Speak Life
Do you talk to yourself the way God does? If He was physically standing right next to you throughout your day today, would He be happy with what He hears you telling yourself, or would He hear the devil having control over your tongue?
Our words have power. Proverbs 18:21 tells us “the tongue has the power of LIFE and DEATH”.
When we speak to ourselves, are our words setting ourselves up for failure? Are we telling ourselves that our problems are too big? That we are unlovable and unforgivable? Nothing will ever change? We are too broken to be fixed? Too hurt or upset for anyone to ever love us?
Now let me ask you this, is this what God says about you?
We all know as Christians, that those thoughts and words are not true and not in accordance with what God says about us. We read in Psalm 139:14 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” and in Deuteronomy 14:2 that we are “chosen” and “set apart”, “holy” and “His treasured possession”. So if God says this about us, who are we to say anything different? And if He tells us “With God, all things are possible” (Luke 1:37), who are we to say that our problems are unfixable? “For the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives inside of you” (Romans 8:11). If this is what we believe to be true, then why do we allow the devil to tell us anything different?
The truth is, this world is full of demeaning and evil things and if we aren’t staying active in God’s Word, surrounding ourselves with the right people, and feeding ourselves continuously with healthy and good things, we will more likely fall captive to the devil’s lies.
I have seen this in my own life when I spend too much time around people who do nothing but criticize and rudely joke on each other all the time. Although I know that what they are saying is not necessarily true, and sometimes not meant to be ugly, their words can easily begin to feed my brain and sometimes end up spilling out through my words (both to myself and others). While I can’t, or sometimes don’t want to completely avoid people who are difficult to be around, I can limit my exposure to what I choose to hear and believe coming out of their mouths.
There are many ways we can go about doing this. One way is by praying to God over the situation and for discernment in how to properly handle it. Another way is by respectfully addressing the person privately about their behavior and how their words may not always come across as a harmless joke. Thirdly, we can then find outlets (outside of these difficult people) to surround ourselves with Godly Christian friends who can speak life to the lies we are told and reassure us of our value in Christ. And sometimes, we unfortunately have to make a hard decision to set up a healthy boundary with this toxic behavior so it does not end up destroying us.
In Philippians 4:8, we are told “Finally, brothers and sisters, 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.”
What is it in your life right now that may cause you to stray from these praiseworthy things? Maybe it’s the music you listen to, the things you are watching, or the people you are surrounding yourself with. Whatever it may be, I encourage you this week to find whatever that thing may be and pray discernment and power over it. Ask God to show you what you need to change in order to better align your thoughts and words with His. Then, be obedient to what He tells you to do. This is often the hardest part for us but with good Christian friends to keep us accountable and the power of the Holy Spirit, it is possible to replace the evil in your life with good and the toxic words with words that empower and give life.
You will be so amazed when you choose to limit your exposure to these toxic or evil things and instead feed yourself with goodness and power at how much more control God can have in your life and over your tongue. What you put in, will come out, whether you intend for it to or not. So feed yourself with LIFE and things that align with God’s Word, and you will see more LIFE coming forth from your mind and lips. It takes practice and patience but with persistence and prayer through God’s power, LIFE will protrude forth.