Matthew 12:36-37: (KJV) “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.”
An idle word is a word or statement that has no biblically based purpose. It amounts to nothing and often is destructive. Be careful and measured in what you say. Your words affect your outcomes by influencing yourself with “self-talk” and by influencing others by what you say to them and what they think of you.
Following is an excerpt from my book “Biblical Principles for Successful Living”.
In order to move forward, stop engaging in idle speech. To help create
a good future for yourself and your loved ones, make your words count.
Do not spend time talking about other people or gossiping. Avoid wasting
your time complaining. It would be much more useful to pray or be calm
and quiet. Do an analysis of your speech, and it will reveal what is going
on inside of you, inside your heart. Angry words may reveal fear; idle and
wasted words may reveal a person without purpose or vision; and critical
words reveal self-condemnation and fear.
Don’t thwart the creative power that God gave you in your thoughts
and words by allowing Satan to use his ideas to defeat you. Jesus utterly
defeated Satan. Therefore, we have defeated him on every count. We are
not helpless victims. If Satan troubles your mind, refuse to speak those
things out loud. Do not verbalize your fears and worries. Instead, pray
and speak the Scriptures against those outcomes. One of my favorites is
Psalm 91 — a protection Psalm. I also like Isaiah 54:17, which says that
no weapon formed against us can prosper. Christ conquered death, hell,
and the grave. We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. We conquer
by using words spoken in faith that agree with the Word of God. Why
would you believe something that God Himself has said in the Bible, yet
not believe there is power in those same words if you speak them? The
Word of God works, no matter who speaks it.
Many situations in life are ambiguous. If you find you don’t know what
to say, the best advice is not to say anything. If you wish to receive anything
from God, remember that thanksgiving and praise, not murmuring, are
keys to victory. The Bible is replete with passages regarding the power
of continually offering praise and thanksgiving to God. Make your
words count and let that be your trademark. God spoke the world into
existence. You are made in His image and likeness. What will you speak
into existence? Words are seeds. You can use your words to build up and
encourage yourself and others. You can use your biblically supported words
to prophesy your future and improve your self-image and expectations.
You can use your words to improve every area of your life and the lives
of those around you. They can be an encouragement to you and others.
They can share wisdom from Scripture with those you are associated
with. They can demonstrate faith. Perhaps, most importantly, you can use
your words to lead others into an eternal relationship with God through
Jesus. All of this can be done by speaking what God says in His Word. Use
His promises as lights to guide and encourage your thoughts and words.
Following are verses from NKJV.
Proverbs 21:23: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
keeps his soul from troubles.”
Proverbs 10:19: “In the multitude of words sin is not
lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”
Proverbs 25:11: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold
in settings of silver.”
