word.
Poop. Fart. Junk. Butt-face. All words I hear before 10am every day. I currently have an adorable 4-year-old boy in my house and potty words are all the rage. If he would actually poop as much as he talks about poop, our world would change for the better. But that’s another story for another day. Let’s just say laundry is my new hobby. Said boy also likes to use these potty words on his older sister who still has not figured out that engaging this behavior is unproductive. #blessherbones
At my wits end with yelling “no more potty words!!!” on repeat, I had a thought. Ok, maybe it was the Holy Spirit who dropped this on me one day because it is far too genius to come from me. I felt the Spirit saying, “What if you focused on the positive instead of the negative?” So simple and yet so brilliant. The next time a “butt-sheep” came my way, I responded by asking if his words were speaking life or death over his sister. Of course, he looked at me like I’m a lunatic. He’s 4. But I am planting seeds for the day when he does understand what that means.
Our words matter. The things we say either agree with life or they agree with death. These are the only two options. The Bible talks about it. Science talks about it. Secular and Christian neuroscientists have been researching the effects of our words for decades. The results are actually quite fascinating. Research shows that our minds will believe whatever we tell them and then act on it. They do not judge whether it is true or not. Our words actually cause physical structures to grow in our brains. MIND BLOWN (pun intended).
But this should not be brand new information. The Bible tells us in Genesis 1 that when God wanted to create something in the physical realm, He did it with words. He SPOKE planets and people into existence. All the things started with a word. The good book also says that we are made in His image. I know this looks like math and math is hard, but stick with me: A+B=C. God (A) speaks words (B) and stuff happens (C). So, if you are made in His image (A) and you speak words of life (B), then you also create something in physical realm with your words (C).
WHAT?!?!? Now don’t get all crazy on me and think this means you can speak a Maserati into your driveway. But what is does mean is that those dreams and situations and relationships you thought were dead may just be waiting for words of life to be spoken over them like a refreshing spring rain. Maybe that tough kid or that super annoying coworker would respond different if we spoke positive things into their world instead of always pointing out the negative.
If being intentional with your words is gonna take you some practice like it did me, let me help you out. Here are a few options for ways to speak life OUT LOUD to your brain cells to get them growing in the right direction.
*To the single lady who wants to be married, say this: I will attract a healthy, emotionally available man into my life.
*To the person who desperately needs a job: I will find the right job with the right people at the right time.
*To the family who is watching a precious son or daughter struggle with drug or alcohol addiction: This child will be set free from the chains of addiction.
*To the person who has just lost the love of their life: This season of grief will pass and I will find my joy again.
You get the idea. Listen, this is not a “name it and claim it” message. This is a message about having faith in what the word of God says is truth. Things don’t always work out the way we want them to or how we EXPECT them to, but we can have faith in the promise of Jesus when He says that He will work all things out for our good. This is a message about speaking life to things that look very, very dead. This is about catching ourselves in the doom loop of messages that replay over and over in our heads and flipping the script.
Go ahead. Give it a shot. What have you got to lose? #nothing.
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