seven things Christians should never say...

Proverbs 18:21 (ERV)
The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings.

SEVEN THINGS CHRISTIANS SHOULD NEVER SAY...

1. O MY GOD  /  MY GOD - This is so commonly used that even Christians are guilty of using this expression without flinching... to dishonor God by uttering the name GOD for any and all reasons from mild disappointment, to fleeting feelings of happiness - IS TO PROFANE AND TAKE THE NAME OF GOD IN VAIN! This dear friends, is not a good thing, especially for those who consider themselves to be Christians. (Also, using the name: JESUS CHRIST, in anger or as an empty expression of intense rage or disgust) is again, taking the Lord's name in vain...

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Leviticus 19:12  “‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.

2. DAMN IT or (#*!#+ DAMN IT) - This is perhaps one of the most deadly and harmful things one can ever say! To damn someone or something, is in effect - TO CURSE IT OR THEM! To damn - is to curse. To damn someone or something is to pronounce death upon it or them... in it's strongest sense, it means to: WISH SOMEONE WOULD GO TO HELL! Yes, Jesus "cursed" the fig tree, and we know He only did that because His' heavenly Father wanted Him to teach the disciples a valuable lesson about being "fruitful"; but cursing is to be used rarely - and not upon individuals directly... and than, only when we are surely under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

MERRIAM WEBSTER DICT: damn verb \ˈdam\damneddamn·ing
Definition of DAMN transitive verb 1 : to condemn to a punishment or fate; especially : to condemn to hell

Luke 6:28  bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Romans 12:14  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
1 Peter 3:9  Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

3. I HATE YOU (or other words designed to hurt another) Here again, we find words being spoken in direct contradiction to what the bible teaches, what Jesus and the apostles taught on the subject of how we are to treat our fellow man - whether that be, family, friend, or foe... As Christians, we can hate "sinful behavior", and ungodly conduct whenever we witness it; but we are never allowed to "express hatred" towards an individual personally or directly. To do that, is to abandon all that Jesus taught us on love: LOVE EVERYONE, NOT JUST THOSE WHO WE FIND LOVELY. We are to love the unlovely, the worst that society has among us. There is no one that we are taught to avoid "loving"... and that includes those who hate us, and those who are enemies who oppose everything we stand for. We love them to.

Matthew 5:43-44 43  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (NIV)
Luke 6:27  “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
1 Thessalonians  3:12 May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

4. I WON'T FORGIVE YOU (or I can't forgive you) There can be no more disturbing or unsettling words in the hearing of God, than these: I WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU. or I CANNOT OR WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU. There are very few "absolutes" in the bible, but this axiom or unalterable principle of forgiveness, which is found in the whole of scriptures is this: IF WE DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS, NEITHER WILL GOD FORGIVE US! God does not force us to forgive those who have hurt us, who have offended us; but He does make it clear throughout the bible, in numerous parables that Jesus Himself taught: IF YOU DON'T FORGIVE OTHERS WHO HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU - THAN YOU WON'T BE FORGIVEN BY GOD EITHER.

Not much of a choice when it comes down on that line is it? I strongly suggest you let go of any grudges you may be holding on to, or anyone who you have yet to release from your "unforgiving heart"... when you forgive others, you free yourself from bitterness, pent-up resentment, and many other harmful emotions that we were never designed to keep inside of us... do yourself a favor - forgive anyone and everyone who you have been hurt by, offended by... and let them know if possible. Dying with unforgiveness in your' heart - will send you to hell as surely as if you were an unrepentant murderer or habitual liar or drunkard.
 Matthew 6:15  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Luke 11:4  Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
Luke 6:37  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

5. I CAN'T DO THAT...  It's truly amazing how many Christians go around saying the most negative, and unfaithful things imaginable... "I can't do that.", or "I could never do that." Talk about unbelief, dead words coming out of some one's mouth! No wonder Jesus said, when He returns, "will He find faith?". (Lk.18:8)

If you think you can't, you wont. If you think you aren't - than you never will be... No time to teach on that here, but suffice to say, we either agree with what God says in His' word, the bible - or we don't. Of course, if you aren't studying it, if you're not putting it in your mind and heart, than maybe the world's way of seeing things has you conformed to it's image; which by the way is not Jesus Christ. If you're around negative people, and they are rubbing off on you, on the way you live and think, the way you talk - hmmm, try putting some distance between you and them - and close the gap on you and the word, on you and the Lord.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV) 13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
2 Corinthians 12:9  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

6. I DON'T BELIEVE IN MIRACLES OR SIGNS AND WONDERS...  What bible are these folks reading anyway? Okay, I know there are those who believe God did these things in the past, but doesn't anymore - not today anyways; but what can we say to those who don't believe God ever did the things reported in the Bible? The wonders God performed in Egypt in freeing His' people from bondage - the 10 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the numerous miracles that Jesus Himself performed when He walked among us. Healing the blind, the deaf, and the lepers - raising the dead back to life, and too many other amazing acts of divine power over nature to name here...

When all is said and done, to be someone claiming to be a Christian, and not believe in the supernatural intervention of God in our lives through miracles, signs and wonders - is an oxymoron: AN UNBELIEVING BELIEVER (go ahead and laugh out loud/LOL) Problem is, God doesn't think that's funny...

Mt.13:55-58 55   “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Jude 1:5  Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.
Matthew 11:23  And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

7. ASKING FOR THINGS THAT ARE NOT GOD'S WILL...  - This covers a lot of ground. Praying and asking God for things that are not His' will for us, or for anyone else for that matter - are "things" that should never come out of a Christian's mouth - but they do! Asking God to help you win the lottery, or to get even with someone who has hurt you, or asking God for things that He knows will hurt you spiritually like: riches, fame, or worldly success; are just a few examples of how out of step our "words" can be . Father knows best, and for our own good, He often does not give us what we want, or what we are after...

Boasting about what we "want to do" for God, may sound great, but if God isn't consulted or involved in that desire or plan - IT IS DOOMED TO FAIL. Bottom line here, be slow to speak presumptuously, or foolishly; and take the time to "find out God's will" for whatever it is you think He may want you to do. It's okay to move out in faith, but take the time to get with God, hear His' voice, get confirmation in His' written word, and when possible get godly counsel... (though sometimes you may have to stand alone).

James 4:3 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Luke 9:54-57 54  And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? 55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.
James 4:13-16 (NIV) 13  Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

CLOSING THOUGHTS: The Bible is replete, with numerous examples of speaking things that most definitely were not God's will. Peter, attempting to dissuade Jesus from going to Jerusalem to suffer and die on the cross; for which - the Lord sternly rebuked Peter, and said, " “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Mt.16:23) Or where we find James and John asking Jesus if they could both sit in seats of prominence beside Him in heaven, one on the left and the other on His' right? To which the Lord, responded, "You know not what you asking?" (Mk.10:34-44)

Truth be told, many of us "do not know what we are asking, or saying" sometimes. One thing is for certain, how we speak, and what words we choose to speak with, is very important to God, and to our own spiritual lives. James makes it absolutely clear that "no man can tame the tongue" , and goes on to tell us that it is set on fire of hell itself. James 3:6 The tongue also 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, and is itself set on fire by hell. That being said, it would seem hopeless - IT IS NOT! Jesus warns us that we will give an account of every idle word we speak, or put another way, of every "useless word." Now, that should give us all a "timeout" - to examine what comes out of our mouths, amen?

Matthew 12:36  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken
2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

The good news, is that God has made available to all His' children, all who are born again, and who desire to walk in holiness - the power and the way to tame not only our tongues - but our very human nature from top to bottom. When you ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins, and to come into your' life, and to cleanse you from all your past, all your sins - GOD GIVES YOU AND ME A NEW NATURE - HIS.

Only the Holy Spirit living inside of us can overcome the old nature that most surely will try to rear it's ugly head again... remember, we are being changed day by day as our minds are renewed, and as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Ask God to fill you with His' Holy Spirit, study the Bible everyday, pray to God as often as you are able to, and remove from your life anything that is keeping you from being close to God. Old friends, you may have to break away from. Old music and old hangouts, yep - you are best to cut yourself off from those "old" things as well. Watch what you look at, what you hear, and who you associate with, just as a general spiritual rule to live by. And, finally spend time alone with God. Have a time of personal devotion, and don't let anything or anyone keep you from that appointment. Your appointment with God each day is your' lifeline to heaven. Protect that, fight for it, and maintain that - and, you will find yourself growing into the man and/or woman that God desires for each of us to be.

Romans 12:2  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Blessings to all,


Michael/fool4CHRIST

p.s. This short message, was taken from my book: Pearls of Wisdom; available in both print and kindle format at: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pearls+of+wisdom+michael+daigle&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Apearls+of+wisdom+michael+daigle

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