TONGUE POWER

                           THE POWER OF THE TONGUE
"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." -- Proverbs 18:21

None of us could go back and count the number of words we have said to people throughout our lives.  That would be impossible to remember.  We have all said words that are very encouraging to others, but we have also said many words that have been hurtful and damaging, too.  I don't know about you, but I know that I've said some things to people in my lifetime that I would go back in a minute to take back or rephrase.  We are human beings.  Many times, we don't realize what we're saying to people or how our tone is coming across.  It's not always "what" you say; it’s more of "how" you say it.  I had to learn this growing up and even to this day.  And....probably will be learning it for the rest of my life!  All of us will.  This is a topic that each of us can relate to and no one is exempt.  There is not a person in this world that has not said something hurtful to another. We are all guilty of using hurtful and damaging words. 

 

Even though we can ask forgiveness from God and from the people we hurt, we can never take back what we've said.  I've personally learned this in my marriage relationship.  Those of you who are married are probably nodding in agreement because you've been there for years. My wife and I have come to learn very quickly that marriage is a lot of work, but it's so well worth the time taking to make sure communication is working.  Communication is such an important part of life. Certainly in marriage, but not just in marriage.  We all use communication in our various relationships with others.  Sometimes we end up verbally hurting the ones we love the most. I might be in a cranky mood and I get snappy.  Or there are just times when the enemy uses a situation to bring hurtful words to my mouth and they don't need to be uttered at all, but I fail to keep them back.  Once they're out, that's it!  No getting them back! 

 

The power of our tongues can either build others up or tear them apart and create permanent damage.  My encouragement through this devotional is that we will all really work harder at controlling what we say and knowing how to say things and when not to say things.  I know we'll be learning this lesson all throughout life, but we can become better as we come to love Christ more and be careful of the words we use toward each other, especially during the times of frustration and discouragement.  

By: Zach Wood