Matthew 12:22-37

Be Still: Lord, search my heart and calm my thoughts. Help me to hear your Spirit and align my words with your truth today. Amen.

Read: Matthew 12:22-37

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (v36–37)

Encounter: Jesus' words come at a moment of sharp confrontation. The Pharisees have just witnessed a miracle – a man healed and delivered –but instead of rejoicing, they accuse Jesus of working by Satan’s power. Their words reveal more than hostility; they expose hearts shaped by offence.

Jesus uncovers something profound: words are never throwaway. We cannot say whatever we want and assume there will be no consequences. Our words are windows into the soul. What we speak flows from what we store, and what we store determines the direction of our lives.

When Jesus warns about 'every empty word', he isn’t talking about small talk but words that are careless, reckless, harmful, bitter, cynical, harsh, and fuelled more by offence than love.

John Bevere’s book The Bait of Satan calls 'offence' one of the enemy’s most subtle traps. Once offence takes root, it reshapes our speech:

• Suspicion grows.

• Criticism sharpens.

• Bitterness hardens.

• And our mouths begin to echo what our hearts have absorbed.

That’s exactly what happened with the Pharisees. Their words revealed their inner reality. Instead of recognising God’s work, they labelled it evil – not from ignorance, but from offence.

Jesus’ warning is meant not to frighten us but to awaken us. If our words reveal our hearts, then the healing Jesus offers must first reach the heart. Repeatedly, I have seen the most stubborn, wounded hearts transformed by his grace.

Jesus doesn’t begin by correcting our vocabulary; he starts by cleansing the source. As he restores our inner life, our speech naturally becomes gentler, truer, wiser, more patient, and most importantly – life-giving. Every word becomes an echo of his grace.

Apply: Ask the Holy Spirit honestly:

• Where has offence shaped my speech?

• Who have I spoken about with bitterness or suspicion?

• What careless words do I need to repent?

Then choose one intentional act of life-giving speech: Bless someone. Encourage someone. Forgive someone in your heart and let your words reflect it.

Devote: Jesus, purify my heart so that my speech may honour you. Break any offence in me and heal the places that produce careless words. Let my mouth become an instrument of grace, truth, and blessing.