WHAT WE SAY IS POWERFUL

Principle: What we say is powerful.
Make sure you are saying the positive things that match what you want.

Scriptures: Proverbs 18:21 - The tongue has the power of life and death.
James 3:10 - With our tongue, we can either bless our life or we can curse our life!

A man once got so depressed, he stated: "I've lost everything - my job, my wife, my house. I'm going to be homeless. I'm going to lose my business that I've put all my retirement money into. My wife is going to divorce me."

Was he really homeless? No. In fact, even though he had moved out of his house, a friend had given him a rent-free apartment for 6 months.

Had he lost everything? No. He feared he was going to. He had a couple of nice vehicles, a motorcycle and other possessions he truly enjoyed.

Had he lost his business? No. He mentioned some large contracts he had just obtained.

Was he divorced? No. He just feared that and focused on it.

In all these areas, he continued to say what he feared most; he continued to focus on those disturbing possibilities. In the worst possible example of a self-fulfilling prophecy, as he kept on describing in the most negative terms his expectations, they began to happen. He did lose his business, he wrecked his bike, the divorce is in process, and he wound up overdosing.

Fortunately, God intervened and he returned to life even after ambulance workers could find no pulse or heart rate and he remained in an unconscious state for many days. With this near-death experience behind him, "George" is a changed person. He obviously has many obstacles to overcome, but for the first time in his life, he is facing his fears, dealing with them and proudly proclaiming God's hope and speaking more positively!

Our tongue truly has the power of life and death. Fortunately, our occasional complaining doesn't lead to such catastrophic results; however, when tied with principle #1 which states your dominant thoughts produce your life, it's crucial to turn our whining into positive affirmations. Remember the song based on scriptures which says, "let the weak say, 'I am strong.' Let the oppressed say, 'I am free.' Let the sick say, 'I am healed.' Let the poor say, 'I am rich.'

In our often negative-based media-driven culture, we must consciously decide to think, speak and live differently. You may ask, "how am I supposed to do that? There's so much wrong in the world, etc. etc. etc." Here are some suggestions:

1. Ask God to help. As Eugene Peterson states, "In prayer we want to leave a world of problems and enter a different world. But it is not easy. We are used to anxieties, egos, and problems; we are not used to wonder, God, and mystery."

2. Limit negative exposure - negative news, negative people, negative situations. Remember that news is usually "when the boy bites the dog." Decide who and what you're going to believe. As track star Walma Rudolph said, "The doctors told me I would never walk, but my mother told me I would, so I believed my mother."

3. Inspiration and motivation are nutrients for your soul, like food is nutricious for your body. Do a scripture search on faith, answers to prayer or God's promises. Rick Warren, in The Purpose-Driven Life states, "When you think about a problem over and over in your mind, that's called worry. When you think about God's word over and over in your mind, that's meditation. If you know how to worry, you already know how to meditate."

Also, as Joyce Myer declared, "What you say about yourself and what you say about your future is very important, because you'll never go beyond what you believe about yourself."

4. Use the amazing power of our brain. We can change the neuropathways in our brain by changing the messages we input. Instead of saying, "This just drives me crazy; I can't stand this; I'm so tired of..." we repeat, "this is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it." And then we rejoice, and then we find ways to be glad.

Bernie Siegel, a surgeon who wrote, "Peace, Love and Healing" talks about speaking to unconscious patients during surgery. When a patient's heart rate became abnormal, he'd whisper in their ear, "You are on a swing. It's going up and back, in a nice and steady, even rhythm, up and back, slow and steady." And the heart rhythm would return to normal. He'd show residents training in surgery this phenomenon by stating to the unconsious patient whose pulse rate got too high, "We'd like your pulse to be 86." Amazingly, they'd watch the pulse rate go to 86! Bernie says, "There is some supervising intelligence within that tells our body how to operate." Truly, we are "wonderfully and fearfully made."

5. Start with gratitude every day; look for new things to be thankful for; train your tongue to work for you and not against you.

Join me in my next blog when we change pace and talk about going beyond communication to change your relationships. Barb