Have you ever sat in meetings or casually over coffee with people who are “negative” and “critical” about almost everything under the sun? What will happen when you hang around with such people too often? Let me tell you, you will soon become like them, “negative” and “critical.” Words have the power to influence your thinking and conversation.
In Matthew 13:57, we were told that the people in Nazareth “took offense at” Jesus. In fact, the Greek word skandalizo literally means that the people in Nazareth scandalised Jesus by spreading evil reports that would discredit, despise and dishonour Him (atimos, translated “without honour” in NIV). As a result, Jesus did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. These evil reports subtly stifled and destroyed the faith of the people. Watch out, what you are hearing can affect your faith in Jesus and your trust in good people.
When Isaiah saw the glorious and holy presence of the Lord, he confessed, “I am ruin! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips…” (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah admitted that he had been influenced by the evil speaking of the people around him so much so that he became like them. Take heed of Paul’s warning, “Do not be deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1Corinthians 15:33, KJV), and follow the wise counsel of the Psalmist, “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seats of mockers.” (Psalm 1:1, NIV). Keep away from negative and evil talkers.
“Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.” (Proverb 18:21, CEV). And again, Proverb 15:23 (NIV) says, “A man finds joy in giving an apt reply – and how good is a timely word!” In other words, what we say and the way we say can make a difference to ourselves and to those who listen to us.
There is a greater tendency for most of us to speak freely, and sometime carelessly, with familiar people like our family members, colleagues and even Church friends. Paul in Ephesians 4:29 instructed ed us with these words (Message):
• Watch the way you talk
• Let nothing foul or dirty or “harmful” (GNB) come out of your mouth.
• Say only what helps, each word a gift.
Catherine Marshall told in her book, A Closer Walk, that one morning God gave her an assignment to fast from criticism for one day – she was not to criticize anybody about anything! Listen to what she wrote:
“For the first half of the day I simply felt a void, almost as if I had been wiped out as a person. This was especially true at lunch…I listened to the others and kept silent…In our talkative family no one seem to notice. Bemused, I noticed that my comments were not missed…I still didn’t see what this fast on criticism was accomplishing – until mid-afternoon.
“That afternoon, a specific, positive vision for this life was dropped into my mind with God’s unmistakable hallmark on it – joy! Ideas began to flow in a way I had not experienced in years. Now it was apparent what the Lord wanted me to see. My critical nature had not corrected a single of the multitudinous things I found fault with. What it had done was to stifle my own creativity.”
Not only we should stop hanging around with negative and critical talkers, we ourselves should not initiate negative and critical conversation either. Words we say can make a difference to both ourselves and to those we say to. So, let’s make a difference in our families, among our colleagues and Church friends through the way we speak. “Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live…” (1Timothy 4:12, NLT).
