The Holy One calls to me this morning. He has an urgent message that He wants to convey and one that I need to hear:
"The power of life and death is in the tongue, so speak life".
The Holy Spirit brings this message with a deep caution and a reminder to me of how all things came to be. Our mysterious Creator God brought all things originally into existence through the power of His spoken word. Even if we choose not to believe in that truth, our unbelief does not change it.
However our unbelief in the raw power of the spoken word can impact our lives. As I look around I see all the evidence that confirms the truth. His message to me continues:
"Beware of what your spoken discouragement sets into motion and guard your words."
It is a shock to realize how easily the enemy of our souls can manipulate life and circumstances through all of us human "vessels". One of the primary manipulation tools the evil one uses is emotional manipulation. The devil understands how our emotions can rule our lives and provides ample emotional challenges that send us into fits of discouragement, hopelessness and despair.
The "hook" is not in the emotion itself but rather the words we speak when we are in that hard emotional place. Words of discouragement spoken in times of despair can become a form of a curse since we begin to agree with the evil and destructive agenda of the devil whose goal is to separate us from the love and goodness of our Creator God.
In John 10:10, Jesus tell us that the "thief" comes not but to rob, kill and destroy, but He (Jesus) comes that we may have life and have it to the full.
The enemy of our souls understands the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven even better than we do since he was once a "guardian Cherub" full of wisdom. Ezekiel 28:14 He is an ancient being turned foe who became an antagonist against God and His created and all that God has said is "good".
The enemy's ultimate goal is to keep humanity separated from our Creator. He knows first hand the spoken word of God and our legacy. He knows how men and women are made in God's image, and how the redeemed have been given authority and power to destroy the works of darkness, which is his evil agenda.
The devil has limited power so he schemes to get us humans to speak (with the power of our own words) in agreement with what he has plotted and planned and thereby work to destroy ourselves and the good things the Lord has planned for us.
If we do not guard our words, we can inadvertently, unconsciously, but ever so powerfully orchestrate our own dreadful circumstances by merely agreeing with the negative things we see and feel as a final and inescapable reality.
James 3:9 says of the tongue, "with the tongue we praise our God and Father and with it we curse human beings (including ourselves) who are made in His image".
I take that word "curse" to mean not just derogatory statements we make about each other but also to set up a contradictory image of our Divine purpose that is good, though an oppression of darkness that is not good nor according to our Godly image in creation.
Fortunately there is a "limit" to the power of the tongue when we make rash comments, speak harsh commands, or pass ungodly judgments against people in our lives. I wonder how careful we would be if every word we speak brought a visible and immediate result. Would we tell others to "drop dead" when they annoy us? Would we tell those who garner our temporary anger to "go to hell"?
Even if the careless words we speak do not appear to impose a life curse, what if they create a dark atmosphere over the lives of the ones we see fit to "curse" and what if we will be accountable one day for such brutal and oppressive words? The Bible says we will.
Then there is that personal issue: what if our spoken discouragement in a moment of frustration actually impacts what can become a life struggle for someone else? How much will our worthless words spoken over our children set them up for difficulty in their lives? How much does our derogatory self-talk initiated by the enemy's accusation of our character, hold us bound to a life of defeat?
What if we look at our circumstances then declare and confess that "nothing will ever change", or "the situation is hopeless", or "I cannot believe that any good thing can come of this'"? What if we, by our very own words, in contradiction to God's words about us, have executed what translates to curse and even worse, a death warrant over what might have been a very powerful witness of God's true and Divine intervention?
The sorrow of that possibility breaks my heart for myself and others struggling in bondage to our own declared fears and discouragement. So today I will take a look at the things I have spoken. I will ask the Holy Spirit for the reminder of those negative, careless, worthless words I have released over myself and others. I will take responsibility for the negative words and revoke them all in Jesus Name.
As I think about what may be “true”, according to what I see, the Lord puts up a caution and a place for discernment. I must not focus on the weaknesses and faults or failures of others or myself even as the brutal truth, but rather use the knowledge of such “truth” as a call to prayer and to petition the Lord to be our strength in weakness. Then I can speak the good will of Heaven over all that I see or fear.
Today I will appeal to my Lord for discernment to know what needs to be corrected and I will also ask for Divine discretion in the words I choose to use from here on out.
I purpose to think on whatsoever is true, noble, lovely, praiseworthy, admirable and according to the list of good things that goes on and on, and then I purpose to speak the very life of my Savior and the power of His good Name over all I see.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
"The power of life and death is in the tongue, so speak life".
The Holy Spirit brings this message with a deep caution and a reminder to me of how all things came to be. Our mysterious Creator God brought all things originally into existence through the power of His spoken word. Even if we choose not to believe in that truth, our unbelief does not change it.
However our unbelief in the raw power of the spoken word can impact our lives. As I look around I see all the evidence that confirms the truth. His message to me continues:
"Beware of what your spoken discouragement sets into motion and guard your words."
It is a shock to realize how easily the enemy of our souls can manipulate life and circumstances through all of us human "vessels". One of the primary manipulation tools the evil one uses is emotional manipulation. The devil understands how our emotions can rule our lives and provides ample emotional challenges that send us into fits of discouragement, hopelessness and despair.
The "hook" is not in the emotion itself but rather the words we speak when we are in that hard emotional place. Words of discouragement spoken in times of despair can become a form of a curse since we begin to agree with the evil and destructive agenda of the devil whose goal is to separate us from the love and goodness of our Creator God.
In John 10:10, Jesus tell us that the "thief" comes not but to rob, kill and destroy, but He (Jesus) comes that we may have life and have it to the full.
The enemy of our souls understands the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven even better than we do since he was once a "guardian Cherub" full of wisdom. Ezekiel 28:14 He is an ancient being turned foe who became an antagonist against God and His created and all that God has said is "good".
The enemy's ultimate goal is to keep humanity separated from our Creator. He knows first hand the spoken word of God and our legacy. He knows how men and women are made in God's image, and how the redeemed have been given authority and power to destroy the works of darkness, which is his evil agenda.
The devil has limited power so he schemes to get us humans to speak (with the power of our own words) in agreement with what he has plotted and planned and thereby work to destroy ourselves and the good things the Lord has planned for us.
If we do not guard our words, we can inadvertently, unconsciously, but ever so powerfully orchestrate our own dreadful circumstances by merely agreeing with the negative things we see and feel as a final and inescapable reality.
James 3:9 says of the tongue, "with the tongue we praise our God and Father and with it we curse human beings (including ourselves) who are made in His image".
I take that word "curse" to mean not just derogatory statements we make about each other but also to set up a contradictory image of our Divine purpose that is good, though an oppression of darkness that is not good nor according to our Godly image in creation.
Fortunately there is a "limit" to the power of the tongue when we make rash comments, speak harsh commands, or pass ungodly judgments against people in our lives. I wonder how careful we would be if every word we speak brought a visible and immediate result. Would we tell others to "drop dead" when they annoy us? Would we tell those who garner our temporary anger to "go to hell"?
Even if the careless words we speak do not appear to impose a life curse, what if they create a dark atmosphere over the lives of the ones we see fit to "curse" and what if we will be accountable one day for such brutal and oppressive words? The Bible says we will.
Then there is that personal issue: what if our spoken discouragement in a moment of frustration actually impacts what can become a life struggle for someone else? How much will our worthless words spoken over our children set them up for difficulty in their lives? How much does our derogatory self-talk initiated by the enemy's accusation of our character, hold us bound to a life of defeat?
What if we look at our circumstances then declare and confess that "nothing will ever change", or "the situation is hopeless", or "I cannot believe that any good thing can come of this'"? What if we, by our very own words, in contradiction to God's words about us, have executed what translates to curse and even worse, a death warrant over what might have been a very powerful witness of God's true and Divine intervention?
The sorrow of that possibility breaks my heart for myself and others struggling in bondage to our own declared fears and discouragement. So today I will take a look at the things I have spoken. I will ask the Holy Spirit for the reminder of those negative, careless, worthless words I have released over myself and others. I will take responsibility for the negative words and revoke them all in Jesus Name.
As I think about what may be “true”, according to what I see, the Lord puts up a caution and a place for discernment. I must not focus on the weaknesses and faults or failures of others or myself even as the brutal truth, but rather use the knowledge of such “truth” as a call to prayer and to petition the Lord to be our strength in weakness. Then I can speak the good will of Heaven over all that I see or fear.
Today I will appeal to my Lord for discernment to know what needs to be corrected and I will also ask for Divine discretion in the words I choose to use from here on out.
I purpose to think on whatsoever is true, noble, lovely, praiseworthy, admirable and according to the list of good things that goes on and on, and then I purpose to speak the very life of my Savior and the power of His good Name over all I see.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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