I recently listened to a sermon about fear and how when we discover how much God loves us, we will not fear. Absolutely! It is the love of God that fills us and makes us more than we are.
What bothered me a bit was the words: “Your words don’t matter, only your standing”. Now you see, this is a problem, because Proverbs 18:21 states: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”. Then there’s Deuteronomy 30:19 that says: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:”. This passage in context refers to the Israelites that were commanded to keep the law, but it does show the point that we have a choice. Proverbs shows that we have power to speak life of death… Your choice, it seems.
Here’s a quote from Lao Tzu:
Watch your thoughts, they become your words
Watch your words, they become your actions
Watch your actions, they become your habits
Watch your habits, they become your character
Watch you character, it becomes your destiny
This is a secular quote, with secular wisdom, but I’m sure you get the point that even the world knows this is important. We are taught by the Word to speak in faith, much like God did when He created the Universe. He didn’t say what He saw (Oh, it’s so dark), He said what He wanted to be: “Let there be light”. We are created in His image. 2 Corinthians 4:13 says: “We have the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;”.
You got saved in the same way. Romans 10:8-9: “But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Our words matter, to ourselves and to the people around us that hear what you say. Personally, I have learned to not say what I see, but what I want. When you see your children struggle at school, don’t complain, speak clarity and life into their minds. Declare over them that they have been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ and that the enemy has no hold on them. When you are fight a cold or a flu, don’t just give a running commentary of your symptoms, speak healing into your body, your head, your nose, your aching muscles. When you are struggling with money or relationships or at work, anything you are going through. Use your words for life, not death. It’s your choice.