The Quality of Spoken Words

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life….the tongue of the righteous is as choice silver…the lips of the righteous feed many…the mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom…..the lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable…the tongue of the wise brings healing…the lips of the wise will protect them….the tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable…the lips of the wise spread knowledge. Proverbs10:11, 20, 23, 31, 32; 12:18; 14:3; 15:2,7

Have you ever gotten so carried away with something that you found it difficult to stop? That is what happened when I started reading verses I had highlighted this past month. These positive phrases grabbed my attention and I found it impossible to choose just one to share. They cause me to ask myself if my words are portraying and accomplishing what is stated so eloquently. I long for them to be!

The older I get the more I am becoming aware of the power of words…for good or bad. Words can wound or heal. Words can encourage or discourage. Words can proclaim truth or spread lies. Words bring life to a situation or envelope it with death. Words value or devalue another person. Words can cheer a person on or stop them dead in their tracks. Since words originate in my heart, it is imperative that I examine my heart for dangerous words that would escape from my mouth.

Just by listening to myself or another person talk, I can tell by the words spoken if that person lives in fear, hostility, bitterness, anger, selfishness, or love, forgiveness, joy, wisdom, and righteousness. That is because words are a reflection of the heart. I am not talking about occasional conversations. I am referring to the patterns of a person’s speech. But I am here to tell you that as God begins to change the heart, the words will be transformed as well.

What would happen if a person took the above verses and prayed each one over themselves for a week? Asking God to anoint her with the kind of words that demonstrate the qualities listed. There is no doubt God would delight to hear such a request. Even praying just one of the phrases would result in a change for the good.

Father, Your Word is full of the qualities I desire in my own life….my speech in particular. Help me to be aware when my words do not reflect Your character and heart. Amen.