Apostle Paul by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit tells us in Ephesians 5 to not be deceived by empty words. Have you heard any empty words today?

As one author wrote, “Empty words are those that lack substance, wisdom, and truth. They are words not filled with reality or matched with action.” The famed fourth-century preacher, John Chrysostom, said when preaching on this verse from Ephesians, “There are always people among us who want to diminish the force of words. . . . Empty words are words that are for a moment attractive but in no way are proved by deeds.”

I’ve heard lots of empty words over the course of my life. And to be honest, I’m afraid I’ve said some as well. Empty words are deceptive because they usually are what people want to hear, but there is no truth to them or action to back up those words.

You might be thinking, well, they’re just words. No, the Lord takes them seriously. Paul goes on to say that one of the reasons the wrath of God is coming upon the world is because of empty words.

Beloved, we need to strive to not be deceived by empty words, but more importantly, we need to rid ourselves of empty words. Say only what is wise and true, and follow through on every promise you make.

But along with ridding ourselves of future empty words, we need forgiveness for our past empty words, and that only comes through Jesus Christ. Turn to him, trust in Him, seek His forgiveness, and the stain of your empty words will be washed away.

Change begins in you!