Power of the Tongue

We have all heard the phrase “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, but we all know this is not true. How often do we fester on negative comments made towards us? We have all experienced this in some way throughout our lives.

Some of the things that have been said to us are “You’re not good enough” “You can't do it all” “You’re fake” “You’re dreams aren’t realistic” “You eat too much” “You’re too loud” “You throw like a girl”

Sometimes we are the ones speaking death, even if we don’t realize it. As people, we can be quick to defend ourselves so much that we end up trying to hurt people with our words. In the moment we don’t care if our words hurt others, we only care that we get the upper hand.

Positive and negative words can significantly affects us.If you want to speak life into someone you need to check your heart. If your heart is full of hatred you will speak hatred. This is why we need know when to take a step back and check our hearts before we speak. People can speak life or death to others depending on where their heart is. God gave us the ability to communicate and therefore we must use it to glorify God. When our hearts are built up with so much bitterness then it blocks a way for God to communicate to us. “The tongue can bring death or life those who talk will reap the consequences” Proverbs 18:21. As Christians, we are held to a higher standard of loving others. In order to do so, we need to seek the Holy Spirit to help give us the words to speak into those who have done us wrong. We are called to reflect the love of Christ and how can we show that when our bitterness is held in our hearts.

Dear God, help us to be mindful in what we say. Let our words be an encouragement to others. Continue to fill us with your spirit and let us look to you first for the words to say. Help us to live out James 1:19 “You must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” Amen

LOVE,

Allison, Taylor, Ashly, and Emily