Resources/Articles
Keeping Your Faith Alive (45)
Who is listening to you? Whoever is around you. Whether you are on the phone or at home, whether you are in the car or in worship, whether you are at the game or in the grocery store, people hear your tone and attitude, as well as the words you say.
What do those words mean? Those words define your faith. They define you as one who complains or one who encourages. Your words define you as one with doubt or one with hope. What you are saying defines you as one of conviction or convenience. Your speech gives away your assurance or your uncertainty. Everyone hears those words, because they are your means of communication. Words from your lips are impacting decisions, plans, and faith of others to whom you speak. Add your body language and your facial expressions to your words, and you could help a team win a ballgame or you could leave a heart heavy with worry and fear.
James 3:5 says the tongue “...is a little member and boasteth great things.” Those great things can be negative or positive. You cannot dismiss what you say as something which means nothing. You cannot wish, “I hope nobody heard that,” when everyone did. Those words just impacted someone’s heart with what came from your heart. Listen to what you are saying. Let your conversation be full of grace (Colossians 4:6). Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.” Let those good things from your mouth boast great things in the hearts of others. Let them move the insensitive, lift the spirits of the discouraged, catch the willing hearts of youth, or change the small part of the world where you live with righteousness, peace, and truth. This present world needs some good words from some good hearts of faith.
