Power Backed Speech

UV 1273/10,000 Filtering Negatives and Focussing on Positive Speech
The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity.
Malachi 2 v 6

God gave us minds to think, feel and act. He gave us mouths to speak . But only when we bring our mind and our mouths in alignment with scriptural teachings about how to use our minds and mouths, can we filter out the negatives and focus and feed on the positive. The mind is like a bow, the mouth, vocal cords and lips like a string on the bow and our words are the arrow. The arrow can cause death, injury or it can give rise to life by penetrating the hearts and spirits of people with the truths of eternal life. Scripture contains the law of truth. When we constantly remember the Word of God and meditate on it, it sets up some filters for our own words. Before we utter a word, it will prompt us to ask ourselves if it is the truth. If it is the truth, then it prompts us to send our words through the next filters: is it wholesome or healthy ? Is it useful? Is it pleasing to God? Is it edifying or tending to build the hope and faith of the hearer? Is it profitable or useful for training both the speaker and the listeners in righteousness?

The words we speak are the fruit of our lips. We should honour the Lord with the fruit of our lips who has given us the amazing power of speech and the understanding of words. We honour the Lord when our words reflect the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and humility. We are a messenger of God to people. Hence, our words should turn many people from sin. It should produce peace and not strife.

We are priests and kings of God on earth. As priests our words should preserve and enhance knowledge and wisdom. Our words and gentleness should touch people. Our speech will be filtered of all guile or untruth or deception as well as hurting or biting sarcasm and insults or coarse jokes that make other people look smaller. As kings, our words should reflect authority and power of God. Our sense of conviction and confidence will boost the faith of many. It will lead them into truth of sin and the hope of eternal life or salvation. The law of truth was “in his mouth’ – this implies that we do not just know the truth but we keep speaking about it. The sentence “ he walked with me in peace and equity” implies that not only should we know the Word but that we should live according to the teachings and principles contained thererin. When our lifestyle, thought life and actions back up our words, our speech becomes powerful. None of it will fall to the ground without any effect. Of course, the soil or the kind of attitudes of the listeners will determine whether it grows or dies. The truth we speak will set people free from their fears, doubts and inhibitions. It will lead them into freedom of a personal relationship with the Saviour God.

Prateep V Philip