Our Words Give Us Away

By Kirk Cameron of Living Waters

"If the tongue is frequently without a bridle; if it may be observed, that a person often speaks... lightly of God and of divine things, proudly of himself, and harshly of his fellow-creatures; if he is a liar, a talebearer, a railer, a flatterer or a jester--then, whatever other good qualities he may seem to possess--his speech betrays him! He deceives himself, and his religion is worthless!"
~ John Newton




There are few things worse than to be a religious hypocrite. Atheists love them, Jesus condemned them, and the Bible says Hell is full of them. Loose lips, wild words, and an untamed tongue are sure signs that something in wrong in the heart.


"The Man upstairs," "the Big Guy in the clouds," and other titles for the King of Glory rarely come from one who knows Jesus Christ as his great God and Savior. "I've got a heart of gold," "I'm not perfect, but better than most," and similar phrases hardly proceed from the lips of the man who has looked into the mirror of God's Law and seen his wretched self in truth. "You're an idiot!" "I'll can forgive, but I'll never forget!" and other prideful outbursts betray the lack of humility produced by the Holy Spirit in the heart of a true Christian.


Remember, it wasn't Jesus who said, "You can't judge a book by its cover." He said you will know a tree by its fruit. Words are the fruit and the overflow of our heart. If we want to know the health of our hearts and the worth of our religion, God says we are wise to do a word check.

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 1:26