CAUSATIVE FAITH

Causative Faith is many times a word rightly spoken and is often the effect or the causative agent to change or to create a situation. There are few things as powerful as rightly spoken words at the right time. Likewise, few things can destroy as quickly and completely as words wrongly spoken.

Jesus said, “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37) I tell you I have inwardly ached over this verse at times. It is because so much of my life has been a work of words…spoken and written. Paul, an apostle, wrote, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29). We can either tear people down with our words or let our conversation become a channel of grace and life as Jesus Christ did: “Everyone spoke well of him [Jesus] and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips” (Luke 4:22, NLT). For me this is more of a target, not always a reality.

But here is something that I have discovered: whatever might be our prevailing and strongest gifting for good is often also our area of greatest opportunity for abuse and temptation for misuse. Such as: spoken or written words. But, they just as well might be the most causative and powerful words the Lord uses from and through us to make change in others and us.

“For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” Jesus