“But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.”   ~ Colossians 3:8

We all know what cuss words are. Using them does not empower us, it actually does the complete opposite. They increase our frustration and anger—they empower Satan to use our mouths as bullhorns for his purpose.

Even pretend cuss words will allow the evil-one to speak through our mouths. If you're saying a word that imitates a bad word, you're still cussing. Don't do it! Don’t give into anger and make way for the devil to infiltrate any situation in your life, especially when things are already going wrong. We tend to cuss when we're upset and angry, and these are the times we need the Lord’s help more than ever.

”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

God says don't do it, and that's good enough for me. According to recent research, cussing makes you appear ignorant and uneducated. It might also prevent you from furthering your career as well. In a 2012 Career Builder survey, 64 percent of employers said they had a negative view of employees who curse, and 57 percent said they’d be far less likely to promote cursing workers to higher positions.

My publisher taught me another very interesting statistic. It appears that you lose over 40% of your potential reader demographic with just one cuss word in a book. So that would also mean 40% of those listening to you talk will be turned off by foul language as well. And the simple fact is, it doesn't improve on anything we say—it doesn’t increase understanding or elaborate on our words—it doesn't improve communication in any way. There is always a clean option for every cuss word.

And it isn't just a case of offending others; it's more an issue of who we are actually calling-out to when we stub our toe or crash our car, God or Satan. When we use profane language it increases our exasperation, which is precisely what the devil wants. Better to call to Jesus for some help, rather than shout cuss words and summon the devil into an already bad situation.

We have to consider the reality that every word we speak produces a result of some sort—either good or bad. God refers to these bad words as idle words, they produce no good whatsoever.

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”   ~Matthew 12:36

The KJV translates "every empty word" as "every idle word"; the ESV version says, "every careless word." The Greek translation of idle words is careless, inactive or unprofitable words. 

Think of it this way; if you’re sitting in your car and the engine is running but your shifter is in park, you aren’t moving, this is referred to as idling your car. You aren’t going anywhere—yes the car is running but you aren’t moving—you’re not progressing! The same thing for your mouth, just because you’re speaking doesn’t mean you are producing any good! 

We get to choose what our words are doing—we get to decide whether good or bad will be the end result of our speech. Idle cuss words are useless when you really think about it, a total waste of speech!

“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”   ~Ephesians 5:4

Society has literally become a megaphone for Satan. Most people are in such a habit of expressing their anger with cuss words, that even their everyday speech is filled with vulgarities. We are all, unfortunately, a byproduct of our environment, therefore we will subconsciously imitate both family and friends. If our parents use foul language, we are far more likely to do the same. Children are sponges, especially when it comes to imitating their parents!

I’ve actually seen people laugh out-loud when a small child blurts out a cuss word. They seem to find it extremely amusing. But the fact of the matter is, by not only allowing such behavior but condoning it by this reaction, they are encouraging their children to do the complete opposite of what God tells us to do!

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”  ~Proverbs 22:6

We all need to become far more aware of the power of our words! God gave us the ability to speak, and we really need to step up our efforts to speak words of love and edification rather than idle words of hate and destruction!

“A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth.”   ~Proverbs 6:12

​I was raised in Chicago, and unfortunately this city is a virtual hub for foul language. Growing up it seemed that everyone swore and cussed. It’s no wonder I grew up believing this was normal; it became second nature to me, the words just flew out of my mouth without any thought whatsoever. It took some prayerful effort on my part to continually ask for help in this most important area of my life. Once I learned that every word I speak has an effect on someone or something—that every time I spoke a cuss word I was inviting Satan into my situation, I quickly curtailed my use of foul language. 

​Do I slip up at times? Yes I do. But I am very confident that I can ask God to forgive me and He is faithful to do so, as well as empowering me to do better the next time. I didn’t stop cussing to earn God’s favor, I stopped because I realized I already have it!

​"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”   ~1 John 1:9​

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