“Watch your thoughts for they become words, watch your words for they become actions, watch your actions, for they become habits, watch your habits for they become your character, watch your character for it becomes your destiny.” – Lao Tzu
We’ve all heard such advice before, and in looking back on my life and the devastation left behind, wise words spoken! However, such wisdom did not originate with Lao Tzu of the 6th century. The Bible is a treasure trove shedding light on the power of thoughts, words, and actions and the dangers of carelessness. If we look at the book of Psalms alone, those were written roughly 1000 years before Jesus.
So, I’ve been dragging my feet on sharing one of the most devastating and shameful examples in my life of how words have power, though my life is littered with negative thoughts and actions, along with the consequences that have shaped my life. It’s just so horrible and reflects the level of depravity and carelessness.
Long before I was trafficked, my mother left. It was not until adulthood that I went through a search company to locate her. And from there we spoke over the phone and even visited. However, months before another such visit, a planned vacation together, she took her own life which left me devastated feeling I had lost her a second time.
While I wallowed in self-pity with how I had endured one woe after another, I failed to put two and two together. I knew she had bouts of bad depression, but carelessly spoke out loud that she had taken her own life. And what possessed me to say such a thing before it occurred? I was in a relationship that overlapped getting into a new one. Yep, I was that girl. And I was looking for yet another excuse to leave for the weekend. I was not living right, and one sin led to the next. Imagine my shock not long after when I got the phone call about her death!
I had no idea the power of words back then. And was ignorant of word curses and how there are spiritual forces in the unseen realms who would be happy to turn those word curses into reality. But we have to give them access and power. Many a foothold and many a stronghold have been legally given to the enemy of our souls with careless authorization! I know this all too well with the breeding ground of my toxic thought life, and how those thoughts took root, producing negative words of death and destruction. A life filled with hopelessness, fear, poverty, addiction, failed relationships, failed jobs, and suicide attempts.
Now I know that despite horrible beginnings – a wrecked childhood filled with scars and setbacks, the aftermath of that coupled with bad choices, it is possible to live a fulfilling life. There was only One who was able to fix this broken mess. During my life, I’ve had to learn everything the hard way. I tried every which way to Sunday to fix myself! All without success. Jesus is the only One who has set me free. He has been the only One who has helped me to peel back and cleanse layer by layer. Jesus does indeed bind up the brokenhearted and brings deep inner healing! He has removed the grip of strongholds in my life. He brought true comfort and completeness. He has taken my burdens and empowered me to overcome addictions. Jesus is the only One! I’m just so thankful that through my mess, He never stopped trying to get through to me. He never cast me aside. He never gave up on me!
There are way too many scriptures to list here, but here are a few treasures that speak of the power of words and thoughts:
“For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
“If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.” 1 Peter 3:1
“A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” Matthew 15:18-19
“Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!” Psalm 34:13
“The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45
“The tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” James 3:3-6
“But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” James 3:8-9
“It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Matthew 15:11
“If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.” James 1:26
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
“Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3
“The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” Proverbs 13:3
“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” Matthew 12:36
The Full Armor of God
“10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition.” Ephesians 6:10-18
Leave a Reply