Say Less

Everyone can use some encouragement in their life and it's just nice to share a kind, uplifting word with someone.

Things like, "I'm praying for you, I'm rooting for you.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

You're doing a good job.

You've got this.

Don't quit!

You can do it!

I'm proud of you."

One kind word can literally change someone's life.

I don't know who came up with the cliché phrase, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt."

That is the biggest lie ever told because words DO hurt and the words you speak over your life as well as the lives of others, can either be encouraging and uplifting or hurtful and damaging. Did you know that can actually feel when words are being spoken against you?

That's how powerful words are and you can either speak words that hurt or words that heal.

The Bible says in the book of Proverbs 30: 32, "Do not confess that negative thoughts in your mind, rather speak life to every situation around you (Proverbs 30:32)."

The Bible also says in Proverbs 18:21  "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

According to this proverb, you should be very careful of the words you speak and understand the power of your words, because there is death and life in the power of the tongue and in your words and if you love to talk, you will eat the fruit of your words.

People can be mean and cruel with their words. They will come at you, talk about you and put their mouth on you and when that happens, it's hard not to retaliate and put your mouth back on them.

But you have to be careful speaking things against people because the Bible does caution us not to speak ill of people, because the words we speak are important as well as powerful.

Proverbs will really help you get your life all the way together. In Proverbs 15:4 it says this, "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit."

What does this mean? I am so glad you asked! It means that a gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

In other words, kind words help and heal, while perverse, cutting words wound, maim and crushes one's spirit.

So my question to you is this. Are the words that you speak or the seeds you deposit helping and healing or wounding and destroying?

Words are so important that God meticulously used words to speak things into our very existence. In the book of Genesis chapter one, before things were spoken into existence, the Bible tells us that the Word existed, before anything else.

St. John 1:1  says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God. 

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made."

So before anything was made and before it existed, God existed. God created time, yet He existed before time.

Jesus said it like this in St. John 8:58, "Before Abraham was, I AM!"

Meaning that before Abraham existed, I existed. In other words, I AM who I AM or I AM that I AM, which is what God said to Moses in Exodus chapter 3, verses 13 and 14.

Exodus 3:13 says, "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?"

Exodus 3:14 says, "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

So, when Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I AM," What He was saying is this. Before He was, I was. I was the Word, I am the Word and I will always be the Word. The Word was here in the beginning and it will be here in the end.

Before there was the sun, moon and stars, there was the Word.

Before space and time there was the Word of God.

Before breath was breathed into the nostrils of Adam, there was the Word.

Before time was set in place and before it was put into motion, there was the Word.

Everything else can pass away and fade away, but it's the Word of God that will stand forever.

The Bible says in Isaiah 40:8,  "The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of God shall stand for ever. 

God’s Word stands firm. Nothing can move it or shake it. II Timothy 2:19

Jesus Christ, the Word, is the only foundation for your spiritual life. I Cor. 3:11

And God chose Jesus Christ to be that foundation for our spiritual life. Isaiah 28:16

He said, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a precious corner stone, which is a sure foundation."

The Word of God is our foundation and Christ is our firm foundation. He is our rock, the chief cornerstone. The Word made flesh.

Our antidote for the words, which we hear spoken over our lives on a daily basis, is to speak life, encouragement and positivity because our words matter and they are sealed with the power and the authority of God, to destroy wounding words, which have been spoken by the enemy. Your words can either build someone up or tear them down.

You can either speak death or you can speak life. You can either speak death to your marriage, or you can speak life. You can either speak death to your body, or you can speak life. You can speak death to a diagnosis OR you can speak life.

When you speak life you are choosing life over your body, life to your marriage, life to your ministry, life to your children, life to your family, life to your finances, life to your circumstances, life to anxiety, life to depression and life to your mind.

Speak words that inspire and encourage. Words that build up. Words that will deposit seeds of love, healing, health, hope and forgiveness.

It is so imperative that you speak words of health and healing because words have destroyed marriages, relationships, friendships and the lives of people in general whenever people do not decide to choose their words carefully and wisely.

Philippians 1:14 says, “Speak the Word without fear.”

Speak words of wisdom, power, love, purity, peace and life.

Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Ephesians 4:31-32 says, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

So your words can be sweet or your words can be bitter and you may say, "Well, if I’m speaking truth, sometimes, the truth hurts."

And that is true. The truth does hurt sometimes, but Ephesians 4:15 says to “Speak the truth in love.”

So yes, you can speak truth, but speak the truth in love, because when it’s spoken in love, it will bring health and healing, not hurt and hatred.

Whenever you are faced with the challenge of speaking death or speaking life, remember to allow your words to heal someone and not hurt someone and ask yourself, according to Psalms 19:14, "Are the words of my mouth and the meditations in my heart, acceptable to God."

Psalms 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

So, think about that, the next time you are tempted to speak a word about someone or against someone, because if your words are not going to be uplifting, encouraging, kind or acceptable to God, just "say less."

~Dr. Lynn