I once said to a friend of mine, a fellow Christian, it is easier dealing with unbelievers than it is to deal with some Christians. I said it off the cuff, but I also said it to express my frustration with believers who say one thing but do another.
The book of James talks about this and makes it clear that our words have an impact on people:
“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.” (James 5:12 ESV throughout)
For believers who are infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1), seeing other Christians sinning is discouraging. That is why we always need to be attentive of what we are doing so that we do not partake in hypocrisy. Jesus said, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice” (Matthew 23:2-3).
If we say something and do something else, then we are no different from the scribes and Pharisees. What we have to do though, is rise beyond mere display and ensure that our actions reflect our words. Otherwise, we would not only be in jeopardy of departing from the faith, but also cause others to do so, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared” (1 Timothy 4:1-2).
Putting it another way, liars will not inherit the kingdom of God. It is just that simple (Revelation 21:8).
Therefore, let us put aside vanity, lying and deceitfulness, and walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Especially so close to celebrating his death and resurrection, we need to repent and change in order for Christ to live in us. When we do that, then the fulfillment of God’s promise to us to inherit his kingdom will not be too far off.
Looking to God 
Great points. Personally, I would like to stay as far away from millstones as possible.
I preached on this verse this past Sunday!
Yes! So tragic when we end up being stumbling blocks rather than good witnesses for the kingdom.
Amen! This is so well said. Our words really do have tremendous power. We can use them to speak life and to create something good in the world. Let your yes be yes and your no,no. When we fail at that we are being hypocrites and hypocrites tend to create bitterness and cynicism.
Great insight. I love the “yes be yes and no be no” model. Tough to do some days but worth it.
Be blessed. God is with you.