Your Word

You need to realize the importance of keeping your word—to others, but especially to God.

“When you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for the LORD Your God will certainly require it of you … You shall be careful and perform what goes out of your lips.”—Deuteronomy 23:21–23 NASB

“I didn’t really mean it. I changed my mind.” These phrases are commonly heard in everyday speech. Promises are quickly made, and often, quickly forgotten.

People don’t keep their promises for many reasons. They may simply forget, or new circumstances may arise and interfere. But the Bible warns that there are serious consequences for not keeping our promises. We’re instructed, “Make sure your statement is, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of evil origin” (Matthew 5:37).

God warns us to be serious about the vows we make to Him. We’re told, “Be careful and perform what goes out of your lips.” This means we must think before we speak, being careful, thoughtful, and prayerful about any promises we make.

Although we need to be faithful to keep every promise, this particularly applies to our promises made to God. He knows all about changing circumstances, excuses, and blame-shifting, but He warns us not to delay fulfilling the promises we’ve made. This is so serious to Him that He looks at our failure to keep our word as sin.

Today, remember that God is listening to the words you speak. So are the people all around you in your family, church, work, and community. Heed God’s warning and be serious about your words. Be careful what promises you make and be careful to keep them.

Reflection Question: What happens when you let your mouth run ahead of your intentions?