Does God hear every single word we say?
Yes. And that should serve as a sobering warning.
Jesus warned,
“By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)
Why does God place so much importance on what we say?
Because, as Jesus said,
In other words: “what we say = who we really are”
Understanding this biblical truth ought to make people think twice before recklessly speaking or Tweeting, right?
But, alas, we live in a society that, for the most part, cares little to nothing about what we say, or post on social media.
According to the Bible, when we speak or post recklessly, consequences are imminent.
In the early days of the nation of Israel – after God has miraculously liberated them from Egyptian bondage – Israel began to complain, even accusing God of making life worse on them rather than saving them.
This did not go well for Israel.
We pick up Israel’s journey to the land God had promised them in Numbers, chapter 11:
“Soon the people began to complain about their hardships”, (which paled in comparison to their centuries of slavery).
Next sentence: “And the Lord heard everything they said.”
Then in chapter 12, Moses’ own siblings begin to run him down, verbally assault him and publicly complain about him saying, “Has the Lord only spoken through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through is too?” Translation: “Sure, God has told every one of us he will speak to us through his servant, Moses, but we’re tired of listening to Moses. I mean, come on – we’re just as smart. Heck, probably smarter!”
Next sentence: “But the Lord heard them.”
Neither of these stories turned out well for the complainers. In fact, many were judged with a death sentence.
The point I’m making is that our words matter because they expose the real us and there’s not a single thing we say (or think) that God doesn’t hear.
Further, our words – even our knee-jerk-reaction words – have consequences.
Think before you speak or post.
“By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Soli Deo Gloria, Nick