THE news has been covering the stories of something that we use every day. One of those things that we use everyday are “words.”
It’s a no-brainer to say that words are used to communicate instructions, directions, information, love, and even hate. It’s that last usage that has been the basis for some of our recent tragedies in our nations. Inciting words.
Words that express a hatred for others. Words that are used to instigate action. While some use the smokescreen that words don’t make people go out and commit crimes, most of us realize the truth that, Oh yes, words do matter.
Words of intolerance motivated a Florida man to create scores of bombs to be mailed to those whom he designated as political enemies. It was words of hate and prejudice that caused a Pennsylvania man to walk into a Jewish synagogue and kill 11 people and to wound several others.
Every night as we attempt to watch the TV news, we are inundated with words of contempt and accusation from our statewide political candidates on every side.
Is there such a thing any more as a political candidate that simply argues why people should vote for them and not try to assassinate the character of their opponents in an attempt to make themselves look better?
The irony of all these hateful words is that people who are not in, or not vying for, the top tier of leadership positions in our country or state, know that words do matter. People know what comes out of their mouths as hateful speech.
We filter our oil as it flows through the car engine. We filter our gasoline just before it goes in the tank. We filter the air that is forced through the ductwork of our furnaces. But, some people think it totally within their rights to give an un-filtered flow of hate and prejudice and profanity, from their mouths.
We sometimes might wonder where these kinds of attitudes were developed in which sharp words and accusations are more the norm. Did they have a bad experience somewhere in their past? Is there a current danger that requires such inciting words to be spoken? Is it simply a desire to destroy a reputation because of the two-sides-of-the fence on which different people stand?
The book of Matthew begins to open the door of understanding as to the source of toxic and inflammatory words.

In Matthew 15:18 Jesus said, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
Matthew 15:19 says: For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies.”
Three of these terrible actions have to do with words. False and inflammatory words come from a heart that has no controls from God on it and no considerations for the hurt they cause to others.
Most people will attempt to practice a decency of the type of speech they use, but the continued flow of verbal attacks from our leaders of all levels will have its damaging motivations to those in society that need only a little push to act.
Christians should especially take heed to what the Bible says about our words, but even non-Christians can be impacted by these biblical truths:
• Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, in order that you may know how you ought to answer every man.
• 2 Timothy 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words .
• Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
• Proverbs 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
• Proverbs 10:18 He that hides hatred with lying lips, and he that utters a slander, is a fool.
• Ecclesiastes 10:12 The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
• Ephesians 5:19 Speak to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart.
• Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth
• Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
• James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell.
• James 1:26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
Make sure that all your words are truthful. If a difficult message must be given to others, then seek to use as much grace and decency as possible to communicate hard statements. Also, if you use words to say that you love God, then make sure there is evidence in your actions to show that they are true and accurate.
Pastor Cowan has been the pastor of First Baptist Church of Rochelle since 2001.