Growth Attitudes: Spoken Word

Growth Attitudes: Spoken Word

By Apostle Felix

33  “You must determine if a tree is good or rotten. You can recognize good trees by their delicious fruit. But if you find rotten fruit, you can be certain that the tree is rotten. The fruit defines the tree.
34  But you who are known as the Pharisees are rotten to the core! You’ve been poisoned by the nature of a venomous snake. How can your words be good and trustworthy if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words!
35  “When virtue is stored within, the hearts of good and upright people will produce good fruit. But when evil is hidden within, those who are evil will produce evil fruit.
36  You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken.
37  Your very words will be used as evidence against you, and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty.” 

Matthew 12: 33 – 37

The words from our mouths reveal who we truly are, as little can be known about a person until they speak. Speech inevitably exposes the deepest intentions of the heart, while simultaneously possessing the power to shape character and dictate destiny. It is impossible to harbor careless words and expect a delightful life, just as one cannot speak hatefully and remain a loving person. Ultimately, our words heavily influence our emotions and decisions, which is precisely why the Apostle James strictly warned against double-tongued speech.

8  but the tongue is not able to be tamed. It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison!
9  We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image!
10  Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be!
11  Would you look for olives hanging on a fig tree or go to pick figs from a grapevine?

12 Is it possible that fresh and bitter water can flow out of the same spring? So neither can a bitter spring produce fresh water. 

James 3: 8 – 12

The words produced by your tongue truly matter, as they determine what will ultimately manifest in your hands. While God predetermines His plan, you determine what is actually delivered into your life by aligning your words with His word. God never instructed us to speak according to our temporary feelings; rather, He cautions us throughout Scripture to speak strictly in accordance with His truth. This is why Jesus commanded His disciples to bless those who hurl curses at them. Blessing others should never be dictated by how they treat you, but by the true character of your being. Your life is like an orchard whose trees are meant solely to bear good fruit; even if that orchard is surrounded by wild, poisonous weeds, those external elements cannot change the true nature of your harvest.

20  A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18: 20, 21

The human heart is like a reservoir that stores everything poured into it. Therefore, you must be deeply mindful of the words you allow inside, acting as an aggressive gatekeeper to guard your heart against anything that conflicts with the Word of God. Because whatever is stored in your heart will eventually express itself through your mouth, filling your inner reservoir with good words ensures that your speech will overflow with goodness, ultimately producing fruitful blessings that benefit everyone around you.