“Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Parents have said this to their children for generations. In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon gives his children different advice. Turns out, words can hurt. They can help, too.
In Proverbs, King Solomon writes so that his sons can know how to raise their sons. Words are a prominent theme of this book. In Proverbs 6, Solomon lists six things that God hates, and seven that are an abomination. He lists haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are quick to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among the brothers. Of this list, three of seven deal with the tongue. The tongue is powerful. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
It’s clear that our words are important to God. But why? God cares about our words because He cares about our hearts. Words impact our heart, shape our heart, and reveal our heart. Luke 6:45 reads, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” What we say shows what’s in our heart.
We should not gossip, speak out of anger, or stir up trouble with our words. Our words should be honest, calm, fair, and encouraging. But by ourselves, we do not have the power to control our tongues. What we really need is a better heart, not just better words. The only one who can heal a sick heart is Jesus Christ. Through Him, and only Him, a heart can be healed and renewed, and a tongue tamed. When Christ has ahold of our hearts, He has ahold of our tongues. How can we allow Christ to take our hearts and tongues captive?