Speak!

Greetings, Dear Friends!

Susie Larson here...

And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way. 

Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who posts on my blog. This month, one of you will win a $10.00 gift card to Barnes & Noble, so leave a comment, share a story, and bless us all with your wisdom and insight!

Now on to my topic...

You've heard it said before, "Show me a man's checkbook register, and I'll show you what he cares about." Don't worry, we're not sharing check registers today, but I want to make a parallel statement: Show me what a person says, and I'll tell you what they believe.

More and more I'm learning the importance of and the power behind our words. Words are envelopes that carry powerful messages. Our words affect our circumstances, surroundings, and perspectives. Maybe you've heard me say this before but it bears repeating: Our words are seeds that bear fruit. Every time we open our mouth, little seeds drop to the ground and eventually produce fruit - sometimes rotten fruit, sometimes nourishing fruit. 

The reason our words are important is because we are important. We are messengers; conduits of God's grace. We have an important job to do during our time on earth. If we believe any less than that or if we think we are more than that in ourselves, our words will reflect those beliefs. 

Read this important verse: From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things, as surely as the work of his hands rewards him (Proverbs 12:14).

Think about it. If you have a full time job, you expect your paycheck at the end of the week. Likewise, we can expect that the words of our mouth will produce a result: they'll either bless or curse those in our sphere of influence. 

What's the answer? Spend time with God. Nestle in close and trade our unbelief for belief. Trade our anxiety for peace. Trade our doubt for faith. Get to a place where we are once again assured of God's promise to stand with us and provide for us in every season of life. 

From there, we get up, and we SPEAK!

Speak to the Mountains - Tell your obstacles to move into the sea! Does the enemy of your soul continually throw road blocks in your path? Speak to those obstacles and tell them to move! Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt...you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done (Matthew 21:21)

Speak to the Storms - Tell the storms to be still! Are you surrounded by chaos and confusion? God is the God of order! Speak to your storm and command order to return!  In Matthew 8, the disciples were in the boat with Jesus (who was taking a nap). The storm came and they called on the Lord (sounds like a good idea, no?), but Jesus wondered why their faith was so small. Jesus calmed the storm, but it would have pleased His heart for the disciples to do what He did. 

Speak to your Soul - Tell your soul to be at peace and remember the goodness of the Lord. Psalm 116:7 calls us to speak to that inner man when we are troubled inside: Be at peace (or at rest) once more O, my soul, for the Lord, has been good to you." God has been good and He'll be good again. He's a good God. Reflect on the many ways He has come through for you. Right here. Right now. Take a moment and say thank you for His faithfulness in your life.

Never underestimate the power of your words. They are a weapon in your hand. We'll be called to account for how we used this gift. Did we encourage those around us, or did we pick them apart? Did we talk about circumstances and people with cynicism or with hope? 

Dear Father in Heaven, Have mercy on us for every ill-spoken word! Renew our minds, our hearts, and our perspective. May we leave every person and situation better than we found them. Fill us with a greater sense of Your presence that we might impart life and refreshment wherever we go. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen.

Have a blessed week!

Oh, and PS - if you haven't signed up for my quarterly Ezine, be sure to do so! It's full of great stuff (book giveaways, devotional insights, book recommendations, great quotes, etc.) Here's the link:

Susie's Ezine Signup...

Comments

[Stephenie]

Well said. Thank you for sharing your insights. God's Word does not return void.

[Virginia]

I enjoyed this. So true and yet so hard to follow and hear.

[Missy W]

It's amazing to think of the impact that a simple word from of our mouth can have on someone's life.I love the image you gave of seeds flowing into the ground and sprouting fruit - nourishing or rotten - every word has a result of life or death.I think about God's words and the way that He spoke things into life in Genesis and the way His Word gives life to us. Wow, and the fact we as His children can speak life into one another is such an awesome gift!

[Susie Larson]

Stephanie,

I love that God promises to fulfill His Word. What a gift to us!Blessings~

[Susie Larson]

Dear Virgina,

Thanks for stopping by. And you are right, measuring our words is not an easy thing to do, but a battle worth winning! Bless you~

[Susie Larson]

Missy,

Thanks for stopping by. Don't you think it's so easy to become casual and careless with our words? It's good to remind each other to measure our words that we might plant a great harvest all around us!Blessings to you~