WORDS LIVE AND STICK

In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise – Proverbs 10:19

The words we speak LIVE and STICK. Words are always on the move, conveying messages, carrying powerful thoughts, transmitting colourful imaginations in the minds of the speakers or writers to those who hear, read or see them. Words can almost assume tangible reality when they are released. Words are the ‘substance’ in the spirit realm.

Words abound in the mental and spiritual atmosphere around us, and they can go a long way in affecting our lives positively or negatively. Words will never leave you or your hearers neutral. With words, you will always have to make a choice – to speak or to restrain from speaking! Words often have long-term consequences. Our comments, compliments, condemnation or harsh criticisms would stick with listeners for much longer than we think.

The tongue is a small organ that can create either discord or harmony.
A talkative is prone to error and sin: “when words are many, sin is not absent…” (Proverbs 10:19, NIV). It is unusual for one to be a constant talker without committing sin and defaming other people’s character. Moreover, attempts to communicate are often nullified by saying too much or too much too soon.

So, what do all these teach me? To restrain the tongue is a primary and positive virtue. I must learn when and how to RESTRAIN MY TONGUE. I must know when to speak and when to be silent! According to Mark Twain: “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” On the other hand, Martin Luther King, Jr. opined: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

The tenth chapter of Proverbs reinforces the value of words:
- the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life (vs.11);
- wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning (vs.13);
- the wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin; the wise value and keep secret things heard on others; unlike fools who gossip and thereby cause strife (vs.14);
- the words of the just are like precious silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value – worthless, like dross (vs. 20); the lips of the righteous feed – shepherd or instruct – many (vs. 21).

You can watch your words.
You can select your statements.
You can caution your conversations.
You can decide to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). You are not bound to say everything you feel like. It pays to watch your words. It is wise to restrain your tongue!