The Power of Words

Before my little boy was even born, I began quoting a few key Scriptures over his precious and hope-filled life, inserting his name in whenever possible. From the day he was born, I continued this practice, saying those same Scriptures out loud to him over and over again, incorporating it into our daily lives. One of my favorites is Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the plans I have for you (insert name) declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you (insert name) and not to harm you (insert name), plans to give you (insert name) a hope and a future." 

When he was about a year and a half (or almost), I was in the kitchen fixing my lunch and he was already happily eating his when--out of the blue--he stopped, looked at me with a big smile on his face and said, "I can do ALL things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me!" Stunned, I stood there for a second, trying to figure out if what I was hearing was what he was really saying. Tears welled up in my eyes as I ran over to him, gave him a huge hug and said, "YES baby!! YES!!! You CAN do ALL things through Jesus Christ who gives you strength!!!!" 

Now I have had quite a few "proud mamma" moments, but I don't think ANY compared to the joy I experienced at that one. Wow! The seeds that I planted with my words before he was born were finally starting to bear fruit just a short year and a half later. He may not fully understand all that he said--yet--but I know that God's Word never returns to Him without fulfilling its purpose.  I know that my son will carry those words with him throughout his life and it will continue to bear fruit and fulfill its purpose time and time again. Isaiah 55:10-11 says: "Rain and snow fall from the sky and don't return without watering the ground. They cause the plants to sprout and grow, making seeds for the farmer and bread for the people. v. 11 The same thing is true of the words I [God] speak. They will not return to me empty. They make the things happen that I want to happen, and they succeed in doing what I send them to do" (NCV).

God's words are powerful--no doubt about that. But do you realize there is a tremendous amount of power in our words, too--especially when we speak God's word over our own lives and children?  The Bible tells us in Proverbs that "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit" (Proverbs 18:21). What we say actually translates itself in the spiritual realm, and it actually has the power to direct the paths of our lives! Yikes! I believe this is why Paul writes in Philippians for us to "think about the things that are good and worthy of praise...things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected" (4:8). Why? Jesus taught in Matthew 15:18-19 that what people speak with their mouths comes from the way they think, and evil actions begin in the mind. 

Stay with me here...I'm going somewhere. Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So, in order for that to happen, you may have to change the recordings that play over and over again in your mind. I'll use my husband as an example. Growing up, there were several people--teachers, leaders--in his life that spoke some pretty nasty things over him. I mean, things you should never say to anybody, much less a child. One teacher in particular told him that he was a disappointment to God and that he would never amount to anything. Now, I know that this teacher is still teaching at the same school that my husband attended (for a short time and for good reason), and I can only pray that others were not spoken over in the same way that my husband was. I sometimes wonder how she would react if I marched into her classroom and gave her "a piece of my mind" and asked her where she got off saying such harsh things to a child!! But seriously, those words that were spoken over my husband stayed with him for years and years. Without him even realizing it, it affected every single area of his life, including aspects of our relationship. 

One day as he was preparing a message to speak to our students, he was telling me what he was going to share that night and he said something that struck me in a strange way. And then it hit me! I said, "Oh my goodness...you are STILL letting those words spoken over you in the past affect your life even today!!" He sat there for a moment and said, "You know, you're absolutely right...and I never realized it until just now." 

In order for him to stop believing what was negatively spoken over him in the past, he had to start speaking words of truth and life over himself...he had to change the recordings in his mind:  "I am the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus"..."I am the head and not the tail"..."I am above and not beneath"..."I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me." Over time, you can probably guess what happened. My husband started to believe what he was speaking, which changed his outlook on himself (transformed his mind) and the way he related to things and people. He wasn't just speaking positive words over his life...he was speaking God's Word over his life. He will tell you that occasionally he still fights that mental battle. But now He knows how to combat it. That's powerful stuff. 

So at two years + two months, my son can recite about 7 (pretty long) Scriptures by heart. Anyone for a good old-fashioned "Bible Quiz" competition??   ;)