Your Life and Death Choice*

      We make life and death choices based upon the words out of our mouths. Proverbs 18:31 says: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." There is also a direct connection between what is in the heart, and what then comes out of the mouth: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." (Psalms 19:14). Scripture says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What are you speaking? Jesus said: "...A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (see Lk. 6:43-45). What are you speaking? Are the words out of our mouths really powerful enough to affect life and death?

     James wrote that in the same way a small bit in the mouth of a horse, a large animal, determines its way, and the small rudder of a ship determines its direction, "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue amongst our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell...the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:2-8, excerpt). The tongue is capable of great evil and destruction.

     However, in the same way, the tongue can also bring forth godly things if the Word of God is in the heart: "The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment (justice). The law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide." (Ps. 37:30-31). Is the Word of God in your heart? If so, your tongue will speak the wisdom of God.

     It is part of the new covenant which God made with men through the blood of Jesus that He will put His Word in our hearts: "...I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest." (Heb. 8:7-11, excerpt). In the new covenant created through the blood of Christ, God internalizes His Word into our hearts and minds until our lives become living epistles that other men read. What are they reading in your book?

     Part of walking as the wise instead of the foolish is based upon what we speak as we saw above. Regarding this, Paul wrote: "...be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus." (Eph. 5:15-20, excerpt). It is not only important what we speak to others, but what we speak to ourselves and to God. What we speak becomes a tool by which we may redeem the time as the days are evil. In another place, Paul says: "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Col. 3:15-17). Are our mouths speaking peace? We can have the God-kind-of-life when the Word of Christ resides in our hearts. The Word of God says that we can have whatsoever we say. What are we saying?

     David petitioned the LORD for His tender mercies, reminding the LORD that he, David, delighted to do the LORD's will, and that the law of the LORD was written in David's heart. He had preached righteousness to the great congregation: "I have not refrained my lips...I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me." (Ps. 40:7-11). David asked for the same from God that he had spoken of so boldly before others about Him. The Word must be in our hearts in order to come out of our mouths.

     The Book of Wisdom, Proverbs, has many verses concerning what is in our hearts and what we speak including: "The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom." (Prov. 10:20-21). Also: "He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit....the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellers of peace is joy." (Prov. 12:17-20, excerpt). The LORD condemns lying and liars. He calls it an abomination. Speaking truth and healing instead of lies and cruelty shows forth the righteousness of God: "The wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit...The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so." (Prov. 12:1-7, excerpt). 

     As Paul wrote above, from our mouths can come a tree of life - not only for ourselves, but for others. The Tree of Life is found in the glory of heaven. It is not a strange idea that our words can be a tree of life- Life and salvation come from the belief in the heart and the confession of the mouth: "...The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation...For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved....How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:8-15).

     In the same way that Christ is attained by each individual, so are all things, whether good or evil, attained - by what is in the heart, and by the words out of the mouth. Each of us makes the choice between life and death throughout our days. Let us bear witness to the truth of the Word of God, the Word of life, with the words of our lips.

*Based upon Dr. Kenneth E. Stevenson, Jr.'s 7/5/26 message to the church. If you would like to hear the complete message, you can find it on the Facebook page of Kenneth E. Stevenson Jr. Dr. Stevenson's video messages are also found on You Tube at the Kenneth Stevenson channel. To contact or support this ministry, or to request prayer, you can write to PO Box 154221, Waco, TX, 76705. To find out more about the Shroud of Turin, which is evidence of Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection, and to receive a free e-book now available in several languages, go to http://www.theshroudofturin.org/freebook. Also the book NAZAH: White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling, written by Dr. Stevenson, is available on Amazon.