Beep You!

by Michelle Davis

“Beep you!”
“No beep me!”
“Oh beep, I stubbed my toe!”
“You’re such a beeeeeeeeeep!”

You might hear these ‘beeps’ everyday on T.V., the radio, a CD, or from a friend. I am not talking about some mysterious car language. I am talking about, yes, you guessed it…cussing!!!

The world’s words have become vulgar and ugly. Cuss words fill the air around us. Most people today have what is commonly known as a potty mouth. But do you know what’s worse than a potty mouth? A Christian with a potty mouth, and sadly there are plenty out there! To be completely honest, I’ve been guilty of carrying around the potty mouth stench from one time to another. Thankfully, I have the Lord’s forgiveness and strength on my side to help control my tongue.

Did you know that there are Christians out there that think cussing is ok to do?!?! Let’s look at some scripture to see why God definitely disagrees with the combo of cussing Christians.

Our words are very powerful! When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord, you use words to have salvation. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved,” Romans 10:10. If we believe in our hearts and say with our words that Jesus is our Savior and Lord, then we’re saved from eternal life in H-E- double hockey sticks (HELL, for those who didn’t get it).

Sometimes we bring unnecessary trouble to our lives and the lives of others with our words. The Bible warns us about guarding what we say. Take a look at Proverbs 21:23, “[She] who guards [her] mouth and [her] tongue, guards [her] soul from troubles.” In my middle school days, I had some ‘friends’ who decided out of the blue not to be my friend. So in the girl’s locker room, I told someone that they were being like ‘beeps’ to me. Boy, that brought unwanted trouble to my life! For weeks on end, these girls tormented me with cuss words and threats to beat me up. I dreaded going to school, and cried every night, if only I had guarded my tongue in the girl’s locker room! Let me tell you it was a tough lesson to learn. The words they used toward me tore me down until I felt like I had nothing left.

Cussing is something that does nothing but tear others down. These girls were not Christians, and I was. Even if they ignored me and hurt my feelings, I should not have let that particular cuss word gush out of my mouth. I didn’t obey Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Despite my hurt, I did nothing to build them up. I tore them down. So I sparked the beginning of my own torment…the torment of those girls being extremely hateful toward me.

Why does God have a problem with cussing Christians? One, we are supposed to honor Him with our lives. If we cuss, we dishonor God and bring others down with us. And it’s more than just cussing. Unwholesome talk includes dirty jokes, crudeness, and rudeness too, in case, you didn’t know! James 1:26 keeps it real. Check it out, “If anyone considers [herself] religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on [her] tongue, [she] deceives [herself] and [her] religion is worthless.” This verse is basically saying…If we as Christians cuss like Eminem in his songs, then we have NOT proved to the world what we believe and that we follow Jesus. Our faith is empty because we are not bringing glory to our Father who loves us, and we trick ourselves into believing that cussing is ok.

Got soap? I know a lot of Christians that need to clean their potty mouths out with soap. I mean really what’s the point of cussing? We know just by reading God’s word that unwholesome talk discourages others, wreaks havoc on our own soul, and makes God sad. What other reasons do we need to stop?!

Your words are powerful. They either build or destroy. You have all the reasons not to cuss, so do you really want to be like the King of Cussing, Eminem or King of Kings, Jesus? It’s your choice.