“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37, NKJV). Jesus is addressing a culture of elaborate oaths here, but the principle lands squarely on ordinary honesty.
A simple yes or no should be trustworthy on its own, without needing an oath, a qualifier, or extra assurance to back it up.
It’s worth noticing how often we add unnecessary layers to our word, promising extra, swearing sincerity, precisely because our plain word alone doesn’t feel trustworthy enough.
Where has your own yes or no needed extra reinforcement lately, and what would it take to let your plain word simply be trustworthy on its own?