Words of LIFE

Do you realize how powerful your words are? Not only do our word choices have consequences (good or bad), but also the way in which we say things. It’s like the ever-so-common phrase “It’s not WHAT you said, but HOW you said it”. There is so much power in our words, and I don’t think we as a christian community are aware of what our words are capable of.

Proverbs 18:21 is bold enough to put it like this: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Anything that’s referenced as “life or death” is a big deal. That kinda implies that it’s not something to mess around with, and our words are referenced in this way! The words we say and the intentions behind what we say are capable of building up and tearing down. James gives us a great example of this when he says “With it [our tongue/words] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God” (James 3:9). We are capable of doing BOTH! But God is calling us to speak only words of life!

Woah. That’s a big command. “Taming our tongue” is HARD, but my goodness it is so important! Matthew 12:36-37 tells us that we “will give account for every careless word we speak”. This is because our words reflect our hearts (Luke 6:45). If your heart is full of life, your words will be full of life. By this I mean that if your heart has been changed by the gospel & you have surrendered your life to Jesus, then your words should be full of life (because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks – Luke 6:45).

So, let’s do a little heart-check by doing a word-check (: The table below outlines what the Bible talks about as “Words of life” and “Words of death”. As you read through them, I encourage you to self-reflect. Which column do you find yourself relating to most? Under the “Words of life” column, which one seems most difficult? Where do you need to adjust your heart, so that your words are filled with life? Spend some time in prayer, letting the Lord transform your heart to look even more like His, so that your words are filled with more of Him.

My prayer is similar to that of David: “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” (Psalm 141:3). Our words are important. What you say truly matters, so let’s be intentional to speak life to those around us!

YOU ARE LOVED <3