Choosing Our Words

A blessing may be verbal or nonverbal. A nonverbal blessing might be an act of service, the giving of a gift, or just spending time with someone who enjoys your company. The focus here is on the speaking of blessings and specifically the speaking of blessings based on Scripture. This is important because the Word of God we call The Holy Bible is sacred, infallible, and living. It communicates the very heart, character, and plan of God in words He carefully chose.

If we wish to speak into people’s lives with power, love, and anointing, our best opportunity for impact is to recite the Word of God. God’s Word is vastly superior to anything we can think or say. Therefore, as we season our speech with His Word, we are equipping ourselves with a sword that truly has the potential to cut to the heart of any matter.

We also want to declare blessings based on the Word because we will be using the language of God. When I say the “language of God,” I am referring to the expressions and concepts communicated by the Lord through His words in His Word. What better example could we use to model our own speech than The Book of blessings impacting lives with the language of God in words, phrases, and word pictures used by our Creator Himself? After all, He is the source of all blessing. 

If God uses certain terminology to describe the value of His chosen people, then the beauty of that picture is something I want to mimic in describing the value of those who are dear to me. The Lord uses many terms to describe His awesome powers, His provision, and His love for us. I want to use the same words when I pray for His love and provision or His insertion of power into the life of someone for whom I am interceding.

As practicing believers, we routinely appropriate the Word of God in the course of everyday life. It may be exhorting our children to, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We’ve heard it said, “Love covers a multitude of sins.” It isn’t uncommon to hear phrases like “an eye for an eye,” “turn the other cheek,” or “seek and you shall find.” We use these expressions because they are relevant to our lives. The Bible is so universal and it applies to so many situations, we eventually all seem to find ourselves quoting from it in ordinary conversation, whether consciously or not.

Words mean things. There are blessings and there are curses. Just as positive words breathe life, hope, and promise into the recipient, negative words breed death. Affirming words strengthen and encourage whereas negative words discourage and destroy. Affirmation is essential for mental and emotional health. Personal experience tells us this is true. You may remember hugs from your father when he said, “I'm so proud of you.” Perhaps you once saved a note from a grade school teacher that said, “Excellent work. I knew you could do it.” These experiences made you feel good about yourself, boosted your confidence, and helped you see the possibilities for your future.

Similarly, who has not known the pain of negative words? “You're in my way!” or “What do you think you're doing?” “You idiot!” Such comments may have left you feeling humiliated or embarrassed. Negative words tend to drain your enthusiasm and can cause you to doubt yourself. I can still quote negative words spoken to me as a child and I am ashamed to say I can quote negative words I have spoken, some of which I would rather cut out my tongue than utter again.

If we are to follow His plan for our lives, it is essential that we also pattern the way we talk after the way God talks. The Bible says “the speech of the righteous is a fountain of life…” (Prov. 10:11a, CJB). May our words be a fountain of life. May our words be a fountain of blessing.