Do we find it difficult to love others?
Do we find ourselves involved in one troublesome situation after another?
If people in our life seem to be constantly irritating us, then it would be wise to take a serious look at something.
We should look to see whether there might be something about our words that is displeasing, even offensive, to our heavenly Father.
If we want an 
indicator of our spiritual condition, then just listen to our own words, to get a true indication of our maturity level.
By the words we speak, we reveal what is in our heart!
“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34; see also Luke 6:45).
For Believers in Yahushua Messiah [Jesus Christ], one of the most important signs that we are growing up spiritually is by our words!
Are we are holding tightly to our profession of faith in Yahushua Messiah [the Hebrew name for Jesus Christ] (see 1Timothy 6:12; Hebrews 10:23)?
Holding tightly to our profession [or proclamation] of faith, means we will make sure that our words are in agreement with the Word of God!
Father Gives Life and Breath
Our words are formed by breath. Without breath, we have no words!
Every breath we take is a gift from God (Acts 17:24-25)! Therefore we need to consider carefully how we are using the gift of our breath, and thus our words.
Every word we speak is either a breath used for building 
up and supporting faith in Yahuwah [the LORD],
or it is a breath used for tearing down and corrupting faith.
The heavenly Father is listening to our words, testing the growth of our faith, especially when we are troubled or upset.
What do we do with the breath that has been entrusted to us?
Are we maintaining good spiritual health, not only for ourselves, but for others as well? Are we being good stewards of the breath/the words we speak?
We need to use our breath wisely, by carefully watching over our words, speaking words of excellence, edification, and faithfulness (Ephesians 4:29-32).
Test the Spirit
The word ‘breath’ is closely related to the word ‘spirit.’
The Hebrew word for ‘breath’ is often the same word for ‘spirit,’ as seen in Psalms 33:6:
By the word of Yahuwah [the LORD] were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath [spirit/rûach] of His mouth. (Psalms 33:6)
This verse reveals an important insight — the amazing power and equality of Yahuwah’s breath [spirit/rûach] and His Word! Yahuwah’s breath and His Word are powerful and inseparable!
With this understanding, let us be in awe that Yahuwah [who created us in His own image], has given us this same huge measure of power.
Yahuwah has given us the ability to speak WORDS!
Our words are as powerful seeds that go forth, to bring forth fruit — either life or death (Proverbs 18:8 and Proverbs 18:21).
No other creature has this ability!! Therefore being good stewards of our words, guarding our words deliberately, is a wise, noble, and godly pursuit!
Moreover, every breath we use for speaking words, reveals what spirit we are of, as the apostle John tells us:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits, whether they are of God… (1John 4:1a)
The words we speak, in the form of our breath, are the evidence of what is in the deepest part of us — our heart, which is also our spirit, as seen in several verses of Scripture: Psalms 51:17; 78:8; Isaiah 57:15; 1Peter 3:4!
For example, Yahushua rebuked James and John for the destructive spirit they displayed by their words, when they wanted to take vengeance on those who rejected Yahushua (Luke 9:51-56). Also, King David prayed for deliverance from false witnesses, who spoke lies against him, “breathing out cruelty” — this is evidence of a violent spirit (Psalms 27:12).
It is the words we speak that reveal not only what is in our heart, but also what spirit we are of.
Let us ask ourselves:
Are we of a good, loving spirit by the words we speak?
Or, are we of an evil, hating spirit by the words we speak?
The Power of the Tongue
What we say with our words is far more revealing and more powerful than we realize:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21)
With our tongue, we can choose to speak words that build others up, bringing LIFE.
Or, with our tongue, we can choose to speak words that tear others down, bringing DEATH.
The end result is that we ourselves eventually feed on the fruit of our words, either death or life.
Our words reveal love for others, or hatred of others.
Yahuwah gave us clear instructions, throughout the Scriptures, on what kind of words we are to speak, and words we are not to speak:
You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people: nor shall you take a stand against the life of your neighbor: I am Yahuwah. You shall not hate your brother in your heart: you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not [continue to] bear [your own] sin because of him. You shall not take vengence, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am Yahuwah. (Leviticus 19:16-18)
Because Yahushua Himself quoted the above verse in Leviticus 19:18 — “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), we should therefore value of the above passage.
This passage gives us instruction and insight for knowing what to speak, and not speak, in order to “Love our neighbor as ourselves!”
Loving Others
Our words reveal our love!! or our lack of love!!
When we speak patiently, encouragingly, seeking to edify, then we bring life and love to others. As the above Scripture passage teaches us, loving others means we will not say words as a talebearer or as a grumbler. Such words are seeds of hatred that become rooted in our heart.
Loving others means we will not take vengeance, nor hold a grudge against those who hurt us or persecute us. Instead, we will love others by forgiving, as we are instructed many times in the Scriptures: “And be ye kind one to another, tender- hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Messiah’s sake has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32).
Behind the cutting words of slander, talebearing, murmuring, anger, and hate, there is a spirit of violence, and a spirit of murder (Proverbs 10:11b and 1John 3:15). Being a talebearer, complaining, hating, and speaking evil against another — these words do not show love to others, but rather injure others!
The wounds of a talebearer are so bad and so deep that many are not repairable:
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (Proverbs 18:8)
If we speak words of talebearing, slander, hatred, complaining, then the power of our tongue can be devastating and destructive, wounding all who hear such words. Such words harm and damage others deeply, emotionally and spiritually, damaging our own reputation as well.
Sadly, it is far too common to speak, and to hear, words that are hateful, slanderous, complaining, and gossip. Such words are extremely grievous and offensive to the Father, as they divide and destroy relationships (Proverbs 6:16-19).
Yahuwah detests such words so much that He counted murmuring as one of the reasons for overthrowing the Israelites in the wilderness — they could not enter the Promised Land (see Psalms 106:24-27; 1Corinthians 10:5-11).
However, if we will speak words of hope, love, thanksgiving, and faith, then the power of our tongue can be uplifting, edifying, and encouraging to all who hear such words. Notice what Messiah said:
“. . . the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63b)
Using Messiah’s example, we too can build up others, and bring life, when we choose to order our speaking according to the Words of the Bible.
A Root of Bitterness
If we hate those who have hurt us, or if we hold a grudge against them, our slanderous words are evidence that we have a root of bitterness, and a spirit of unforgiveness.
Roots are under the surface and therefore, we are unaware of the hidden nature of bitterness or hatred in the heart. It takes a genuine, intense honesty within ourselves, to admit the hiding presence of bitterness and hatred within our hearts!
Whenever a root of bitterness does surface, it is truly a defiling, destructive spirit, going forth from an evil tongue, damaging relationships, even whole congregations. Bitterness prevents us from loving others! It prevents our faith from growing, and prevents Yahuwah’s grace from coming to us (Hebrews 12:15 and Proverbs 17:20).
If we are finding it difficult to genuinely love others, especially those close to us, then unforgiveness and bitterness could well be the problem. We must humble ourselves, and diligently seek to go before Yahuwah in prayer, and forgive all who have hurt us, lest a root of bitterness continue to trouble us, defiling many!
To truly love others, we must earnestly seek to be forgiving, guarding ourselves from having …
- an evil tongue,
- a lying tongue,
- a naughty tongue,
- a backbiting tongue,
- an angry tongue, or
- a bitter tongue.
We are cautioned many times in Scripture to guard the words of our mouth! We are warned by Yahushua that by our own words we will be judged: “For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)
Warnings From the Proverbs
Will we choose to be among the Wise, or among the Foolish?
The book of Proverbs is full of warnings about the difference between the words of the Foolish and those of the Wise:
The Words of a FOOL:
He that utters a slander is a fool. (Proverbs 10:18b)
A hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor. (Proverbs 11:9a)
A fool’s mouth is his destruction. (Proverbs 18:7a)
The Words of the WISE:
The lips of the righteous feed many. (Proverbs 10:21a)
The lips of the wise shall preserve them. (Proverbs 14:3b)
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. (Proverbs 15:7a)
If we are Wise, we will discipline ourselves, and speak words of LIFE and faith in the form of Scripture verses — especially if others hurt us, in moments of trials and affliction. Words of life, love, and thanksgiving, are words that become ‘solid food’ for nourishing our spiritual health.
As we saw in Where Can I Find Help, when we proclaim our faith, regardless of the circumstances, we are bringing life and hope into our situation, building up our faith; we are exercising our spiritual muscles!
Conclusion
Our words are vital ingredients that either build up, or tear down, our own spiritual health.
With our words, we either strengthen our resolve to walk by faith, or we weaken it. Our words spoken in agreement with the Words of the Bible, faith-filled words, are mighty shields and weapons in the spiritual realm, against the wiles of the enemy.
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life. (Proverbs 15:4a)
A wholesome tongue brings LIFE, love, wisdom, and faith. Let us be speaking aloud, proclaiming Scripture verses! This is how to give ourselves nourishing spiritual food, benefiting all who hear us.
Speaking words of Scripture strengthens our hope! When we, by Father’s grace, prepare and swallow this kind of life-giving ‘food,’ we can know we are growing up spiritually, taking steps toward maturity! This is why Yahuwah encourages us to hold tightly to our profession, or proclamation, of faith!
The words we speak greatly affect ourselves, and others — deeply and eternally. Let us maintain discipline regarding our words, considering very carefully how we are using the Gift of our Breath.
Our words reveal what is deep within our heart, either good or bad.
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- Because of God’s great love for me, I am adopted into His family (1 John 3:1), and I am made a joint heir with Messiah! (Romans 8:17)
- I am made to sit in heavenly places [of authority over all demons, sickness, etc.] with Messiah! (Ephesians 2:6)
- I am blessed with all spiritual blessings in Messiah! (Ephesians 1:3)
- I am the righteousness of Messiah through faith, thus being made right before God! (Romans 3:22)
- I am entitled to a clean conscience before God because of the Blood of Yahushua’s sacrifice, and I can have full assurance of faith when I go before Him (Hebrews 10:22)
- My sins have been removed from me as far as the east is from the west (Psalms 103:12), and God Himself has chosen not to remember my failures! (Hebrews 8:12)
- I am loved with the same love that the Father has for Yahushua Himself! (John 17:23)
–Excerpted from Overcoming Rejection by greatbiblestudy.com.
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Here are a few more suggestions for verses to proclaim personally:
Psalms 143:9-12; Isaiah 26:3 and Isaiah 41:10,13; Romans 15:13; 2Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 3:20.
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“Everything we do affects other people, positively or negatively. That’s why it is foolish to say, ‘Do your own thing if it doesn’t hurt anybody else.’ Everything we do [and say] affects other people.” – James C. Dobson
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Related Articles:
- Blessing Confessions (Good Proclamations)
- Root of Bitterness
- Unforgiveness: Spiritual Poison
- Spiritual warfare: How to forgive others
- Guard Your Heart With All Diligence! – 4 Tips
- No Discipline Seems Pleasant
- The Key to Gaining Understanding
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Cold Waters to a Thirsty Soul
Cold Waters to a Thirsty Soul 
What a beautiful post! And one that we must constantly keep at the forefronts of our minds. The tongue is a huge indicator of what’s going on in our hearts. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you K. for your comment! This post was birthed after listening to some of my own words, as well as to some words of others. Then I was even more convicted after listening to one of eliyah.com’s teachings, from his series called ‘Precepts & Principles in the Torah’ [http://www.eliyah.com/]. Studying this topic left me astonished at how something as small as our tongue can be so powerful. HalleluYAH for Abba Father’s WORD, to guide us and instruct us on the power of the tongue. May all of us seek to use our tongue to edify, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
Reblogged this on GRACE in TORAH and commented:
Is it time for a tongue check? What’s brewing in your heart? This article by good news from a distance land will serve as a great “check up” for your spiritual health. Enjoy!
Thank you so much K, for the reblog!