The Power of our Words

Did you know our words have power?   They do!  What we say can fuel a fire or quench the flames.  We can praise someone’s accomplishments and abilities or tear them down with the words we say.  It is important to think before we speak and offer words that uplift and encourage, not tear down or bring shame.

“Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.  Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.”~ Proverbs 12:18-19

Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death…”  Think about that!  Our tongue (what we say) has the power of life and death!!!

We can sow value in someone’s life with good words, but we can take away value with words that sting, wound and tear down.

Also in Proverbs we learn that “a lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin.”  ~ verse 28 of Chapter 26

Using our words to lie is probably one of the worst ways to injure others, and eventually ourselves.  Lies always have a way of coming back around to the one who said them.  Lies never do anyone any good.  The devil is the father of lies and he would love nothing more than to trap us into thinking it is okay to tell a lie.

I Peter 3:10 states, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.”  Deceitfulness is a form of lying.  Being deceitful is not being truthful.

Even if we have said something hurtful or harmful to someone else, we can speak life-giving words to restore the damage that was done.  It may take awhile for the other person to accept an apology or forgive an offense, but if we keep sowing kindness into that person’s life, eventually forgiveness and restoration can come.

James Chapter 3 speaks a lot about our words.  We need to depend on God to help us tame our tongues.  The Holy Spirit will guide us and help us not to say things we shouldn’t.  We must, however, listen to His leading and not be too quick to speak without considering our words.

Quote from my pastor who spoke on this topic this morning, “We lack the power to change our words, but with the Holy Spirit’s empowerment we can perfect our speech.”

Let’s look to God and pray Psalm 141:3, “Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the the door of my lips.”  He will do it!

Being a Woman of Faith

After attending the Women of Faith Conference this weekend, I came away with such good information to apply to my life.

I am loved!!!  You are loved!!!!

I need to forgive!!!  You need to forgive!!!  Forgiveness sets us free.

I need to be about God’s business, growing, changing, advancing, going where He is going!

I will define myself by what I find in God’s word, not by anything the world tries to put on me.

The enemy, the devil, comes to steal, kill and destroy but just because he comes doesn’t mean I have let him to steal, kill or destroy anything in my life!!

Quote from Christine Caine, “The devil on his best day didn’t take me out on my worst day!”

Philippians 4:13: I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.

Matthew West sang about Forgiveness and being A Child of the One True King!  Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!!!

Loving the Lord with our Whole Heart

Just how do we love the Lord with our whole heart?  The bible says we are to do this, and yet the cares of the world tug and pull on our hearts all the time.  Spouses, children, parents, close friends, all draw from the love in our hearts.  How do we give enough love to all those we care about and still love the Lord with our Whole Heart?

The Amplified bible says it this way in Mark 12:30, “And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength.  This is the first and principal commandment.”

Then the next verse commands us to love our neighbor as ourself.  So how much love can we give out of this whole heart of ours and still give it all to God?

Well, I’d like to think about this as stated in the Amplified version, “out of and with.”  So we love “out of” our heart, and we love “with” our heart.  The bible says that God is love, and when Jesus saves us and sends His Holy Spirit to live within us, His love then becomes part of us.  This then enables us to have enough love to share “out of and with” our hearts, our souls, our minds.  What a mystery and a miracle!  Thank you Jesus!

Anyone care to share any additional thoughts or insights?

Friendship

A friend is someone who fills our lives with beauty, joy, and grace.

And makes the world we live in a better and happier place.

There is a miracle called friendship, that dwells in the heart. You do not know how it happens or when it gets its start.

But you know the special lift it always brings. You realize that friendship is the world’s most precious gift!

 

Copied from an email received.  Original author unknown.

When God is at the Center, Marriage Works!

Listening to a pastor at a recent wedding gave me the title of this blog post. As everyone wished the bride and groom love and happiness as they said their marriage vows, I got to thinking how we must put God at the center of our marriage in order to truly have love and happiness. Without God at the center, love can grow cold and life circumstances can rob us of our happiness. With God at the center, we can have joy in the midst of any and all circumstances, and since God is love, love will always abound in our hearts toward one another when we keep our focus on Him.

Please share how you keep God at the center of your marriage.  Would love to hear your comments!

Daniel 4:2-3

“It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me.

How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;
his dominion endures from generation to generation.”
~ Daniel 4:2-3