Your Words

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiuvKo-7Me4

Prophesy Your Promise ~ Bryan & Katie Torwalt

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words. ~ Proverbs 18:21 AMP

Have you ever thought about the words you use?

Yesterday, I told someone, “I did a Mommy fail.” Shortly after I said it, Holy Spirit asked why I used that phrase. The phrase “Mom-Fail” gets tossed around, indicating a mistake, whether large or small. But failure isn’t the same as a mistake. A mistake is an error, while failure carries with it a greater weight. Truly, we will all mess up, but we only fail when we refuse to try again.

We read Proverbs 18:21, that death and life are in the power of the tongue, often forgetting it applies to our own lives. Every day, we can listen to—and speak—the lies Satan has concocted for us, including that we’re failures. Or we can speak God’s promises over ourselves:

I am the daughter of the King and the Bride of Christ, (Psalm 45:9). I will not suffer shame; I will not be humiliated. My victory is in the Lord! My Maker is my Husband—the Lord Almighty is His Name, the Holy One of Israel is my Redeemer, (Isaiah 54:4-5). God did not give me a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given me a spirit] of power and of love and of a sound mind, (2 Timothy 1:7). I am a good mom, raising children who are wise beyond their years, beautiful inside and out, and have a heart that is strong after Father God. I thank you, Lord Jesus, that our children will be an example and set a pattern for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith and moral purity, (1 Timothy 4:12). As we teach our children about Father God and His Word, it will stimulate, penetrate, teach and be impressed diligently upon their hearts and minds, (Deuteronomy 6:7). Therefore this is what the Lord says: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve Me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be My spokesman,” (Jeremiah 15:19).

God has given us the power to choose life or death for our lives—to speak worthy, not worthless, words. It’s a great responsibility; one which He will help us carry out, for our good and His glory, when we turn to Him and His Word as our guide.

©Heather Potts 2021

Think About It

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BThG8egfPNA&list=RDBThG8egfPNA&start_radio=1

Rest on Us ~ Harvest

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. ~ Philippians 4:8 NLT

The other day, during my dental cleaning, Elizabeth stood right over me. She asked the hygienist tons of questions about what was going on and the tools that were being used. Elizabeth said, “I just want to know.”

There are times we all “just want to know.” God isn’t bothered by our questions, but He is concerned about the direction our thoughts can take us, if we’re not careful. In Battlefield of the Mind, Joyce Meyer said, “You need to think about what you’re thinking about.” Philippians 4:8 gives us 8 focal points for our thoughts: things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

When we don’t pay attention to our thoughts, they can wander and tend to settle into negative patterns which are in opposition to Philippians 4:8. Instead of the truth, we begin to dwell on all the things that could go wrong. Instead of what’s honorable, we begin to question the character and decision-making skills of the person who “did this to us.” Instead of praising God for all He has done and will do, we begin to doubt His faithfulness. Your thoughts are the doorway to victory or defeat. You get to decide which path you take. In her book, Switch on Your Brain, Dr. Caroline Leaf said, “As we think, we change the physical nature of our brain. As we consciously direct our thinking, we can wire out toxic patterns of thinking and replace them with healthy thoughts.”

God has given us the power to choose “life and death, blessing and cursing,” (Deuteronomy 30:19). We give power to what we practice. It takes both effort and time to change a pattern. But when you choose life, the effort will definitely be worth your time! Therefore, choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.

©Heather Potts 2020