Reaffirm Your RestorationSample

Heartfelt Words > Hateful Words

I read a quote one time that said “Character is how you act when no one else is around.” That’s a crazy thought right? With social media we’re so used to putting a filter on our lives to make ourselves look more impressive to everyone else. Think about the words you say around your friends at church. Now think about the words you say when you’re alone and you stub your toe on the coffee table. Jesus says in the Bible that “..the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart..” (Matthew 15:18) 

It’s easy for us to choose words to fool our friends, but Jesus knows every corner of our heart. We’re often given the opportunity to share words that can speak life or speak death. One of the biggest challenges for me when I first became a believer was becoming quick to listen and slow to speak. It was always easy for me to give my opinion and find fault in other people’s plans or goals. Instead, I learned that sometimes less is more. 

The easiest way to stop speaking death into someone’s life is by simply not speaking at all. For the first time I was able to listen, I could finally hear the heart behind the words, and I was able to see a new perspective. Instead of hiding our words in our heart maybe we should invest more time in checking our hearts. Hiding a problem will never make it go away. 

Focus: Jesus created us with the ability to speak life. The world lies to us and tells us that slander, gossip, and lying is normal. Every television show, every YouTube comment page, and sometimes even church lobbies are filled with words that could never bring joy to the ears of Jesus. You are given the choice to speak life or death every day. I pray that you choose life!