[Listen to “Episode 175 – Making Sense Of life” on Spreaker. (The Words of My Lips)]
I’ve been pondering the past few days about the power we have in our words. Then, as I get about my day it seems all my input sources of leadership, growth and how to be a better me…well, they are all talking about the same thing!
Is there something happening in the world that I’m not particularly in tune with? I’ve turned off the news because of the constant negative flow of words producing negative energy. I’ve tuned out from speaking heads because they are spouting corporate focus that’s not of their own making and there’s an agenda that is easily spotted! In fact, I’ve changed some of my shopping habits due to this reason.
Think about it for a moment. The words we use have power! It’s not just the person we have a conversation with, rather, it’s the entire planet! Our social posts, pictures, clicks and follows, all have the ability to reflect our position without a soul even hearing our voice.
Stick, stones, and words do hurt!
What we say, and how we say,
has a deep ability
to either lift up or press down;
be positive, or extremely negative;
give guidance, or send down a wrong path;
to praise, or condemn;
to convince, or to sway;
to tell a good story, or a big fat lie;
to have a good effect, or perhaps a bad effect.
Take it even a different direction, the words we hear impact us equal to the words we say. What we hear gets stored up and sways our path, thus, what we say comes from that internal storage system called the heart (Matthew 12:34)
Input. Output. Garbage In. Garbage Out. Even when the words do not match the intention, smarmy voices speak words not equal to the heart.
The words of his mouth were smoother than butter,
But war was in his heart;
His words were softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn swords.
(Psalms 55:21 NKJV)
You are what you Feast On! Intake steady negative and you will produce negative. Live in a frame of vile invective speech, and it will leak out through your words, and through your attitude. But keep your input on good things, then you will produce good things!
“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit,
nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.
For every tree is known by its own fruit.
For men do not gather figs from thorns,
nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good;
and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.
For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
(Luke 6:43-45 NKJV)
The heart speaks and produces! The heart is the source of all our output… Want to know the status of your heart? Perhaps it’s easily done by paying attention to what you are producing, and what you are ingesting. Jesus said, “The words I speak are Spirit and Life.” (John 6:63) Maybe we need to check our words at the door, and revisit our sources and make sure what we are wanting to be known for (fruit) comes from the right source that will produce the results we all need.
From my early, early morning thought:
You often have only one opportunity to make a good impression.
Your speech does not have to be perfect, nor your ability, or appearance.
What stands out to me most?
Attitude!
That attitude will tell me a lot about your input! It should tell you a lot about yourself!