Reaping the Consequences of What You Speak

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HOW MIGHT YOU REAP THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT YOU SPEAK?
As I shared in my previous article “A Flame of Fire: The Power of Words,” God designed words to carry power or authority. When we read the first chapter of Genesis, we see that God spoke things into existence. He then gave Adam authority to speak when He instructed him to name all the animals. Therefore, just like Adam was given authority to speak, we too have been given authority. Proverbs 18:21 (New Living Translation) says:

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

Wow! That’s a strong statement. We reap the consequences of what we speak! For instance, people either achieve greatness or fail to ever achieve because of words. Some children excel in school, and then later flunk out of high school because of words. Many choose to live their lives to the fullest, while some see suicide as their only option because of WORDS!

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is a quote I heard often as a child and even quoted myself. Although I understand the message the originator was trying to convey, simply reciting what seemed to be a catchy phrase didn’t stop the pain certain words caused me.

I wrote an article last year for my blog entitled “Why Can’t I Be Beautiful?” In the article I discuss how certain words caused me to feel ugly as a teenager. The boy who called me ugly didn’t throw sticks and stones to break my bones or put his hands on me at all. I remained physically intact, but mentally and emotionally I was a mess! I was humiliated and felt alone because no one sitting with us in the school cafeteria on that particular day came to my aid. Even though nobody laughed at his hurtful comments, they didn’t try to defend me either. So, I assumed they agreed with everything he said, which only made me feel worse. Although that was the only time he ever insulted me, his words stayed with me for years to come.

HOW CAN YOU MOVE PAST HURTFUL WORDS?
That young man’s words were powerful enough to knock me down, but his words couldn’t destroy me! Why not? I have family and friends who have always loved and encouraged me. Most importantly, I have a relationship with God, and my Heavenly Father loves me with an everlasting love! While I was still in high school, God began directing me to His Word and teaching me how to cast down the words of hate and embrace His words of love! So, I now know that God’s Word and the words of life I choose to speak can overpower and annihilate all lies of the enemy!

As a matter of fact, God wants us to speak His Word in every area of our lives and in every situation. God’s Word gives us life, hope, encouragement, instruction, guidance, and so much more.
Do you realize that you believe what you speak and you live what you believe? If I believe I am a failure then I’m going to talk like a failure and throughout my life I will continue to fail. On the other hand, if I believe I am a success, then I will speak like a person who is successful and will encounter successes along the way. However, it doesn’t mean everything will always go well. Facing disappointments from time to time is part of the human experience. Nevertheless, how and how soon we move past the disappointments are contingent on the words we speak. In the midst of trouble, heartache, and pain, we should still speak God’s Word! We should still speak words of life!

WHAT IS THE BEST USE OF OUR WORDS?
As children of God, not only should we be mindful of how we speak concerning ourselves, we must be mindful of how we speak concerning others. In my article “A Flame of Fire: The Power of Words,” I mentioned how a number of Christians were insulting a particular pastor all over social media because they didn’t agree with how he handled the hurricane situation in Houston. Personally speaking, I don’t believe God was pleased with what was being said about this gentleman. James 3:9-10 (NLT) say:

“9 Sometimes [the tongue] praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes [the tongue] curses those who have been made in the image of God.

10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!”

Whether you and I agree with a particular individual, we must remember that he or she is still God’s child. Even if we’re complaining and criticizing about something that is true, God STILL holds us accountable for our words. If we don’t like what we see or hear, what is the best use of our words? Yep, that’s right…..PRAYER!
Otherwise, we’re only adding fuel to the fire, and God is not getting the glory. Consider the children of Israel in the book of Exodus. As Moses was leading them to the promised land of Canaan, they often complained because things weren’t going their way. As a result of their complaining and disobedience, it took them forty years to reach their destination. Their choice of words delayed the promise!

So, beginning today, I encourage you to really think before you speak. You don’t want YOUR choice of words to delay God’s promises for YOUR life!

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.