The Words I Speak—Life or Death?
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (Prov. 18: 21, NLT)
Sometimes we do toooooo much talking and not enough listening. If you too are guilty of that, please lay it at the feet of Jesus. We must take precise inventory of our words and our conversations. First and foremost, are we including Jesus? Second, are we speaking life in our lives and in the lives of others? Or are we just doing a lot of idol talk—saying a lot of nothing of great importance? Listen, everything has to be deliberate. ‘Therefore, start paying deliberate attention to everything you say. Speak Purposefully!’
Wake up! Realize Satan wants us to destroy ourselves and others fiber by fiber with our tongues. The enemy knows that the only authority he has over us is to get into our thought life and plant seeds of negativity. Satan is looking for those who will speak destruction, granting him access into our lives.
So if we want a lousy spouse, some monster-like kids, a boring job, and a dead church, just keep speaking it. Nothing will change; it will only get worse.
Newsflash: Negativity does not inspire greatness!
Look with me in the mirror and ask yourself the following questions: 1) What special gifts or talents do I have that can affect any of these situations positively? 2) What have I done or can I do more to change my situation for the better? 3) Do I choose to be a problem solver or part of the problem? Bottom line: ‘Lord, what am I doing? Use me!’
I must admit that I have been the problem on numerous occasions because I refused to see any good in the situations I faced. Very early on in my marriage, I spoke divorce every time my husband and I disagreed. Anytime I felt backed into a corner, I’d say, ‘Well, maybe we should just get a divorce.’ I feel so ashamed by writing the foolishness that flowed from my mouth. Though shameful, it is necessary to confess this ugly truth so maybe just one person will think before they speak such detrimental words upon their own union. When I look back, I have to praise God for mercy. He gave me a chance to activate His Word in my life instead of just allowing my husband to go along with my foolish madness.
The best way to escape the enemy’s pitfall with our tongue is through prayer. Jesus is the answer to our every obstacle, but we must know how to activate the power. Matthew 21: 22, NLT, says, ‘You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.’ So we can have what we say if it lines up in the Scriptures. Therefore if God already promised it in the Scriptures, and we put Matthew 21: 22 into action, it is ours. That’s good news! Test the word!
The Word of God is powerful enough to stand on so that we may be able to combat anything. We can test the Word by finding in the Bible where God has agreed to do something about our obstacle and begin to speak the promise over the obstacle. Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. For ‘Who are you, o great mountain?’ (Zech. 4: 6-7, NIV). We can take the Word of God and stand up to any obstacle that confronts us, commanding the obstacle to ‘Be gone—move’, and it must obey.
If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (Jas. 1: 5, ASV)
Each of us have had words spoken over us. Were they positive or negative, and how did they shape the person we have become? Think about that for a moment. If we don’t like the way things are or who we are because of those words, we have the power to change all that by speaking new words. Speak life! Let us not destroy ourselves and our loved ones by letting our tongues run wild and control us. ‘Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit’ (Ps. 34: 13, ESV). We must control our tongues!
‘Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: Let the weak say, I am strong.’ (Joel 3: 10, KJV) That’s speaking life!”
When hell seems to be the only thing in our lives and the fire of life is scorching hot, the only way to be confident is through Jesus Christ. Though it seems crazy to speak life in a recession, speak it. Though you may be jobless, homeless, or walking, declare God’s Word upon your situation. If your marriage is on the brink of divorce, speak love, commitment, and restoration. So what . . . if you are walking to the unemployment line from a shelter. According to Philippians 4: 19, NASB, My God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. It takes bold faith to decree the promises of God daily. However, stand on the promises of God because His Word is true. True! Decree God’s word daily!
Stand on God’s Word and declare it aloud. This helps our confidence. Positive words stimulate positive action. As I decree daily, I am strong in Jesus, I begin to believe it. His Word spoken daily in our lives moves us to action. Declare the Word of God, no matter what. Hell and high water, Declare the word of the Lord!
Remember, God is always orchestrating behind the scenes. He delivers on time… every time. ‘A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of Judgment. For by thy words thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be condemned.’ (Matt. 12: 35-37, KJV)
It’s time to stop condemning our lives and the lives of others with our words. Let’s stop polluting the world with our evil speech. We must seize the opportunity to speak miracles and not curses in our lives. Just speak life! Speak life! ‘Speak only what God says about you. Speak life! Think only what God thinks about you. Think life! Live how God commands you to live. Live life!”
