This is the political season. I say that with the knowledge that the political season seems to be twelve months long now. Politicians seem to go from one campaign to the next and only govern from time to time if they get the chance.
For the most part, politics is a war of words. The down side is that, in this day and age, everything a person has said seems to be recorded in one way or another…videos of speeches given years ago, copies of emails, text messages, I-phone recordings, and articles written in an obscure paper or journal but now easily accessed by search engines. Some of these were public records while others were obtained by someone hacking into a personal database.
When confronted with their past words, the typical result is denial, embarrassment, spin, and every other deflection the man or woman can think of to avoid the consequences of their verbal declarations. Some statements seem to represent a policy decision they say they no longer believe. Others seem have the scent of racism or bigotry or hate toward a group or an individual. Then the person, confronted with their own words, claims they were taken out of context or they didn’t really mean it. Failing at that, they simply issue a general apology for their totally improper remarks (which typically means I am sorry I got caught).
The truth is, most of us speak with little thought for the consequences that might spring from what was spoken. If we are angry or frustrated, we blurt out whatever comes to mind before thinking at all. We find those words are hard to take back when the result of our speaking is not in our favor. When confronted, we are often offended that someone is trying to hold us accountable for what we thought we could say without repercussions. We seem to live as if our words don’t matter…like bubbles floating into the air and disappearing. Occasionally, I need a reminder that my words do matter…very much.
The Word of God puts a great deal of weight on what we say and paints those who blurt out whatever comes to mind as foolish people. Wise men and women weigh their words. They think before they speak. They assess the consequences, for themselves and others, of the words they are about to let slip out. One of the most sobering passages about our words was spoken by Jesus himself. “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:35-37).
First of all, Jesus taught that our words are indicators of the content of our hearts. “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them (Matt. 18:15). After saying something that embarrasses us later, we often say, “I don’t know why I said that. That is not who I am!” We must admit, however, that is was part of who we are or it would not have come out of our mouth. I admit demonic spirits can prompt us to say things that are “not who we are” or who we want to be, but then we need to deal with that spirit.
Rather than denial, blaming, or deflecting, if we would own what we said and submit that patch of darkness in our heart to the Lord, the Holy Spirit could do some scrubbing. David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Ps. 51). I have had to offer that prayer on many occasions, and I think my heart is better aligned with the Fathers heart now than in was in the past.
Men will sometimes hold us accountable for our words, but the spirit realm will always hold us accountable. Somewhere in the spirit realm, something or someone is recording every “careless word I have spoken.” That phrase from Matthew 12, which is translated empty or careless is not just talking about bad language, cussing, or using the Lord’s name in vain. It is talking about words we speak without thinking. He is not saying our well thought our words expressing hate or lust will not be judged but he is saying that we will not be able to stand before the Lord and say, I couldn’t help it!” or “I didn’t mean it.” I am convinced Satan frequently gains a legal right to afflict us through our “careless words.” A strong thread that runs through the book of Proverbs teaches over and over to be slow to speak, to hold our peace, and to carefully measure our words. Just because we think something, we do not have to speak it.
In addition to revealing our hearts, our words carry authority that releases power. The familiar proverb says, “The tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov. 18:21). Your words have power…not just in the natural realm, but in the spiritual realm as well. The fruit of our lips can be sweet or bitter. We can impart blessings or curses. They can command healing or command destruction. Our words are seeds sown in both the natural and spiritual realms around us. One of God’s immutable laws is that we will reap what we have sown and harvest what we have planted. Our words are seed that produce life, blessing, abundance, peace and success or that bring forth death, weakness, lack, failure, and torment…in the lives we have spoken over and in our own life as a harvest of what we have spoken over others.
As we watch the pundits and politicians broadcast their words this political season and try to disown words they have already spoken, let it remind us that we are not to be careless with our words for we will have to give an accounting for them. When our words tip us off that something dark is in our heart, take it to Jesus. When we find ourselves popping off without thinking, ask the Holy Spirit to shut our mouths when we are about to speak careless words hurtful words, or offensive words. Pray that the Lord will make our mouths a fresh spring that extrudes life and blessings and not a spring full of salt that kills everything it touches.
God is serious about our words and we should be as well. Our prayer should be, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight” (Ps. 19:14).
