(By Pierre Eade)

Wait! Stop! Don’t say it! Pegues knows how easily a few careless words can cause problems in our business and personal relationships. Here she offers 30 warm-hearted Scripture-based devotions to help you take control of that hasty, gossiping, belittling, know-it-all, retaliatory tongue . . . before you really put your foot in your mouth! 141 pages, softcover from Harvest.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21)
Your words bring life or death into all your relationships. When you speak encouragement, you lift up another person’s countenance.

When you speak with kindness, you pour out grace upon the hearers. When you speak words of affirmation and love, you help people to feel accepted and cared for. On the contrary, when you speak disparagingly of another, you take them down and assault their personhood. When you criticize and condemn others in words, your judgment only makes the matters worse. It doesn’t help the person to improve or change, but discourages their soul.

The old adage just isn’t true. You know the one, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, I’m sure that sticks and stones would hurt and possibly could break a bone or two if thrown or swung hard enough. But to say that words will never hurt me, or you, is just not true.

Take for example the following scenario; a husband comes home exhausted from a long day at work. His wife had been busy caring for the kids and making dinner to be ready for him upon his arrival. He walks into the door and the first words out of his mouth are, “Meatloaf! You can’t make anything better than that?”

Do you think these words would bring hurt?

Now on the contrary, imagine the same scenario takes place and instead of a criticism, the husband says, “Honey, you are so wonderful! Thank you for thinking of me and making this meatloaf. It smells so wonderful! I can’t wait to have some.” Surely these words would have a different, more positive effect on his wife.

Your words bring life or death into all your relationships. When you speak encouragement, you lift up another person’s countenance. When you speak with kindness, you pour out grace upon the hearers. When you speak words of affirmation and love, you help people to feel accepted and cared for. On the contrary, when you speak disparagingly of another, you take them down and assault their personhood.

When you criticize and condemn others in words, your judgment only makes the matters worse. It doesn’t help the person to improve or change, but discourages their soul.Jesus said, “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)

We often consider our speech as nothing more than words, language and communication. Yet, each word we speak is being recorded in heaven. Each of us will stand accountable for the words we speak. God is not just concerned with your actions, although they are of great importance. Realize that the Lord is paying attention to the words you speak because they are a barometer of the state of your heart. “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)