5. WHY WE SHOULD WATCH WHAT WE SAY

THIS SERIES: KICK THE WORRY HABIT

The secular world has made much of the power of positive speaking in the last 50 or so years, and many books and articles have been written proclaiming its importance, as if it was a new insight. However, the Bible got there first!

Scripture is clear about the importance of the spoken word. Right at the beginning of time, God spoke, and the world came into being. And we read that He sustains everything in the present by His powerful word [Hebrew 1:3].
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And of course, Jesus was revealed as the Word of God made manifest or visible:

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through Him all things were made;
without Him nothing was made that has been made…
The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.
[John 1: 1-3,14]

​We see again and again in the Gospels, that when Jesus spoke, things happened: people were healed, storms were stilled, dead were raised, lives were changed. His spoken word carried the creative spiritual power to effect change.

God...gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.
[Romans 4:17]

It is not surprising then, as we were made in the image of God, that the Bible clearly teaches that what comes out of our mouths is enormously important.
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For example:

From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.
The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.
[Proverbs 18:20,21]
 
 ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain,
“Go, throw yourself into the sea,” and does not doubt in their heart
but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.'
[Mark 11:22,23]

​Long before positive declaration became fashionable in the secular world, the Bible was encouraging the speaking aloud of words of faith and hope as a part of a godly lifestyle.

SPEAK WORDS OF FAITH AND HOPE

As we have seen in previous posts, if we want to defeat our worry-habit, we have to exchange the old pattern of negative, fearful thinking for a new one of faith. This is not the same as mere optimism, for faith and hope are based on the solid ground of the goodness of God. So, if we are to grow in Christian maturity we have to make sure that our thoughts are aligned with God’s truth.

As what comes out of our mouths is a sure indication of the state of our hearts, the two being closely allied [Matthew 15:18], if we are to walk in faith and hope, not only do we need to think right, we have to speak words of faith and hope. If we want to effect change in our lives, our families and communities we have to do it God’s way; and it starts with what we say.

Does this mean we have to ignore the evidence in front of us, and say something which plainly isn’t our present experience? We have all heard stories of people who have claimed deliverance of some sort, when the material evidence is wholly different--and none of us wants to live in unreality. However, it helps to know that the material world we inhabit is not the only truth. The realm of God is also very real.

Romans 4:19-21 is very helpful here:

Without weakening in his faith,
(Abraham) faced the fact that his body was as good as dead
—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God,
but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
​being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.

We can face and acknowledge our present circumstances, or the source of our anxiety, while at the same time declaring our trust in our Heavenly Father—and His promises.
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And His foundational promise for us as we face our worries is…

Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
[Matthew 28:20 NKJV]

​Now that’s something worth declaring!

​THIS WEEK’S GRACE RHYTHM:

​Take note of everything you say this week. Ask the Lord to show you where it is at variance with His Truth.

And see THE POWER OF THE SPOKEN WORD for more on this topic.

NEXT WEEK: 
6. WORRIED ABOUT TOO MUCH TO DO?
​Dealing with overload...

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​[Photo credits: Toa Heftiba (couple); Jessica da Rosa (girl); Art Lasovski (pen) @ Unsplash, with thanks]