Watching this video by David Jeremiah just now and its just dovetailing with what I'm writing in my journal "Trust God and Be Good"
And also this chapter from my book "The Fort-Fort-Day Word Fast"
Chapter 1
THE POWER OF WORDS
A lie will go round the world while the truth is putting its boots on!! -CHARLES SPURGEON
Most of us understand the power of spoken words, at least to some degree, but it is likely uncharted territory for us to consider the power of fasting words, or not speaking specific words. How could this be powerful? Scripture tells us very pointedly, "We all err in many ways. But if any man does not err in word, he is a perfect man and able also to control the whole body" (James 3:2) There are some fiercely unruly members in our bodies, but God's Word says that if we tame our words, we can tame our body and mind. That's powerful!
The taming of these unruly members of our body- the tongue, the mind, the appetite-presents a formidable challenge. However, the truth of God's Word is, "I can do all things because of Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). It is the truth that sets us free. And herein lies part of the paradigm shift that will take place in our lives as we fast words. We move from what is true to the truth, from the seen to the unseen, from the physical to the spiritual, from the negative to the hopeful. We will quit living in the past, allowing our failures, mistakes, and sin to paint our identity with hopelessness. We will move into God's intentions and promises for us. We will see God's kingdom come to earth in our midst.
Can you visualize the impact on your life if you could bridle your thoughts and body? This is God's very intention for us, to destroy strongholds of poor self-image, negative speculations, and every though that is contrary to who we are in Christ. Life and death are in the power of the The words that come out of our mouths heal or hurt.They bring reconciliation or division. By our words men are called into their destiny and the life of the Lord is shared with others. By words dreams are shattered,
You see, Satan is always out to destroy the essential purposes s of God. Christ's vision for us as believers is that we might be one as He and the Father are one. Christ knew our great love for one another would draw unbelievers into the kingdom as they witnessed something their souls yearned for but could not find in the world: unconditional acceptance and love. Satan uses these other kinds of words that come out of our mouths-judgments, criticism, sarcasm, negativity, complaining, to keep this purpose of God at bay.
Words of blessing a remarkable impact. Gentle words of blessing soothe the inner man. They are like cherry limeade with crushed ice on a sweltering summer's day, refreshing the body and emotions. Words of encouragement bolster the will and activate hope in our lives. Each one of us yearns for motivating words of praise that infuse our self-worth. They stimulate our desire to actualize the unique potential God has placed in each one of us. Sunny, cheery words are protein to the spirit of a child, shaping the course of his or her life at such a tender age and having eternal impact.
Positive words are verbal nutrients that hydrate the entire being; when lacking, God's purposes are left dormant. Negative words produce verbal toxins that poison the soul. In the wake of negative, critical words, a person's confidence is destroyed and God's possibili- ties are crushed. Yes, spoken words have the life and death. power of
As Christians we are commissioned to be ambassadors of life to others, to speak blessing not curses. Words that are judgmental, critical, sarcastic, negative, complaining, or soaked with gossip cast a dark cloud on everyone who comes in contact with them.These words should have no part of us. Paul teaches us directly, "Let no unwholesome word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, that it may give grace to the listeners" (Eph. 4:29).
This song started to play in my head
No comments:
Post a Comment