Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21

 

Many of us have heard the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” but have you ever noticed that it’s easier to remember the hurtful things said to you than the good ones? Truth be told, words are very powerful and if used the wrong way, can hurt you. As we were reminded yesterday from the Proverbial writer Solomon, “death and life are in the power of the tongue” but amazingly enough as powerful as that portion of Proverbs 18:21 is, the remainder is just as powerful as Solomon concludes by saying, “and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”. In other words, you will eat what you speak; the outcome of your future is a byproduct of what you speak whether good or bad. Based upon scripture, your words can do two things for you: curse you or bless you; however, today I want to focus on how we curse ourselves when we choose death (speaking negatively and foolishly) instead of life.

Solomon said in Proverbs 18:7, “The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips”.

According to dictionary.com, a fool can be defined as a weak minded person, one who lacks judgment or sense. So according to Proverbs 18:7, the words of a fool (a weak minded person) are their ruin (destruction, downfall, mess up, collapse and defeat). In other words, your mouth can lead to your destruction and defeat; it can lead to poverty, lack, unhappiness, a failed marriage, low self-esteem and more. When speaking negatively, whether playfully or out of anger, what you’re actually doing is cursing the blessings God has for you. Your negative speaking not only affects your life but it also impacts the life’s of others as well.

Avoid speaking negatively! Matter of fact you should even avoid surrounding yourself with people who are speaking negative around or about you – it’s cursing the blessings God has for your life. God says he has plans to prosper you, not to harm you; so avoid saying things such as: I’m broke, I have no money and I’m just barely making it by. This (along with any other negative thing) all goes against the blessings God has in store for you. Instead say, I’m wealthy, I have more than enough, my God shall supply all my needs!

Begin speaking the Word of God over your life. Find a scripture in the Bible that tells you what God has to say about your particular situation. Example: the next time you want to say, “No one loves me” go to
John 15:9 and speak what Jesus says about you, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” If you’re in debt, instead of saying, “I’ll never get out of debt”, read Deuteronomy 28:12 and say aloud, “The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” As Christian, we need to stop blocking God’s blessings by speaking negatively. God wants to bless us but we become a hindrance to ourselves in receiving Gods blessings when we speak things that are in opposition of God’s Word.

On today, make a decision. Proverbs 15:4 tells us that a tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Decide today that you will watch what departs from your lips. Make a choice to speak God’s blessings over your life. Through the power of the Holy Ghost we have the power to speak God’s blessings over our lives and with the same tongue (if used negatively) can speak curses over our lives. Remember words are seeds that can yield a good or bad harvest in your life -depending on what you speak. The very essence of our being was spoken into existence by God. Monitor what you speak. Every time you want to speak negative, stop, ask God to change your heart and to renew your mind. Then, fix your mouth to speak God’s blessings upon your life instead. God wants to bless you. Don’t let your mouth get in the way of your blessing.

Pastor J