A Successful Person Governs Their Tongue

Congratulations to the fathers in our church. You are essential, and when I arrive at church and see a group of men like this, devoted to the Lord, whose reason for being is to worship the Lord, it fills me with confidence and joy because I know that God is at work. And I urge you men to do the same in your homes: be bearers of words of blessing, do the work God has entrusted to you, do not be afraid to do it biblically, and be people who bless your homes in every way, as well as your community and your church. You are important—not merely important, but essential—and there is no one who can replace you. So do your work as unto the Lord, because it is for the Lord that you do it.

And I also want to encourage those of you fathers who have children far away, who do not live with you for various reasons—because there has been a divorce, or because you are here and your children are somewhere else—to stay in touch with them, whether by letter or by phone, and to support them financially.

Many times, when I meet with someone in counseling sessions, the wound surfaces of having had no contact with a father, of a father figure who was not there, who was absent or only partially present, or who did not speak words of blessing. So that is essential. You can never bless your children too much with your words and your presence. So I encourage you to do everything you can to be present fathers who bring honor and glory to the Lord, right there in the home, which is what matters most. Even if you are very effective in other areas of your life, if you are not a bearer of God’s blessing in the home, something very serious is missing. So I encourage you to do the very best you can, and I admire you, and we need you, and it fills us with joy to see you doing the Lord’s work.

In recent weeks, Roberto has been preaching about principles for a successful life, based on Hebrews 12:1–2, which I imagine all of you already know by heart because he has gone into great detail, breaking down and unpacking that word in order to apply it to people’s lives.

And this morning I want to add one more principle to those principles for a successful life, and this principle, as I have called it, is that a successful person governs their tongue and builds others up with their words.

Again, I am going to repeat it: a successful person governs their tongue, has control over their tongue, and builds others up through their words.

I want to share with you what the Word of God says about the use of the tongue, and one of the verses that perhaps all of you know is Proverbs 18:21, which says, “...death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Imagine such great power in such a small member of the body, and it says that “...death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The tongue is what determines that: death or life. Because our words are not neutral. They are never neutral; they always produce a reaction, an influence.

With words, we can build up or we can destroy; in other words, we can be builders or we can be demolishers, which is the complete opposite. We can foster encouragement or we can cause discouragement. We can impart life or extinguish life. That is the power in our tongue.

And today I want to focus primarily on words of life, but before that I want to establish, let us say, the other side of the coin. I know that we are all familiar with these things, but I want to establish the contrast between some types of destructive words, which bring death, and the words of life that we will discuss later.

Among the words of death, I am going to mention several. One is destructive criticism, which is when we do precisely that: we criticize, and what it does is create distance between people, because it is not a complaint; it is criticism. We are striking a blow, perhaps at the other person’s character. So that is a destructive word.

Another type of words are epithets such as “fool,” “stupid,” “you are good for nothing,” and other kinds of words that we cannot mention here, which perhaps you have heard. Jokes—the jokes we make in front of others, sometimes at someone’s expense. Mockery, using mockery; gossip, slander, sarcasm—you know, when we assume that we occupy a position of superiority over someone else, and it becomes a kind of mockery.

In fact, psychologists have studied sarcasm and say that it is one of the main indicators that divorce is approaching in a marriage, when we use sarcasm. It may seem harmless, but habitual sarcasm destroys a relationship.

Another is foul language, which pollutes the atmosphere. Many times, we were raised in a home where those words were used day after day, but when we come to the Lord, we must renounce all those things, along with many more that I will not mention for lack of time, which are destructive words.

Our environments are often saturated with these kinds of words, and we must prevent those words from gaining entrance into whatever environment we are in, because we are light, and where we are, there cannot—or should not—be destructive words of this kind.

Because if you look at that entire list I have mentioned, do you think anything good can come from those destructive words? No, right? Nothing good can come from them. And if we are called precisely to bring blessing into the environment where we are, we must renounce every kind of word that brings destruction.

In fact, James calls all those destructive words “deadly poison.” That is what we are using or spreading—deadly poison—if we use those kinds of words.

I think it is very easy, when you receive—when you are the recipient of—one of those words, to recognize it. Right away you say, “Sarcasm, disrespect, jokes you should not have made—that word is hurtful.” It is easy for us to recognize them when we receive them, but it is harder and less common to recognize that we are the ones using those words.

And I know—I know from experience—that I have fallen into those traps at times: using sarcasm, speaking a hurtful word, recalling things from the past that I should not be bringing to light at that moment. So I know that we fall into that. But what is important is that we acknowledge it, prevent it from becoming a habit in our lives, and ask for forgiveness.

First, we must repent before the Lord, because unless we acknowledge that there is a trait in our character or in our habits that does not please the Lord, take the bull by the horns, and truly ask for forgiveness, seek repentance, seek to repent before the Lord, and receive God’s forgiveness, we will continue doing those same things.

So we have to acknowledge it. And if we have hurt someone, we must go to that person and ask for forgiveness and, more than anything, resolve never to fall into those traps again. Those are traps. Those are things that poison any marriage; they are things that poison relationships between parents and children, between siblings, and between coworkers. So we must renounce all of this, and instead of doing these things, we must replace them with words that are edifying, that bring glory and honor to the Lord.

In Ephesians 4:29, God commands us as follows. It says, “...let no corrupt word come out of our mouth, but only what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”

It is emphatic: “...let no corrupt word come out of our mouth.” That means that if it is about to come out, you put a stop to it; hit the brakes and do not let that word come out, because it is going to bring destruction, something is going to be damaged, something ugly is going to happen.

And when that verse in Ephesians 4:29 speaks about a corrupt word, that means a rotten word. What could be more harmful and more contaminating than something rotten? Right? When you arrive home and something does not smell right, you rush to the garbage—“Take out the garbage!”—and until we get rid of it, we have no peace.

So the words that come out of our mouths that are corrupt are rotten words, and we must eliminate them too, because they smell bad and pollute the air. On the contrary, instead of speaking those corrupt words, we must speak only what will have a positive effect on those who hear it. That is our role: to speak positive words that meet a specific need, as it says there in the verse: “...but only what is good for necessary edification.” It means seeing the need and giving a word that meets that need.

So your everyday conversation, wherever you may be, as a believer, should extend God’s grace to everyone who interacts with you. Remember that we, as believers, are perhaps the only Bible the people around us will ever read. If that Bible which we are speaks corrupt words, we are going to cause harm. So in all our conversations, we must use words that are edifying.

If you recall your past, isn’t it true that everyone remembers hurtful words? Do some of you remember hurtful words you have received in your life? Right? We have all had those occasions when we received very hurtful words that were often like a dagger in the heart. But we can also remember the edifying words we have received.

So we cannot do anything about what we have received, or even about the words we have spoken that were not edifying, but do you know what we can do? We can resolve, from this day forward, to take responsibility for governing our tongue so that only what is edifying comes out of our mouth.

Because our words either bring honor to the Lord or bring dishonor to the Lord.

As we said at the beginning, there are no neutral words. They all have an effect, and they will all either bring grace to the hearer or have the opposite effect.

So I think that is enough about things that... words that are not words of life, or the destructive use of the tongue, and now I want to move on to talk about... what words of life are.

For a moment, I ask you to interact with me there in your seats and define in your mind: What is a word of life? If someone told you, “Write two sentences about what a word of life means to you,” think about it for a moment. What would you say a word of life is?

My definition of a word of life is a word that brings truth, gives the gift of truth, gives the gift of comfort, gives the gift of hope, appreciation, affirmation, gratitude, and a new perspective. Many times, we need the gift of a new perspective; we are stuck, and we need someone to renew our perspective so we can move forward. They are words that exhort, impart encouragement, inspire, and revive the dreams we have lost.

How many times have I spoken with people who once had dreams and stopped dreaming because life hit them so hard, or perhaps because they made wrong decisions, and their dreams died or are sitting there on a shelf gathering dust? A word of life also revives dreams.

Another thing words of life do is propel us to take the right action. So all those things—that is a word of life. A word of life, by its very nature, will always have a positive effect; it will have an effect, and that effect will be positive.

How many of you need a word like that? We all do, right? We all need words like that, because we will always have a need. We live in a social environment; God made us that way, as social creatures, so receiving words of life feeds and nourishes us. Likewise, those around you—no matter who they are—everyone around you needs your words of life. Do not keep them to yourself. Let them out, so they can breathe and fulfill their purpose.

I believe that the children of God, more than anyone else in the world, should be prepared to give words of life freely to everyone who needs them. And we can do that because we were once in darkness, without hope, and God—the Lord—brought us from a place of darkness into a place of light, into the light of His Gospel.

And what is the Gospel? What is the definition of Gospel? Good tidings—in other words, good news. So it is essential that through our words we be able to share that good news through words of life.

Throughout the universe, you know, only humans can communicate ideas, dreams, opinions, and perceptions through words; even in this we resemble our Heavenly Father. He is such a communicator that He recorded His love in a love letter to us, humanity, giving a plan of salvation in the written Word. God continually communicates with us and, as if that were not enough, still speaks to our spirit through the Holy Spirit. He continually gives us words of life through His Word, presence, dreams, prophetic words, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters. God uses all these tools to bring us life through the word.

Creating us in His image and likeness, our Heavenly Father placed in us the gift of imparting life through words. We have that gift and must use it. God takes its use absolutely seriously, so the Bible contains many passages and verses teaching responsible use of the tongue.

There are so many verses; my temptation was... or my problem was which to use, because the Word says so much about the tongue. These passages teach stewardship of the tongue—how to use that gift. Remember: spiritual stewardship is by definition supernatural and opposes what our flesh believes and wants.

In one epistle Paul describes that struggle: what he wants... what he wants to do, he does not do... We all share it. Honestly, we know it is within us.

How often were you ready to hurt with your tongue when the Lord warned you of the harm and you had to restrain it? That is nearly lifelong work. We learn during sanctification, yet will always be tempted to misuse words. Thus we need spiritual stewardship: not merely human or mental effort, but knowing and obeying what the Word says about the tongue.

A supreme challenge in relationships, especially marriage and family, is returning words of life after being offended or hurt. That is extremely hard—or am I alone there, or...? Right? Hurt or offended, whether truly or in our perception, we first lose words of life and are tempted to offend and retaliate... receiving words of death, to return words of death.

But you know what? Someone everywhere must be strong enough not to return death for death. Someone must say, “I won’t fall into this. I’ll break this vicious cycle at work, at home, in my marriage.” Someone must go first. Do not await the other.

When relationships suffer, people generally say, “I’ll act when he does,” becoming very self-righteous. They await the other, contrary to God’s Word. We must initiate and at least avoid returning words of death. Just that. It alone would gain much ground and bring relational victory.

Years ago I counseled an engaged couple whose relationship was very, very negative. One threatened, “Do that and I’ll kill myself”; “You’re this and this and this.” The other said, “Continue and I’ll leave you,” and this and this and this. They hurled many epithets and harsh words.

At our first session I said plainly, “Unless the words change, nothing will happen; we’re wasting time.” Thank God, they chose proactivity, accepted the challenge, and within days things changed dramatically. They simply withheld words of death. Still thinking and feeling them, they denied them free rein or voice, and the Lord greatly blessed them. The relationship changed; I still see it and marvel at God’s blessing, because they accepted counsel to control their tongues and not destroy each other with words. That is what God can do.

Another example was a young adult troubled with his mother. She gave harsh words; he returned equally harsh ones, until their sole communication was difficult, ugly, and abrasive. They no longer wanted to meet and changed schedules to avoid each other at home, so ugly was it. Again I challenged him: “Someone must first break this negative cycle.” Thank God, he accepted and began... I said, “At fitting moments, give your mother words honoring her and appreciating what she does, even if initially you feel none.” You know, I explained how.

He did. Initially she suspiciously wondered, “What does he really want?” Seeing genuine sincerity, she too returned edifying words of life. Within a month they reconciled and spent time together. They jointly covenanted never again to use hurtful or destructive words at home, even when annoyed. Annoyances always arise. Where there are people, there are problems, right? Truly, I will always dislike something another likes.

The Lord blessed that covenant: one governed his tongue, then the other changed. We are responsible for ourselves. I cannot control or answer for another’s thoughts or speech. Impossible. Nobody can, but I can control my words, thoughts, and deeds. My believing duty is to control, edify, and enliven myself, obey and become sanctified, then bring words of life and change our cycle.

Our environments are often contaminated and need one person—do it in faith. Let one begin breaking the cycle; usually the result will be good.

A governing principle appears in Galatians 6:7–8: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap, because he who sows to his flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

Again, “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Plant corn seed from a Home Depot garden section: what will you harvest? Corn, right? Plant tomato seed: what? Tomatoes, right? I hope so; with a green thumb—that is, being a good grower—you harvest tomatoes from tomato seed.

Sow destructive words: what will you harvest? Destructive words too. Sow words of life: what? Words of life. You harvest what you sow. We must all follow this principle, sowing generously to reap words of life generously.

Generously praise and affirm others. Speak well of people publicly and privately. Say something good privately and, rest assured, it will reach them. How lovely, right, when someone says, “So-and-so told me you’re this, this, and this.” How beautiful! Right? It lifts you, and you walk on clouds, for praise helps us grow and improve.

All us children learned at home: “If you have nothing good to say about someone, keep your mouth shut.” Who else heard it? Yes, lacking anything good, better say nothing. We should practice this good principle and teach our children.

Generously declare sincere words of life to everyone needing them around you, in every sphere of influence; all need them, especially at home. One excellent way to raise healthy children who form healthy homes is an actively blessing home of life-giving, affirming words.

Children raised thus are unlikely to enter destructive or abusive relationships: knowing health, they recognize unhealthiness. Home affirmation is essential. Husband, praise your wife; wife, your husband, especially before your children. Seeing Dad and Mom praise and speak well of each other gives children security, joy, and belonging; they will copy it in their future homes.

We are responsible for our home’s atmosphere. Though perhaps not for the other person’s part, our words can make our family the best possible.

We said God takes our use of words very seriously. Yet we are often irresponsible and careless because we forget spiritual principles about words—God’s perspective.

The first appears in Psalm 139:1,4: “O Lord, You have searched me and known me; for there is not yet a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.”

Our words are not spoken into a void; the Lord hears them first and knows them before we utter them. None is hidden or spoken in private emptiness, but in God’s presence; therefore our responsibility is great.

If spiritual eyes showed the Lord sitting in our home during conversation, would our speech change? We are careless because we lack awareness of this truth. Remember: all your words are spoken before and in the Lord’s presence.

Another truth is that we will account for every word. Hear Jesus in Matthew 12:36–37: “But I say that for every idle word men speak, they will give account on Judgment Day, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words condemned.”

We will account for every word. This great reality should not make us avoid words of death merely from fear, but we should remember that one day we will account for all our words. Heaven will have a video of every word, and often we will want to hide rather than hear it.

Furthermore, control of the tongue marks the true Christian, and our use cannot be inconsistent. James 3:12 declares: “...from the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be so. Does any spring pour both sweet and bitter water from the same opening?”

We cannot be inconsistent; it must be one or the other, unmixed. Obviously, our mouth should give sweet water.

Another verse, James 1:26, says: “...if anyone among you thinks himself religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, that person’s religion is vain.”

In other words, we can practice all kinds of religious rites, we can do all the good we want, but if we do not govern our tongue, everything external has no value. It is necessary to do all these works, but at the same time we have to govern our tongue in order to truly be a disciple of Christ. It is one of the first areas that the Lord has to disciple.

The use of the tongue is an essential part of our testimony. Christians, if you remember the passage Roberto has been preaching on these past few weeks, which is Hebrews 12:1, it says, “... therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”

In other words, our words do not fall into a vacuum; there will always be a great cloud of witnesses around us listening. So we have to be very, very careful. We cannot take off our suit as ambassadors of Jesus Christ for a moment and speak words that are not from God, and then put it back on. At all times we are representatives of Christ, wherever we may be.

So our conversations everywhere have to be conversations in which the purity and truth of God reign, and they must be edifying words. May we never be ashamed of what we are saying, because we are speaking before the Lord and we know that they are pure and edifying words, because that is one of the main areas of our testimony.

Another great truth about the use of the tongue is that our words are directly linked to the condition of our heart. There is a direct relationship between the words that come out of our mouth and the condition of our heart.

There is a verse that says, “... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” and that verse goes on to say, “... a good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things.”

So what we say is linked to the condition of our heart. And that is why I want to take the last few minutes to describe the treasures that must be in the heart of a person who uses words of life, the qualities that person’s heart must have.

And the first of these qualities is that it is a secure heart, and what I mean by that is a heart that knows and understands its identity in Christ, that knows who it is in Christ. There is stability in that heart because it has no doubt about its spiritual identity—not merely its natural identity, but its supernatural identity.

For example, the Word says that “... we are temples of the Holy Spirit; it says that we are the salt of the earth, that we are more than victorious, that we are coheirs in Christ, ministers of reconciliation, competent ministers.” There are many descriptions in the Word that describe—pardon the redundancy—our identity in the Lord.

So if we are all those things, how could we not have the power to govern our tongue? How could we not be the light of the world and bring blessing to others? It is impossible. We are secure, so we have to give words of life based on that security.

Another thing about this heart, in addition to being secure, is that it is a loving heart. The love in our heart is the quality that enables us to leave our comfort zone, where I focus on myself and meet my own needs, and enables me to extend grace to others. That is what it means to have a loving heart: a heart that extends mercy, forgiveness, grace, and words of life. And one place where this loving heart is described is 1 Corinthians 13, which I am not going to read for lack of time, but you can meditate on it—on those qualities of a loving heart.

So the heart of a person with words of life is secure, loving, and also positive. And what I mean by positive is that it strives to overcome any bad attitude or negativity within itself. One of the greatest barriers to our giving words of life is that sometimes there is negativity within us, and then, when we open our mouth, we bring negativity into our environment as well. But a positive heart fights against and overcomes that negativity and decides to speak words of life. It is a heart that has set itself the goal of always seeing the good and always bringing something positive wherever it may be. Wherever you go, you contribute something positive to that environment. How beautiful that would be!

Can you imagine if, at all your family gatherings, at all the church gatherings, and at all the work meetings, people were striving not to say negative things about one another, but to say good things because they want to praise others and bless others? Can you imagine how beautiful those gatherings would be?

There would be no material for the church gossip column, none of that... no one would be writing, “So-and-so said this, and this about so-and-so.” But you know what? It would do a great deal to unify the church, to create greater fellowship and greater unity among all of us.

In Philippians 4:8 there is a verse that perhaps some of you know well. That verse is one of my life verses when it comes to seeing the positive in others. It says, “... finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things.”

How good it would be if we could apply that to the people around us, right? And if we were constantly looking for the good in that person. As human beings, we have a tendency—some have it a little more than others—to see the negative in others. The positive may be something wonderful and great, but many times we focus on the negative, on what displeases us, on what clashes with my personality and I do not like.

Can you imagine if God did the same with us, if He focused on our flaws and limitations? But God does not do that. He sees the beauty in us and makes the most of it. So that is something of which we have to be conscious.

Let us see the positive in others, and let us be less inclined to complain about what we do not like and more inclined to give words of praise and affirmation.

Many times words of criticism come out in full color, with lavish details, dates, and all those things, but words of affirmation take a little longer and get a little stuck in our throats. So let us allow those words of affirmation and praise to flow in our environments as well.

So to the positive heart we have already described, we add a visionary heart, which is related to being positive but goes further. A visionary heart is one that sees the potential in others. It does not see the ugly piece of ugly coal... that rough piece; it does not see that, but rather the diamond in others, which is precisely what God does with us.

And in the Word we see the example of Peter when—remember, after Peter denied the Lord three times—Jesus rose again and went to the lake where Peter and some other fishermen were fishing. And when Peter came ashore, recognizing that it was his Lord, the Lord began a conversation with him in which He gave Peter some wonderful words of life. It was a transformative conversation. In that conversation He asked him three times, “Peter, do you love Me?” And Peter had the opportunity to declare his love for the Lord three times as well, canceling out the betrayal he had committed against the Lord.

So God not only reconciled Peter to Himself, bringing about Peter’s reconciliation with his Lord, and healed and restored him, but He also commissioned him to shepherd His sheep. And we all know through Scripture all the great things Peter did.

Who knows how many people like that there are around us whose lives would be transformed if we took the time to declare words of life over them—over our spouses, our children, our relatives, and all kinds of people. So I encourage you to be visionary in how you see people.

Furthermore, a heart, in addition to being secure, loving, positive, and visionary, is a sensitive and discerning heart, because speaking words of life is not simply speaking pleasant or “nice” words; rather, it is imparting life through the word. It is a concept that goes far beyond merely pleasant words, and what we have to do is observe what is around us, observe human nature, observe our family, and know them well so that we may know what word we have to give each of them.

That takes time, right? And it requires observation. In many families, people are like sailing ships in the night: the ships pass through the darkness of the night at sea, one traveling in one direction and the other in another, but there is no communication between those two ships; there is no meaningful communication. So that is an area that all of us need to foster more and grow in more: knowing the members of our family so that we can give each one the word they need, being sensitive and discerning that need.

And connected to that is another quality: the heart that gives words of life is also an intentional heart. You will not give words of life unless you make it your purpose to give words of life, because it is an art, a spiritual discipline. So we all have to grow in that area; we have to recognize where we need to grow and then begin to move in it, giving words of life, being intentional, and listening to the Lord to discern at what moment and how—how God wants us to give the word.

I do not know whether this has happened to you, but sometimes God persistently brings someone’s name to mind, or a person’s face comes to mind, or He gives you a dream in which there is a person. Many times what God is doing is encouraging us to contact that person and pray for that person.

Some years ago, a sister shared an example of how, on three occasions, God—well, she later realized it was God—brought a woman’s name to her mind, a friend of hers, on three occasions. And on one of those occasions it came to her with pain, like a sense of burden for this woman who was her friend, but she did nothing about it. She did not call her, and she says she barely prayed for her. A month later she ran into her at the supermarket, and there this woman told her that one month earlier she had been suffering from a terrible depression in which she had contemplated suicide.

So that was a great lesson for her. You see, right then she made a commitment to the Lord that whenever the Lord brought a name or a face to mind, she would give a word of life. You may be somewhere, arrive at a place, and see someone who does not feel that they belong there. Approach that person, extend friendship, and offer words of life so that the person may feel part of the community. In other words, everywhere you are, in every place, you can be intentional about giving words of life. And remember that one day we will give an account of the words we used. But also consider the words of Benjamin Franklin.

Concerning this matter of being intentional about words, he said, “... one day we will give an account not only for the inappropriate words we have spoken, but also for every unnecessary silence.”

So where there is a need for a word of life, give it. Be faithful; be obedient in giving that word.

And finally, a heart that gives words of life is a wise heart. It is not wise because of its own intellectual or mental knowledge, but because it is rooted in the knowledge of the Word, in truths that are eternal and apply to every situation in life.

In Proverbs 31 there is a verse about the virtuous woman which says that “... she opens her mouth with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue.”

That is very graphic—imagining the law of kindness on the tip of her tongue, right? And her mouth opening and bringing wisdom to everyone who hears her. That is what the Word of God is like. It contains very powerful and graphic images that help us to be obedient.

In Isaiah 50, verse 4, there is a verse that is one of my favorites, one of the verses the Lord gave me as a life verse when He called me to counseling. He gave me this verse, Isaiah 50:4, which says, “The Lord Jehovah gave me the tongue of the wise, that I might know how to speak words to the weary; He will awaken me morning after morning. He will awaken my ear that I may hear as the wise.”

What a beautiful verse, right? He has given me a tongue; the Lord has given us the tongue of the wise. But to have the tongues of the wise, what must we do first? We must have the ear of the wise, and it is a day-by-day process; it is a learning process, because it says, “that I might know how to speak...” In other words, we have to learn first so that we may then know.

And that verse fills me with confidence because it assures me that if God has called me to give words of life—and that is a calling for all of us who are here—then He will also see to it, if I maintain my relationship with Him, if I remain close to Him, if I keep my ear attentive to Him, that He gives me the words I need.

I have always trusted in that. When I am going to counsel someone, the image that comes to mind is of me holding on to Jesus’ robe. I always ask Him, “Lord, let power go out from You,” because I do not want the words I give to be my own, but to come from the Lord and to be truly wise and edifying words.

So, to the extent that your heart is more secure, more loving, more positive, more visionary, more sensitive, more intentional, and wiser, you will be able to be an effective instrument in building up the lives of everyone around you. Because you are in the business of building lives and edifying lives.

And the last thing I want to tell you is that if we grow in all those qualities I have mentioned, if those treasures are within our hearts, do you know who will benefit the most? Who do you think? Each one of us, right? Each of us will benefit the most. Not those who receive the words, but we ourselves, because we will be more positive and more pleasant people, and even our faces will change. Our faces will become more relaxed; we will have less of this and more of this—a more relaxed, more beautiful face, more attractive to others. People will feel more drawn to us. We will be like honey to others. They will want to be near us because they know that we are a spring of fresh water, a source of words of life.

We will also be less focused on ourselves, less selfish, and we will be more like Christ; we will learn to be more like Christ, and we will spread this positivity to everyone, because just as negativity is contagious, positivity is even more contagious. So others will want to imitate that and will even want to be better than the teacher. It would be beautiful to see that in our home, in our church. And our relationships will improve one hundred percent, as in some of the examples I have shared with you this afternoon. In addition, we will develop a gift that never goes out of style and that we will be able to use until the last day of our lives.

I have an example of that in my mother-in-law, Toñita, who is 91 years old. She cannot move around much, but from her home she runs a station broadcasting words of life. She spends all her time on the phone; people call her, and she has words of life for them. So it does not matter what ministry you are in, and it does not matter what season of life you are in: you can always use this gift of words, of giving words of life, to bless everyone around you.

So I hope I have convinced you, through what the Word says, to go wherever you live and wherever you go and give those words of life, so that they may multiply more and more in your family and bring blessing to your lives and to the lives of everyone around you.

So please join me in prayer as we conclude this part, because we will be celebrating Communion in a moment.

Thank You, Father. Thank You for Your Word, Lord, which is an effective guide. Thank You for that manual for life that You have given us. Lord, thank You for bringing conviction to our hearts concerning what displeases You in our use of words, Lord.

Father, before You we commit ourselves, Lord, to being better stewards of our words, so that no corrupt word ever comes out of our mouths, Lord, but only what is edifying. Thank You, Lord, because not only do You benefit others, Lord, and not only does Your kingdom expand, but we ourselves are also built up, Lord, as we apply these principles wherever You have placed us. Thank You, O God. Thank You for Your presence. May we always cultivate the awareness that every word we utter, Lord, is spoken in Your presence and that we are accountable to You for our words, Lord.

Thank You, Father. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for coming into our lives. Thank You for renewing our minds and our tongues, Lord, so that we may be a blessing, Lord, and so that we may be builders and edifiers of lives, Lord. Thank You, Father. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Sermon by Mercedes Lopez, recorded June 18, 2006, at Congregación León de Judá

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