07/26/2020
Have you ever met people who suck the energy out of others as soon as they open their mouths? Or people who would provoke a situation until it becomes more hostile than necessary? Those individuals fail to see the value in speaking life to others.
“Speaking life” simply means to speak out of a pure motive, with the intention of benefitting the hearer of your words. The Bible says, “[O]ut of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). This means that the words we say are clear reflections of our hearts. If we speak poison or hostility, it is a pretty good indicator that our hearts are full of bitterness. If we speak with honesty and gentleness, it indicates that we have godly and wise hearts.
To speak life, you must be wise. Those who are dead set on foolishness will refuse to see the value of wisdom. To truly be wise, you’ve got to develop a deep respect for the Lord—or, as the Bible calls it, “The fear of the Lord” (Proverbs 1:7).
The book of Proverbs is perhaps one of the best books to teach wisdom, so we will explore it in depth. Proverbs 15:33 says, “The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.” Indeed, there are no shortcuts to speaking life. We can fake our kindness and gild our words with gold, but our vain efforts will eventually fall through if we don’t match our words with what’s really in our hearts. To sustain a lifestyle of speaking life unto others, we must always start with the heart.
It’s a sobering fact that our words reflect who we are. Jesus put it this way: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of ” (Luke 6:45).
Clearly, ours is not simply a word problem; ours is a heart problem. Our words reveal what is going on in our hearts! We use thousands of words every day—some suggest as many as ten thousand! The Bible teaches us that words are not neutral. Words carry weight and have significant power. I’m guessing you can still remember certain words that were spoken to you years ago. Some of those words were undoubtedly painful, but maybe others were positively powerful. Words can make or break a marriage; they can make or break a child. Harsh, sarcastic, and controlling words can do indescribable damage.
But gentle, kind, and encouraging words can strengthen and protect a family. Speak life into your marriage. Tell your spouse you love them. Express your appreciation to him or her. Encourage them. Guard your lips from harsh or critical words. Speak life into your children. Tell them often that you love them. Let them know the traits you appreciate that make them unique. Avoid harsh and critical words. Encourage your kids, and pray for them. And ask God to change your heart so He changes your words. Pray that you would be cautious with not only what you say, but how you say it.
