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The power of life and death is in the tongue (Proverb 18:21).

As a result of my starting “Seeking You”, I find myself doing more self reflection; attempting to determine if I am living the life I am writing about. I reflect on how I treat my husband, my children, my relatives, my friends, and co-workers. In other words, I’m a bit more mindful about I am and how I behave.

In my Relationships and Jealousy post, I talked about utilizing our words to affirm others. I pondered on that post. In it, I suggested that words were to be chosen intentionally and could be effective if done so.

This brought to mind Proverbs 15:23, “A person finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word!”

If this is so, another question is raised: Am I doing enough; am I being intentional with my words?

Proverb 18:21 tells us that, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

and Proverb 15:4 tells us, “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the Spirit.” 

This is important to note! It’s not a choice. The tongue is so powerful, we must control it. Are we unintentionally speaking death into the lives of our:

  • friends and relatives- You are so evil! That girl is hateful. You are a liar. You are a cheater;
  • our spouse- You Never do anything to help me. You are a selfish. You are such a dog!;
  • our children-You can’t do anything right. You are so lazy. You are so bad;
  • ourselves- I am so dumb. I have a bad attitude. I’m going to hell.
All of these statements I have heard spoken to others; sometimes in jest, other times out of sheer frustration. I have said some of them to people in the heat of the moment. Now even reading these statements makes me cringe. How many spirits have I crushed?

We should make a conscious effort to speak life!

The other day, I was at work- business as usual. I was waiting for a coworker to complete her task to start mine. As I was waiting she excused herself for holding me up. “Oh, no problem”, I said. Then she said: ” I want to thank you for all that you do. I know I don’t say it enough, but I appreciate the way you have helped me. Thank you.” 

Huh? I was a bit perplexed. Why was she thanking me? I hadn’t done anything extraordinary. In all our interactions, I’ve done what I felt I should do. Nonetheless, her words were welcomed.

I felt appreciated! It took a few seconds and a few simple words for her to affirm me. This is just one of many examples I could use. If I analyze the way in which I interact with my husband and children, I definitely find areas of opportunity.

So- How can we Speak Life? 

We can directly speak blessings into our lives and the lives of others. Growing up, I remember people would end a conversation with simple blessings. “Ok. Well, I’m leaving. May God bless you and your family.” Then they would chat a little more and say, “Ok God bless you. Good bye”

Nowadays, this would be seen as a little too “churchy”. Eek! No one wants to be known as a Jesus fanatic. But really- Paul did this in his letters to the churches- many times.

In fact, In Romans 1, he greets the Romans then goes on to say in verse 7, “May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”  “Ok Rose,” you say. “Of course Paul did that- He’s in the bible.”

Now, I’m not saying to change your speech to be solely comprised of scriptures and hymns.

Haha. Can you imagine:

Friend: Hey Rose, How are you doing girl?

Me: Well Psalm 139 says, I am fearfully and wonderfully made. and Is 53:5 tells me by His stripes, I am healed. Therefore All is well with my soul! Halleluiah, Amen!

Friend: Good bye

Me (calling out as they walk away): May his grace and Peace be with you! That’s found in Romans.

What I am saying, is that we should make a conscious effort to speak life into the lives of those we come into contact with. Be positive in your interactions. Encourage others with our words. Affirm them in their journey.

For some, this is extremely difficult. With God all things are possible! Therefore our prayer should be in accordance with His words in Ps 141:3, “Take Control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my Lips (Mat 19:26).

Thank you for reading, now lets go be doers of the words. May you Speak Life into yourself and into the lives of those who cross your path!

Stay tuned for more on this topic!

 Click on the link below to watch and listen to the Toby Mac’s, Speak Life and Enjoy!

Share your Stories of how you are purposeful, affirmative, encouraging, or inspiring in your speech. If you have benefited from someone else’s positive words, let us know.