WEEK FIVE: IT’S ABOUT SPEAKING LIFE

Have you ever said something and then immediately wished you had never said it (or at least that you could take it back)? Or maybe you wish you had said something in the moment and then regretted not doing so, knowing if you had, you could have averted a problem. Now I am normally pretty slow to speak and I think through my responses very carefully before speaking up. I have tried to live by the saying “engage the brain before putting the mouth in gear.” But every once in a while, I will blurt something out…and most of the time that doesn’t end up well. It becomes “open mouth, insert foot.”

James tells us that there is incredible power in the tongue. It can build up and it can tear down. We have all heard the saying “sticks and stones my break my bones but words can never hurt me.” I believe that is one of the greatest lies ever told. Because if you beat me with sticks, my body will heal and I will forget about how it hurts. But I will remember and play through my mind over and over what you say about me. As humans, we long for approval and when the words we hear about us aren’t uplifting, we will begin to believe what is said about us.

Words seem so casual, so cavalier. We use them cheaply and flippantly. James tells us that blessing and cursing come from the same mouth. But should it? James says no. Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:34, “how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” In other words, what comes out of our mouths is what is inside of our hearts.

So how do we change that? We change what’s inside of us. Tap into Jesus as the source of your life and speech. Learn to use your speech to build up rather than to tear down.  Guard against talk that is unhelpful and unhealthy. Choose to bless rather than curse. Ask yourself, how are my words directing my life and the lives of those around me? What are my words igniting in other people?

At times, we will still be tempted to say things that are not uplifting or good, but as we lean on Jesus and consistently practice speaking life rather than speaking curses, we can use our words to be words of life from God.