GOOD OUT OF MY MOUTH

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

What is corrupt communication?  It is from the word “sapros” and carries the meaning of rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved, or worthless.  You could also say it is putrid or rotten and defiling and causing injury.  When something is corrupt, like rust, it eats away at something that is good; it has a corroding affect.  When I think of corrupt communication, I don’t think of people that we are just speaking to one time, but people that are around us and that we are comfortable with. Now, I don’t think one-time communication is excluded.  We should never be rotten or injurious in our communication with anyone, and  I think everyone in the Body of Christ needs a good reminder of this.  Our words should always edify or build people up; and when they encounter a member of the Body of Christ, they should leave that encounter better off than when it started.

Let’s look at those we communicate with often, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.   We talk to these people all the time, and with some, we let our guard down and really tell them how we are feeling, no filters.  Maybe, some people would say, “It’s good that my family gets real with me,” but then, what does everybody else get?  The fake you?  The version you put on for two hours or even eight hours.  What’s up with that?  The Word says, “Let no rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved, or worthless communication come out of your mouth.”  I think that is saying, “Don’t ever let it.”  I guess you could also include talking to yourself on the inside.  No, you are not crazy for talking to yourself.  The woman with the issue of blood did it and got a miracle.  We must even be careful to watch our self-talk.

What am I supposed to do?  You should edify or build yourself up and then, do the same with those you talk to regularly.  But who do I get to blow off steam to; no one???   Ephesians says that when speaking to husbands and wives, we are to wash each other with the Word of God, that means to edify.  Imagine your life if all you did was build up and edify yourself and everyone around you.  What a beautiful world that would be.  Are you saying never talk about problems?  No, I’m saying what the Bible says; discuss the issue, but let no corruption come out of your mouth, only edification.  When you do that, you minister grace to the hearer.  Grace is the ability to empower someone to do the Word of God that you spoke to them.  Corrupt words tear down; edifying words bring grace and empowerment.  I didn’t say it was easy, but let’s start a trend, a Word flow of only edifying one another!