I was once told that the words you speak determine your destiny; that has stuck with me ever since. Jesus said this, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12.36-37 NKJV).

Words mean a lot to me personally. I love to write, lyrics are the first thing I hear when a song plays, I have the gift of encouragement and my number one pet peeve is rudeness. Words are beautiful, powerful, life changing. God is intentional with the words He speaks because He knows with His words He gives life and the same goes for us. I realized recently that not everyone understands the weight of their words and that’s scary because people are using a weapon they don’t even know they have. James 3.1-12 speaks about this very subject, “Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3.9 NLT).

The things you say matter. Jesus said, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” (Matthew 5.11 NKJV). We must speak with intentionality and love. This is really a call for change, so that every conversation we have matters, because it does. We are not perfect, of course, but we are called to speak forth love, truth, encouragement, and life into everyone we come across, including speaking to yourself. I’ll leave you with this famous acronym to help us think before we speak.

T- Is it true?

H – Is it helpful?

I- Is it inspiring?

N- Is it nice?

K- Is it kind?

New King James Version (NKJV)

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Weight of Your Words