or punish me if I make the wrong choice, but just to see if I’ll choose my way or His. 

Picturing this has helped me make so many better choices than I might’ve.

This week, I’m going to be much more intentional about making sure the things I say are pleasing to God, not careless, and not things that will end up condemning me. 

And I would really love to know– will you join me?