The words we speak affect those who hear them. The words we hear affect us whether we realize it or not. What we hear influences how we feel about our self. We internalize them. The television shows we subject ourselves to. The music we introduce in our lives. It all has an effect. It may be in our sub conscious, but it is there. Words are how we communicate. They are universal.

James 3:1-6 – ‘Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.’

See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

God created the world with words (Genesis 1 &2). Wars have been started with words. Wars have been ended with words. Enemies made. Friends made. Friends lost. There is extreme power in words and often times we forget that.

Words is what the worlds judges us by. It is how they come to conclusions about who we are. First impressions are huge with me in both aspects. I focus on leaving a good impression with others (pointing others to Christ and hoping they see Him in me). I also am affected by my first impressions with them.

Here is what Jesus had to say about words:

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” – Matthew 12:33-37

Words are obviously important. Now understandably God can see through our words and sees the intent of our heart (Proverbs 16:2, Hebrews 4:12), but on earth they matter. On earth other people don’t know our heart, our mind. All they have is our words. That is what they have to go on. As Jesus said in the above passage in v.34 “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart”. As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 4:5 – “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.” If a man is corrupt he will either show it every minute, or if he tries to hide it, eventually God will expose it (in His time). God’s time is different than ours (2 Peter 3:8). God is an infinite being. We are finite. Our understanding of time is much different than His.

To sum it up, words matter. They can bless, they can curse. They can encourage, they can discourage. They show the content of your heart. How do you want to be remembered?