Are there things that, as Christians, we just shouldn’t say? You bet there are! In a recent blog, I talked about how the tongue is one of the strongest muscles in the body because, as we know from Scripture, the power of life and death lies there. I also shared five of my top 10 things I believe we as Christ-followers should not say. Here are numbers 6-10 of things that just shouldn’t come out of our mouths.
#6 – “Well, that’s just Mother Nature!”
References like this to “Mother Nature” are a personification of climate and storms and all kinds of weather that elevate forces and seasons, created by God, above God—the One who created those things.
So, a little history…the earliest written and most reliable dated references to Mother Nature are found in Greek transcripts that date about 12 or 13 BC. The term Mother Earth is transliterated as maga or Mother Gaia. This notion had its roots in the pre-Socratic philosophers who had invented nature out of thin air, and it was further championed by the well-known Greek philosopher, Aristotle. Other cultures have embraced the notion that nature had its own spirit and relevancy unique from God the Father. The American Indians are one such culture that believes that there’s something called an Earth Mother that provides the water of life and gives the abundant provision of food. In reality, though, no one but God provides our basic needs of food, shelter, water, and life.
The term Mother Nature is also used in a general way to refer to the environment as a whole. It’s sometimes used in association with political and cultural ideologies, such as global warming, environmentalism, and climate change. Some news outlets’ reporting of rising temperatures and sea levels, savage wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and the emergence of new and even ancient diseases and pandemics demonstrate that Mother Nature is a kind of capricious goddess who wreaks havoc throughout the earth.
The issue I have with crediting the make-believe goddess of nature is just that; she isn’t real. It is God who controls the forces of nature. Here’s what Scripture has to say:
- In Jeremiah 10:12-13, Scripture says, “but God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding. When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouse.”
- Jesus demonstrated His divine power over nature by calming the raging sea (Matthew 8:26).
- It’s also true that there are natural laws at work in our environment. These are systems God implemented (Genesis 8 22).
- God created our world; human sin damaged it. Romans 8:19-22 makes that plain.
- Yet God still holds our world together. Colossians 1:16-17 makes that plain.
There is no capricious goddess at play whatsoever, so seemingly innocent phrases like this take credit from God and place it squarely on nothing more than mythology.
#7 – “This Is God’s Wrath for <fill in the blank>!”
Closely related to the phrase about Mother Nature, this saying looks to blame God for all catastrophes in our fallen world. Yes, we live in a fallen world, broken and sinful. We’re the ones who broke it, and we break it a little more every single day. Evil acts, like the terrorism we see far too often on our smartphones and TV screens, are prime evidence of that brokenness and of our inherent sinfulness (sinfulness, by the way, that we all share).
The Bible says there’s no one good, not even one. No matter why terrorists do the things they do, one thing is clear: they aren’t sent by God. If you think they are, then you have to be in favor of what happens. No believer in the Prince of Peace—that’s one of the many names for God—could ever do that.
#8 – “I Just Need to Pray About It.”
Don’t misunderstand me on this one. The Bible tells us to be in a constant state of prayer—or a conversation—with God. The Apostle Paul put it this way in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” But when Christians throw out, “I’ll need to pray about it,” regarding clear-cut commands in Scripture, they are using prayer as a deflection so they can kick “the obedience can” down the road.
For example, if someone is deciding whether or not to have an abortion, the decision is really whether or not to disobey God and murder a baby. The decision is between obeying God’s Word or completely blowing it off, not about waiting for God’s voice to resolve the mystery of murder. And I know that’s a bit crass, but that is what it boils down to. We don’t need to pray about what God has already established. Some things require much prayer, maybe even the addition of a period of fasting. Breaking God’s laws are not about them.
#9 – “Let Go and Let God.”
I understand the heart behind this, I really do. People who still say this (and, thank goodness, there are a few) mean to emphasize a reliance on God over doing things in just our own strength. However, most hear this and think Christians are just being intellectually, emotionally, and even physically lazy. And they might be right.
Salvation is where we let go and let God because salvation is only up to Him. There’s nothing we can do. However, sanctification is a partnership where God actually allows us to decide how close we want to get to Him. Isn’t that awesome?!
#10 – “The Devil Did <fill in the blank>.”
Let’s get this: only God is Omniscient and Omnipresent. Satan is limited in both these areas, so the chances that the devil himself is assigned to you personally are, well, zero; and the chances that he is pulling levers regarding every single bad event going on in the world today is an impossibility at best, and an excuse for our own sin at worst.
In James 1:13-16, we read, “Let no one say when he’s tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it’s fully grown brings forth death.”
When I was a little kid, there was a comedian by the stage name of Flip Wilson who helped popularize this idea by blaming everything bad he did on the devil, with the famous tagline, “The devil made me do it.” It was definitely funny and definitely false.
This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, but I think if we start with correcting our speech by eliminating these 10 statements, we will be on the right path to right speaking. And be sure to check out my video series, “Ask P-Ro,” on my YouTube channel, where I share on topics like this and others every week. I’d love to know what you think!
Until next time, watch your words, speak life, and have a safe and memorable New Year!!
~Pastor Rob
aka, “P-Ro”