Swear Not At All

            Words are the most essential part of our system of communication. They are instrumental to us mentally, spiritually, and relationally. They make us laugh. They make us cry. They bring pleasure. They bring pain. They are the beginnings of peace and the preamble of war. No matter how they are used, words have no power of their own. They need intention to power them. As stated in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The tongue itself doesn’t render life or death but the power that lies therein.

            Words are innocuous combinations of letters without the power of intention. Intention is thought. Thought is harmless unless acted upon. Words are the verbal actions of thought. Thought is difficult to control. It requires discipline. Actions are born out of free will and thus more controllable. This is why it is so important to analyze the words or phrase before it is regarded as profane.

            Spoken words are two-dimensional entities. They consist of form and intent. The form of the word is similar to a casing or vessel. This is what is heard. The intent is the life force or spirit of the word. This is what causes the effect. When a stone is tossed, the kind of impact that it makes is contingent upon the type of force behind it. Just as our spirit operates the vessel of the body, the spirit of the word dictates the effect of the word. Technically speaking, the spirits of the words are the real enemies and they alone bear the responsibility of danger. The Bible states that, “Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:18,19). The “heart”, in this manner, is indicative of the spirit.