March 26, 2011

Everything You Say May Be Held Against You

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Matthew 12:36-37 – But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

In Matthew 12:22-37, Jesus healed a demon-possessed man and the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out devil through the power of Beelzebub (read Matthew 12:22-37 for context). Through this dialogue, Jesus illustrates what the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is, and how we will be give an account of the negative things we say. Think about the negative and useless things you’ve said over the last week. On the day of judgment, you will stand before the Lord and give an account of each of those words. Not only that, but it is by our words that we will be justified or condemned.

In the original translation, the word idle is translated as inactive, lazy, useless, barren, and slow. When writing to the church in Ephesians, Paul admonished the church to use their words for edifying others:

Ephesians 4:29 – Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

We can say many things about many situations each day. Some situations ‘scream’ for you to say something negative or in anger. However, allow the words you speak to build others up rather than tear them down. If you don’t have anything kind to say, don’t say anything.

Remember that the idle words you speak will come back to you when you will stand before the Lord. You will have to account for them. Do not allow the idle words you speak to condemn yo before God. Speak life!

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