Speak Life: The Power of Our Words

But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. —James 3:8-10 NKJV

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” — Matthew 12:33-37

Overcoming Self-Criticism in Moments of Imperfection

On my way to work, I was running late and in a hurry, carrying several things to the car. I accidentally dropped my ice water, causing it to spill everywhere. Now, I had a dirty container and no ice water, which was another thing I had to deal with. Was it that big of a deal? Not really. But in the moment, I acted in the least godly way possible. I began to verbally insult myself out loud.

After my “diaper baby” moment, I sensed the gentle redirection of the Holy Spirit—“You would not tolerate anyone saying those things to your wife, and you get on your students when they insult themselves. Yet you say these things to yourself.” God took me to James 3: 8-10. Immediately, verse 9 popped out—“With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God” (NKJV).

Embracing the Power of Self-Compassion

We’re created in the image and likeness of God, and we sometimes curse or insult ourselves. How often do we call ourselves “dumb” or “stupid” or other derogatory words after we do something less than intelligent? Just because we did something that was not very bright doesn’t mean our identity is established by what we did. But many of us struggle to speak life, forgetting the power of our words.

Proverbs 4:24, Ephesians 4:29, and Colossians 3:8 instruct us to refrain from using foul and harmful language. Even though I didn’t use profanity, I still communicated in a manner that didn’t align with God’s teachings. Therefore, my speech was inappropriate and offensive. It didn’t convey grace or God’s empowering presence to the listener, myself, and the Holy Spirit. I sensed that He heard my words and disapproved of the way I spoke to myself.

The Power of Words: Impact on Life and Judgment

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-37 that what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. He also said we will give an account for every idle word we speak when we stand before Him at the judgment. “idle” means lazy, thoughtless, unprofitable, inactive, useless, and injurious.

The media is filled with talk about how “hate speech” hurts people. But what about our “hate speech” toward ourselves? How many times have we injured ourselves with our words and we didn’t realize it? (NKJV).

The Power of Transformation Through the Holy Spirit and God's Word

The only way to change is to ask the Holy Spirit to help us see where we need to change and follow His lead to the Scriptures in the Word of God that we need. We can change our words by meditating on those verses and speaking them.

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Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for opening my eyes to see how my words hurt and grieved You. You. Please forgive me and give me mercy and grace to renew my mind. Holy Spirit, show me the area you want me to change and guide me to the Scriptures I need to meditate on. Thank You for helping me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Your Turn

• I'd love to hear about a Scripture God has given you that has helped you change your confession about yourself.

• What specifically about that Scripture has been so impactful?

• What area of your life came to mind when you read about speaking evil about/to yourself?

• What Scriptures can you use to change your confession in that area?

• If you are unsure where to find Scriptures, pray for wisdom and use your Bible app or Google scriptures on the area God wants you to change.