Which do you prefer: encouraging words or discouraging words; kind words or harsh words?
I think that most of us truly prefer encouraging and kind words.
In Ephesians, Paul exhorts us to not let any unwholesome or rotten words proceed from our mouths.
This is includes more than profanity. It also means that whatever we say should produce life and not death.
Think about this: if you eat meat that is rotten, what happens to you? You get really sick.
Well, if you hear enough rotten words, guess what? Your soul gets sick.
Rotten words are used by Satan to suck the joy and life out of us.
These words produce all kinds of negative emotions like rejection, worthlessness, fear, and hurt.
All of which create a toxic buildup in our souls and lead to dysfunction in our lives.
One the of latest ways rotten words get thrown around is through social media, and it’s called trolling.
People feel emboldened to say nasty, critical things through Twitter, Instagram or Facebook that they would never have the courage to say face to face because of what might get said in return.
So, they type and run.
People get off on being mean to total strangers.
Sometimes it’s motivated by envy and jealousy, when they see people living a lifestyle that they wish they had.
Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me when non-Christians do this, because it’s in sin’s DNA to troll others.
What grieves me is when I read posts from Christians to other Christians that are critical, mean and totally discouraging.
I watch a number of YouTube channels that post Bible based content, I am saddened at how many of these folks are inundated with harsh comments from other alleged believers just because they disagree with them.
If I hear something that I disagree with, I just let it go and hold onto what meshes with Scripture.
I don’t type a comment that criticizes them or tries to correct their errant theology.
That’s not my job; it’s the Holy Spirit’s job.
Beloved, we have to earn the right to lovingly and constructively correct someone, and that comes as a result of speaking many words of grace and life into them.
If you see a video or a Facebook post or a tweet that you don’t like or agree with, instead of posting a critical response, take the discussion off of the public forum and into a private chat or email if the Holy Spirit leads you to confront them.
If the Spirit doesn’t lead you to confront them, then just let it go.
He will take care of it in their lives through another means.
So, let’s remember to treat our typed words like spoken words.
If we wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, we shouldn’t type it to them either.
Like Paul, we should not let any rotten words come out of our mouths or keyboards, but only those words that give grace to those who read and hear.
Blessings!
Robyn Henning