by Joseph Perry

How do you know your life has been changed?

A group of people said they don’t see how a person can really live a changed life with all that’s going on in this world. They said the way people are, and the way people act at times, can have you not living a changed life. We must note that our lives are changed because of Jesus, not because of us, and He has the power to transform us and change us and move us from the caterpillar to the butterfly stage.

In order to experience the results of a changed life, your life must be impacted by your speech. We must also remember that we are a work in progress. There are times that we allow negative and corrupt things to come out of our mouth as people who have claimed salvation. When this happens it can impact those who are around in a negative way. Once we give our lives the Lord, we should be changed, and that change should be noticeable through our speech.

That’s all the Apostle Paul was saying in the letter to the church, that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, once you claim salvation, you have to express that change by your conversation. The things you say, and how you say them, are an indication of the condition of your heart. When the heart is right, your words will be right. When your heart is out of step with the Lord, your words will reveal that too.

The Christian must:

• Put Away Lying. Paul cautions Christians against the sin of lying. When we do this, it grieves or saddens the Spirit of God within us. When we lie, we break fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who we need to lead us and direct our lives in every step we make. The fellowship with the Lord and staying in tune with him is so critical in times like these.
• Put Away Corrupt Communication. The word corrupt refers to that which is rotten. It can refer to rotten fruit or a rotten piece of meat. The believer should never engage in rotten speech. Do you have a rotten mouth?

We must guard our tongues against profanity, dirty stories, gossip and other forms of wickedness. When our words are good and wholesome, it gives evidence that we belong to the Lord. When our speech is foul and rotten, it gives evidence that we do not know the Lord. If we say we know him and allow our speech to be rotten, then we have trouble within our walk that must be dealt with.

• Build Others Up. We should be about building people up, rather than tearing people down. We should be about edifying others by being helpful, encouraging, constructive, uplifting, by being a blessing to other. We must never use the tongue to tear down. We must not say hurtful things to people, or say things that discourage, disappoint and harm others, for this displeases the Lord. Our conversation should be seasoned with salt, and we should minister grace to the hearers. We should be gracious to everyone we meet. Building up others helps our community in which we live.

Building one another up can help others change in a positive way. What we say can in fact change the course of someone’s life.

Let people hear from your speech that the Lord has changed you. People should not cause you to change how you walk and talk for the Lord in a negative way. You must work on you each day to become the butterfly that God intended for you to become, and that’s a thought to remember.

JOSEPH A. PERRY is pastor of St. Luke AME Zion Church, 100 Circle St., Franklin. Contact him at 242-339-0008 or josephp134@gmail.com.