Inner man and our Speech
Part A
Strong's Greek: 2980. λαλέω (laleó) -- To speak, to talk,
to utter
Strong’s 2980 threads through 297 New Testament occurrences, weaving a unified doctrine of …[1]
“Pride and passion on both sides strike together like two flints. We indulge in sarcasm as if we would rather lose a friend than miss scoring a point in the argument. All this the world excuses. But the Gospel sets before us our Savior’s example and imbues us with his spirit; so we should be careful not to provoke a chafed or wounded spirit.” (Bridges)
Our Speech Reflects who we are! Our contradictory speech often puzzles our inner core and destabilizes our state of mind.
At times our words are right, and it pleases God, but often they are not pleasant but destructive. We have to think which of our speech pattern reflect our true identity. The tongue very often gives a true picture of our basic human nature and our relationship with God. God loves to work in us inside out; and the Holy Spirit is able to purify our heart and give us the necessary control, so we speak the right words that pleases God.
But let him ask in faith,
nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with
the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he
shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways;
Jam. 1: 6-8.
“We are all so ready to go to books, to go to men, to go to ceremonies, to anything except to God… Consequently, the text does not say, ‘Let him ask books,’ nor ‘ask priests,’ but, ‘let him ask of God.’” (Spurgeon)
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can
know it?
Jer. 17:9.
“The pravity and perversity of the man’s heart, full of harlotry and creature confidence, deceiving and being deceived, is here plainly and plentifully described; and oh that it were duly and deeply considered.” (Trapp).
“In the OT usage the heart signifies the total inner being and includes reason. From the heart come action and will;” (Feinberg).
This confirms that one's speech reflects one's heart. Our hearts being deceptive is prone to do evil in our fallenness. For this reason with regards to control over one's tongue the Bible primarily advocates silence.
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth
his lips is wise;
Pro. 10:19.
He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is
of an excellent spirit;
Pro.
17:27.
A magnificent marriage begins not with knowing one another but knowing with God. This means our love for each other should overflow from loving God first. One of the hardest commandment was to love the Lord your God, with all your being! I am still learning that day by day. Jesus defined the law in its core principles: love the LORD with everything you have and love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind;
Matt. 22: 37.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof ;
Prov. 18: 21.
Positive speech is for God’s glory. Neuroscience Research shows that positive speech activates the Ventral Striatum, which is the brain’s reward system. This also reduces cortisol, the stress hormones.
Researchers have identified two distinct groups of neurons that help the brain evaluate risk and reward in decision-making. These neurons, located in the ventral striatum, separately process better-than-expected and worse-than-expected outcomes. In experiments with mice, silencing these neurons altered their anticipation of rewards, affecting their decision-making behavior.[2]
The truth is the way we speak: both
to ourselves and to others. Neuroscience has shown that words are not just
abstract sounds or symbols; and they are more than that. They are actually
biological events; and this affects the whole of us, our being.
Think about this: they spark activity in
the brain, releases neurochemicals; which goes into the bloodstream, and
affects us. This can circulate in our arteries and veins carrying oxygen and
much harm can happen in our biological system. This could affect how we feel in
the moment as well as how we think over time…..
No wonder, Ephesians 6: 10-19; asked us
to put on the armor of God; and the helmet of salvation to protect our thinking!
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