Be F.I.T. in Your Words

Guard Your Heart

Jesus teaches us a fundamental truth: the power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Our words aren't random sounds—they're the overflow of what's planted deep within our hearts.

In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus explains this clearly:

"A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart. And an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For from the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

This means words are the fruit of what we've allowed to take root in our souls. If we consume negativity, contempt, hatred, and worldly language, that's what will come out when pressure arrives.

The first step to becoming fit in our words is to guard your heart like it's soil. Everything you consume—music, podcasts, movies, social media—plants seeds that will eventually grow and bear fruit through your speech. You can tell what kingdom has discipled someone simply by the way they speak. Just as children raised in Thailand develop Thai accents, followers of Jesus should sound distinctly different from the world.

Your tongue releases what your soul rehearses.

If you want your words to change, change what you're planting in your heart. Start with God's Word instead of the language of culture.

Control Your Tongue

James 3 gives us a stark warning about the power of our words. He compares the tongue to a small bit in a horse's mouth that controls the entire animal, and a tiny ship's rudder that steers a massive vessel. Our tongue, though small, can derail our entire lives.

James also uses the image of fire:

"The tongue is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire."

One loose word is like one floating ember from the Palisades or Altadena fires—it can burn everything to the ground in moments. We've all seen how devastating that fire was. What James is saying is that your mouth can do the same damage.

We often think an apology neutralizes what we've said, but that's not how words work. There's a reason the illustration of the toothpaste tube is so powerful: once it comes out, you can't put it back in. The damage is done. You can't unsay words. You can't undo the hurt.

Here's what we need to understand:

Your tongue can spark fires that apologies can't extinguish.

James isn't telling us never to apologize or seek forgiveness. But he is warning us that we need self-control. We need to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Just because you think something doesn't mean you should say it. Just because you feel something doesn't mean it should come out of your mouth.

We live in a culture where everyone feels compelled to share their opinion, clap back at anyone different, and broadcast who they dislike. Meanwhile, we're tearing down everything around us with our words. Young people are being told to harm themselves in online forums. Families are being destroyed. Lives are being altered—all because words were left unguarded.

We need to control what comes out of our mouths because there is wild danger with loose words.

Build, Don't Burn

In Ephesians 4:29, Paul gives believers clear instruction:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

Notice Paul says "any"—not some, not a little bit, but any. He's calling us to a higher standard.

When we come to Jesus, we're not just getting a behavior upgrade. Paul writes that the old has gone and the new has come. If we're claiming to follow Jesus, we need to live like we've been renewed by Jesus. And that includes how we speak.

Your words should make people want to get closer to Jesus, not farther away. In a culture filled with contempt and negativity, Christians should be known as people who speak life. God designed your mouth to:

• Worship Him
• Bring life into a dying world
• Build broken people
• Restore fractured families

You never know the depth of someone's pain. Someone might be spiraling, doubting God, questioning their calling and their very identity. And you might be the one God uses—through a simple encouraging note, a kind text, a word of affirmation—to save their life.

I was that person. At 20 years old in Bible college, I was broken, doubting, ready to quit everything. I hadn't told anyone. But my girlfriend (now my wife) sent me a letter. She didn't know the depth of my struggle, but she chose to use her words to remind me of who God said I was. She spoke life into darkness she didn't even know existed.

I would not be standing here right now if someone hadn't chosen to build me up with their words.

Eight Ways to Build This Week

1. Write an encouraging note to someone
2. Send an encouraging text
3. Speak well of people when they're not around instead of gossiping
4. Pray for service workers—be bold with your words
5. Express appreciation at the dinner table to your family members
6. Call someone to express gratitude for their impact on your life
7. Send an encouraging scripture to someone who needs it
8. Be a culture changer—express something positive when others express negativity

The Swear Jar Challenge

We're challenging you this week with a simple tool: a jar to track words that don't build others up. This includes cussing, complaining, and gossiping—anything that doesn't speak life.

Why? Because you can't change what you're not willing to own. Sometimes we need to make ourselves aware of the death-speaking we tolerate. When you have to pay for each negative word, you become conscious of how often they slip out.

The money collected will be used to purchase Bibles for people who don't have them. It's a beautiful exchange: by guarding our words, we're also spreading God's Word.

The call is clear: Be fit in your words. Be faithful. Be invested. Be trustworthy. Guard your heart, control your tongue, and build others up. Because the power of life and death is in the tongue.