Power of Words

Words are powerful tools.

They can build up or tear down.

They can paint a picture of a glorious sunrise or paint a picture of doom.

Recently, Satan has been really trying to get at me through the negative, cutting, falsely accusing, slanderous words of certain individuals. And sometimes, I admit, he has been quite successful.

I’ve felt hurt, angry, frustrated, stressed, and emotionally and physically drained because of it.

• Because of words.
• Because they lash out and stomp on me so the speaker can feel better about him/herself.
• Because they represent the negative thoughts of others toward me and ignore that there could be anything positive to speak about.
• Because they try to manipulate and control.
• Because my pride rises up in me against these affronts.

But today I choose to push pride back into the coffin where he belongs, and close the lid, and lock it.

These people who are treating me this way have been spoken to abusively themselves in the past, and my guess is that they never learned or believed God’s truth about themselves.

So, they have created a rut in their thinking in which they now are stuck.

It is a rut of negativity, criticism, and judgmental attitudes which are not even in keeping with reality.

I do not want to be like this when I get old, so I am working to do something about it now.

I need to derail this negativity before it starts making ruts in my mind and in my heart.

How, you might ask?

Well, the most obvious answer to me is by finding out in God’s Word what He says about me and believing that.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.”  Psalm 19:7a   (NASB)

• He declares me to be important enough for His Son to die for me.  (John 3:16)
• He declares me important enough for Him to promise never to leave me nor forsake me. He stays close beside me, ever watchful. (Hebrews 13:5; Matt. 28:20; Psalm 139)
• He has made me alive together with Christ (through His grace)… and raised me up with Him, and seated me with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:5,6 NASB)
• He has gifted me for His service like He has gifted all of His saints.  (Romans 12; 1 Cor. 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4)
• He calls me saved, accepted in the beloved, loved, forgiven, cared for, protected, and so much more!

But I also need to take it a few steps beyond just finding out and believing.  I need to take specific steps to REMEMBER what I find.  If I don’t remember, I will slip back into old ways of thinking.

One of my blogging acquaintances suggested starting a thanksgiving journal.  I love that idea, so I’ve started one of my own.

I personally need to write down the things that God says about me and then go back over them often to remember and rejoice in it.

For some of you, you might prefer just speaking it out loud, whether to yourself or to others, over and over to help you remember.

But whether writing or speaking or making mental notes, those of us who are struggling in this area need the water of God’s truth to be a mighty, rushing river to erode and wash away all the falsehood that the enemy has tried to deposit and harden in our hearts.  A steady drip, drip will not get rid of it fast enough.  And, we cannot let the river bed run dry.  The river of God’s truth needs to run through us every day, all day long.

May the following be our constant prayer:

“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.”  Psalm 19:14

 

To read more on our value to God click here. (You are of Great Value.)

 

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