The power of your words

November 13, 2015 · 0 Comments

Words are powerful. They can be negative or positive, tear down or build up, misinform or inform, discourage or encourage, set the tone for your day, and even influence who you are!
Prov. 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Recently I read a cartoon caption. “Being tired isn’t a temporary feeling for me anymore. At this point it has become a part of my personality!” Cancel that thought! Negatively focussed cartoons are poisonous thoughts wrapped up in cute pictures which sugar coat a specific problem and then people share them for the world to see. Responses from others reinforce that negativity with, “Oh, you poor dear thing. I know exactly how you feel.”
Unfortunately, some Christians even readily share cartoons depicting persons drinking alcohol to drown their problems, or which use language of the gutter to express their frustrations. Too often people speak about the apparent challenges in their life, health, finances, circumstances, relationships and so on by focussing on what they are currently experiencing but do not want. Your body and spirit eat rancid, dis-empowering words and thoughts like food, producing the exact results you don’t want. Words literally do influence and shape your personality-be that negative or positive.
In Numbers 6:22–27 we read, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’”
Did you get that? Speak blessings and then God will bless! God can’t bless us or others when we refuse to bless and be blessed. We literally curse ourselves when we focus on the negatives which we don’t want. You get what you think about so yes, you get whatever negative you are thinking of. Better yet, change your thinking to the directive found in Phil. 4:8
“Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things!”
In Num. 14:28 God told Moses, “So tell them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say.” This is a spiritual law. God listens to the words that come out of your heart and your mouth. Your thoughts and your words affect not only you but whomever else it is you share them with – even if through the printed word or in jest. God is listening as well. Don’t say, “I don’t want to be tired” because that would be focussing on what you don’t want and your body will comply negatively. Rather, say, “I am choosing to be alive, awake, and to feel terrific with lots of energy!” Your body will comply positively.
It is critical that we think about what we think and what we say because God gives to us what we ask for. For good fruit to come forth, you have to plant good seed in your spirit and in your heart. Let people know your chief gardener is God and that His plan is to prosper you and bless you. You also have a responsibility in this regard. Matthew 12:33-37 says: “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Watch your heart and your mouth! The word acquitted means to be cleared, to be freed from blame. By your words you can be cleared to be blessed! Choose to speak God’s blessing on your health, your finances, your circumstances, your relationships, your family, on what He has given to you already and what He is doing for you now. No, this is not a “Bless so I can be blessed by Santa Claus Jesus” teaching, nor, “It really does not matter what I am or how I act because daddy God will just have to bless me anyways.” This is teaching the promise given by God in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” God does want to bless you, but, do you want to be blessed? No or yes. Use the power of your words and attitude reflect that fact.

By Pastor Maxine McLellan,

Co-pastor at Grace Church of the Nazarene, Shelburne