“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 similar advice before; 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 and how they actually set the stage for a domino effect to forge our future. If we look at the book of Psalms alone, those were written roughly 1000 years before Jesus.
My Most Shocking Example
I’ve been dragging my feet on this one, a sad but true example of how thoughts and words carry power. Not just in our own lives, but how our inner life expressed through words carries the power to affect the lives of others. Think of our prayers for loved ones, our city, our nation. Whether spoken aloud or in our hearts. You’ve heard me say before that it was through the spoken Word of God in the beginning that all that is visible and invisible was brought into existence. And we are made in the image of God. Let that sink in!
How Careless Words Brought Tragedy
Years 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 once. 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 was swallowed up in sorrow 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 I 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 with jumping into a new one. Yep, I was that girl. And I was looking for yet another excuse to leave for the weekend, as I was running out of them. Imagine my shock when I received the phone call regarding her untimely death shortly after my excuse!
The Spiritual Power of Words
We don’t realize that we word curse ourselves and others all the time. We need to break off such word curses and contracts with the kingdom of darkness by coming out of agreement with anything we knowingly or unknowingly spoke, and come into alignment with the heart of God. I had no idea the power of words back then. And was ignorant of the fact that there are spiritual forces in the unseen realms, powers and principalities, who would be happy to turn those word curses into reality.
But we have to give them legal access and rights. Many a stronghold has 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, growing trees yielding the fruit of death and destruction. A life filled with drama, hopelessness, fear, poverty, addiction, failed relationships, failed jobs, and attempts to end it all.
Jesus: The Only One Who Could Fix This Broken Mess
Over the course of decades, I have lived life my way, trying to start over so many times, thinking that a new way, a new location, or a new person would act as a reset button. We think in our wisdom and strength that we can fix things or that we know better. Sometimes we rely on others to fix us. Or, we think that if we ignore an issue long enough, it will resolve itself. And sadly, we think that we can play Christian by accepting Jesus as our Savior, but quietly dismiss the idea of Him being our Lord. I am guilty of all the above!
Simply put, Jesus has been the best decision of my life. Think about it. We are surrendering to the Person of Love. To dwell within and help us navigate this life with comfort, love, encouragement, and counsel, as He advocates for us. He is our gentle, humble Lord. All-powerful and all-wise, yet kind. We fear that we will be missing out on life if we give our lives to Him. And we fear what He will ask of us, fearing what it means to submit and rely on. The Person of Love gave us His heart on that cross, and wants ours. But only if we freely offer it.
There is no safer place to be than in Christ Jesus, under His covering. Only He can give true rest for our souls and a peace that surpasses all understanding. Only our designer, our Creator, can fix us. No one knows us better. No one loves us more. There’s no one stronger who has defeated our foe and continues to deliver and stand by us. No one keeps His word like Him. Never failing, and always faithful. And there is no one else who knows how to work all things together for good for those who love Him. He wants to be our everything. And trust me when I say that you are His all!
What the Bible Says About the Power of Words
From cover to cover, the Bible has much to say about this topic, and as we can see, for good reason! We must learn how important our inner life is and its impact to live our best life. Jesus said that while “the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy” our quality of life and existence, He came “so we could have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 So let’s sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him.
Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 12:18 “The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
James 3:3-6 “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 3:8-9 “But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.”
Proverbs 4:23 “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
1 Peter 3:1 “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.”
Proverbs 15:4 “A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
Matthew 15:18-19 “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.”
Luke 6:45 “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.”
James 1:26 “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.”
Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Proverbs 13:3 “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “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.”
Leave a Reply