The Power of Positive Words!

The Power of Positive Words!                By Kelly Durant  11-16-25

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

2. There was a beggar that was blind and daily he sat on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign that read, “I am blind. Please help” As usual with beggars, most people passed him by and few gave anything. Then a young lady stopped a moment and she wrote on the backside of his sign and put it up for people to see. Suddenly, people starting giving 4 times as much, and the man was very happy. What was it she wrote? It was, “It is a beautiful day, but I can’t see it.” Imagine, in just a minute, by changing a few words things became so much better! This must be our goal, to be creatively positive with our words!

The past week I have been contemplating on our need as Christians, and as a society, to learn how to control our tongues better and express our words more positively! Ever notice how way too many people really do not think about what is coming out of their mouths! Like the old saying, they have the ‘foot’n mouth’ disease! I was reflecting on why many things do not get accomplished when people are asked to do something at home, in the church, in the school, in the workplace, and the conclusion is people want to be encouraged to do necessary things not be forced or nagged into doing them out of duty. And that word of encouragement requires being articulate in a positive manner!

Haven’t all the news channels been talking way too much about those who express their selves poorly and offensively, and people shoot their own selves in the foot over wrong words?  It’s time we should examine words. You must apply the Holy Spirit to determine if they are either influencing for the good or bad on those around you and me! 

Ecclesiastes 5:2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Whenever you and I speak on any matter we are exposing to others who we are as a person, what we intend, and we display what good or evil is in our hearts.

3. Today focusing on Community Care and on the elderly we minister to; we must take into account words do affect people for all their life! Maj. Alejandro Castillo said that as a child some of his relatives, who didn’t like how he was an active boy annoying them, would repeat to him, “When you grow up you are only going to be good for planting potatoes!” How sad it is when people put down and humiliate others with cruel words. But I think most of us get very bothered even more so when cruel words are spouted out to children. Just think when you minister to people how many have been belittled and humiliated in their past.

Children love and accept God as good. They have pure faith and Jesus said, Matthew 18:3 “And said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”  Many times older adults can be like children. But the people who enjoy scaring or humiliating those weaker than them will not go unpunished, in particular if they pretend to be Christians and the kids or adults see them as big hypocrites. Many so called atheists are kids who grew up in homes of hypocritical parents! 

Matthew 18:6 “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Thank God Major Alejandro took this as a negative motivator to study his way to success and become a leader and Bible scholar, but his story is not the usual one, many kids live under the condemnation of the immediate family, and it is the curse of never ending discouraging words producing failed kids and later in life sad frustrated older adults. Bad words produce the curse of never getting anywhere in life due to being consumed by anger, bitterness, envy, and being unrepentant, becoming foolish wasting all good opportunities God offers.  Negative words, especially applied to kids, brings a serious discouragement on them and a great condemnation on the one who said them! 

4. Our goal as a Christian is to always be bringing a word of cheer to all inspiring and loving imitating Jesus, being a light of hope in this dark cruel world full of cursing and evil words. How are we going to become one who speaks from God’s heart? First, we have to change the way we think! That means a heart change to be more like how Jesus was; we need our minds and hearts rewired so we speak the things of God. Most people have a long way to grow yet. I have known old people who curse, so the habit of speaking encouraging words must start today ASAP, it’s never too early or never too late!

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

In the verses of today from Philippians 4:8 what are we commanded to think on? (so, when we speak, we speak of them) “True things, honest things, just things, pure things , lovely things , things of good report; things of virtue and praise, think on these things!”  So, make a filter in your mind, do the words you speak serve the purpose of bringing about more truth, honesty, love, good news, virtues and praise to those at home and to those I minister to? 

5. It is hard to be positive in a negative world! Don’t misunderstand that we are to be sugar coating everything we say all the time! On the flip side of what we consider positive, let’s examine how there is a need for some candid negative words in order to accomplish a positive result.

Recall how Jesus spoke harsh words, but to whom? To people caught in sin, just out of bed fornicating? To tax collecting thieves? To rough fishermen who cursed like sailors?  Or to children or the elderly? No, his harsh words were uniquely directed to those who were supposed to be representing God and leadership for the nation but instead were hypocrites representing Satan!

Matthew 12:34 “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” Matthew 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

6. Imagine if you were one of these powerful religious leaders, you would not look at Jesus as a sweet motivational speaker full of the positive words like a Joel Osteen preacher! You would look at Jesus and His words as a threat to your little evil empire of control, of wealth gained by exploitation, and deceptive teachings! 

Jesus did not praise other evil manipulators either; for example, politicians were described as having sneaky animal characteristics. Luke 13:31 The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. 32 And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. (He is implying he could cast out the devil in Herod!) Herod as evil as he was did not seek to bother Jesus either!

Loving sweet words must always be for sinners who are getting closer to God, converting more and more each week, for people who are listening to God’s word, for people who are in the end suffering inside. Loving encouraging words are for those that are not perpetuating the practice of evil employing direct deception and manipulation as the false religions and bad politicians do.  

7. In general the model here is to motivate people we minister to by convicting words, with loving words. So you and I need to practice new styles of expression and speaking, and not keep on in vain trying to influence by using our own choice of words. For example, people who repeat things like, “How many times do I have to tell you”,…, You never listen to me”…, “Are you deaf”… “I told you so”…should realize that contained within their own words is the evidence their speech is being ineffective and they are not being heard as a communicator. 

When someone communicates to me that I must do what they say, my first thought is I am being commanded and no one I know likes to be obliged and commanded into do anything. I try not to command anyone but if there is an immediate danger or evil, then at that moment it is the time to shout commands like, “Hey, get out the way of that car!” 

Here is the misconception; it appears sometimes that some people speak as if he or she thinks that everyone around them is a brute beast and that they need to talk down to them. People do this most often with children and the elderly. Learn to change your aggressive or ordinary words for kind convincing words or nothing may get done! Like I see in the parking lots around here when someone is stopped for a few seconds and someone yells, “Get moving stupid!”  What happens in these situations?  The problem person reacts to these words and become a bigger problem because they sit there longer, not for traffic or being on the phone, but for the fact that they want to get revenge for being called stupid! 

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

 8. So how long will we live with so much back and forth and empty words that seem to be accomplishing nothing?  We must recognize the power of our words for good or for evil. Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” We must make a huge effort to break old speaking habits!

Some people live in toxic homes where they have heard their parents, siblings, or grandparents, express their selves always in some ugly manner and they keep on repeating the destructive pattern. Today is the day to start a change in how you express yourself. Break away from the ineffective clichés.   Stop the irritating speech that is meaningless and undesirable.

If you are one to like to repeat worn out clichés all the time like, “Oh my God”, then why don’t you replace it with something that might get God’s favor a little better like, “Lord, have mercy!” I know an amazing man of God, a black officer in Philadelphia and that was his favorite phrase, “Lord, have mercy!” and he meant it each time he said it! I’d ask him what is the hardest thing about your Corps? He’d answer, “Well, sometimes the homeless die overnight that sleep by the door so I have to call the police to pick them up; Lord, have mercy!”

9. I do not believe in the doctrine of using words to speak into existence blessings as some false “so called” Christian teachers do. They say to you repeat after me, “I am a child of God (true statement so far if you are Christian), I command you God to send me riches and blessings (wrong now, a false idea of blessings and of God’s workings!) But always take into account your words reap upon you a blessing or a condemnation.  Matthew 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 

Also, don’t talk too much or be as in Ecclesiastes 5:3 b; “and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words”. Here is a reality of words, in the Old Testament if you were caught cursing your parents or pronouncing some destructive prophecy over a person you did not like, you were to suffer “the death”, a sentence of getting stoned to death! God takes seriously our words! I am always reminded of the bumper sticker, “May the Lord give to you all that you desire on me!” This is true in many regards, words will always come back to bite you! We reap what we sew, either words of blessings, or words of cursing! 

Start measuring and thinking hard about the words you will use! Words have many functions but for the Christian they must be pure and for good reason to promote God’s will. Ecclesiastes 10:12 “The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself. “  Many words may actually make us tired and frustrated. Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” Once you have spoken, don’t repeat and repeat. Jesus said in, Matthew 6:7 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Even God gets tired of empty words and only wants prayers from the heart!

10. Why do Jesus’ words encourage us so much? Because He is so positive! All the time, “Love, love God, love one another!”  Matt 5: “Blessed are the poor, blessed are the meek” on and on. Jesus knew how to motivate us not by the law commands but by inspiring us with the promise of eternal life and rewards in heaven! To hear people’s same old words often is a torment, but we are free from discouraging words when we hear Jesus’ words. 

What are you going to do in reaction to this? Think and speak the true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report of virtue and praise things!  Every Christian must pray desperately to change how they express their self! Your peace and future with God and others depends on it! I am included in this as well! Be careful and not be a person who is nice in public but at home complains about everything!  Psalm 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.

The words you share at rest homes, with people of all ages can greatly lift their spirits! Here is a great verse to finish this important lesson on our words with, let’s all repeat it…Psalm 19:14 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”     

Words: They Kill or They Give Life

Words: They Kill or They Give Life      Kelly Durant   Re: 8-24-25

2.All day long we speak words. An amazing physiological ability really! I recall working with my deaf son as a child and every day for several thousand days it was hard work to get him and myself to learn just a few words each day! An average toddler by age 3 can speak and arrange into sentences over 1,000 words. With 1,000 words you could speak a second language! What is it per day that people speak, 7,000 words for men, and 20,000 for women? That’s 7,300,00 per year! 

Words help us express our needs and feelings but there is a serious factor involved with the words that everyone speaks. Our words are drastically affecting our bodies and spirits, and bringing about eternal consequences: either heaviness or joy, either blessings or a judgment. Matthew 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

3. First, I would like for you to understand a certain precept, God holds us to our words like a seal on a contract. Our words determine our vocal acceptance of salvation or our vocal rejection of it. How many of you have confessed with your words Jesus as your Savior? You are privileged. Romans 10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  The words we speak forge our eternal destiny! Confessing Jesus gives anyone who believes salvation from eternal death! God abides by your own words!

4. Before we get into a case study on people who speak vile words, let’s first lift up the power of positive words! Do you want to always feel encouraged? Psa. 100:4 I will enter into his gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter into his courts with praise! It really works that you will always feel good when you praise the Lord out loud and lift up Jesus! Words are like the air we breathe, like it or not, you must take them in and give them out in order to stay alive! The question is how healthy is your air? 

Why do people love to listen to music? It is because certain words inspire the hearers and makes one want to live, love and fight for the right! (Unless it is evil violent music, of course) Jesus himself said, John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. And what is the word of life but God’s energy in you? 

5. It is The Holy Spirit which comforts you with words in your mind to make you feel love, joy, and peace like you are in heaven! Don’t you feel you empowered and invincible when you take in God’s word? I do! You gain indescribable strength! But like breathing, you must take it in constantly! Like the song, ‘This is the air I breathe’! However, there are many other times that you or I feel inadequate and stupid. But I have always found comfort in this verse… Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. God’s word and the Holy Spirit will illuminate you and me to make us smarter than what you or I actually are! Do you believe it? God’s word can flow through us if we are pure in tune instruments.

Here is another precept: The more you fill up yourself with God’s word, the more inspired and empowered you will be! When I first started serving the Lord I would memorize a new scripture everyday just to keep my mind on the Lord. Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. I got up to about 500 verses memorized and I recall many of them to this day and I have them in my mind ready to quote when the situation fits. So one way to keep your mind on the Lord and be encouraged all day long is to memorize God’s word repeating it in the morning, noon, and night. 

6. Another thing I have learned by studying God’s word is to always filter the outside words one is hearing through the Bible’s precepts and wisdom found within the Word of God. Are the words someone is speaking to you of truth? Are they making you mad, sad, or glad? If so, determine if it is a manipulation of your emotions or a justifiable truth that requires an action from you or from someone else. Ask yourself, what purpose does the person talking have in sharing these words? Again, you have the responsibility to define in your mind how the words that you hear are affecting you, for good or for evil. It is amazing how words will either torture you or comfort you! Words always seem to play over and over in your mind. Words either inspire you and heal you, or depress you and make you sick! 

Here is a good standard to filter words by, Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. We are commanded to sift through words; to throw away the trash or worthless words and just keep the good ones in our minds that are pure and worthy of praise. If something is not in essence glorifying God, then we erase it out of your mind. Forget who said something bad too!

7. Some of you, I am sadly conscience of, are forced, by your family or work situation, to interact with carnal, selfish, unsaved unloving people that all day long produce nothing but depressing toxic words. Everything coming out of their mouths seems to be a curse word, a ridicule, a complaint, a sarcasm, or a tale with a plot for their benefit. Being around some people, listening to all their bitterness can cause you to feel sick or depressed!

Haven’t you and I observed how some people in this Corps literally get sick due to unkind words from people close to them? And what is our role? To heal them with Jesus words and pray for them and speak healing words to them! We share the joy we have. Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

8. Another thing, consider how words will condemn a person’s soul to destruction, for example, for people who curse God. Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. The Holy Spirit is an internal voice of conscience and people who practice the occult, or people who oppose the the presence of God when He eternally speaks to them that Jesus really is real, rejecting conviction, these people live condemned by their own choice. 

I have always thought that the phrase, “Go to hell” was one of the most terrible curse phrases ever used. Because the person speaking it for one, is not God to make that judgment call (God will never be mocked), and two, the person saying it must be truly evil to wish the flames of eternal fire on someone! Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. The law of curses is that person will eventually reap what they have sewn. 

9. Words, by God’s design, affect our body’s chemicals producing moods of joy or moods of depression. I recall as a young adult I was disturbed by the words of the Bible! You might say to me, excuse me? Why? Because I was living in sin and the Word was convicting me to change to give my life to the Lord and I didn’t want to give up my life of sin at that time! Here is one passage that disturbed me a lot. Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But later when I gave up and surrendered all, and I started living to serve Jesus, these same words brought me great peace, that Jesus would not be ashamed of me because I was not ashamed of Him! Consider this: Words affect you according to how your heart is with God! This might explain why some people love certain words, sermons, or messages and others don’t like them!

10. Here is another factor on words, we should seek words that bring us wisdom. Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 

If you are not full of God’s life giving words having your goals on obeying God to gain rewards in heaven and saving others while here on earth, then you are as an open house vulnerable for anything stray to come in. Not being full of God’s words of wisdom means you will be occupied and taken over easily (deceived) by any ones words. People fall into traps because they seek to gratify their own selfish ambitions.  So how can you protect yourself from deceitful words then? 

11. Focus in on, pray over, and analyze the words that others speak to you. If a person sincerely says, “Oh, you look good today”, don’t you feel good inside? People reap what they sew. People who always say nice things to others also usually get nice things said back to them, have you noticed that? Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Literally words can heal! This is what prayer is all about, you are proclaiming God’s words of promises for the healing of your (or someone else’s) body or spirit!

Do a research on positive words. You will find hundreds of books on the powerful effects of positive words. Many self-help books are just a basic guide to getting you to speak positively so you will be more successful, and it actually works! For example, a person that usually would say, “I am too old to learn anything”, would seem to live out just that, an inability to learn. But if the person says to their self, “I can learn anything I want because God will help me”, this person gets positive results! It is a law of nature to some degree that you pronounce your own success or fate! Of course your will has to line up with God’s will or it will not work.

12. However, be careful with the non-Biblical optimistic doctrines of speaking into existence your desires. You cannot just say, “I will be rich and I will be a millionaire”, and expect it to happen by magic. God’s will for your life may not be that you become rich but maybe He would prefer you to be rich in souls you would win for Jesus! God is interested in what will last for an eternity and that which is worth a lot more than our desires!

Here is the whole duty of a Christian concerning our words; the words of this verse affected my mind and changed my life. Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  If you can pray this and practice it you will live blessed!

13. Proverbs 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Today we are shocked how many people speak lies and false stories. A few years ago it seemed that we could recognize foolish talk, slander, or bad words at our jobs, or with in our families. Let’s take a typical scenario. Maria is a hard worker and does her job well. But Maria, being one of the prettiest women on the job as the cashier seems to attract all the young men to go to her to register to place their order. What happens? The usual typical reaction is she is getting stories told about her behind her back by the other women workers. Mean things get said about her, things like, “Oh, she is such a flirt (or worse)”. In society, people a few years ago, folks would take this type of talk for granted that it was not true observing the comments were coming from a jealous person. 

However, what has changed today is that the people are not verifying the source of the spoken words they hear. They just hear, swallow and repeat. People today are dangerously vulnerable to being deceived since truth is less valued than something interesting like a scandal. Over 90 years ago when Hitler said to kill all the Jews because they were the reason for their economic depression and poverty, everyone believed him!? And they followed through doing just that, killing innocent people. Today we observe that a majority of people live without God’s wisdom, truth, and knowledge, so this is why they just accept any misinformation of words from anyone. So what can we do? Pray for discernment!

Time reveals the evil or truth of words. You and I must resist the temptation to speak on a matter until we know more about it. Ecclesiastes 5:2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

14. In life each of us experience thousands of words every day and we are being constantly tried and tested and these words attribute to our blessings or to our condemnation. Each of us must choose our words, the ones we will hear, and the ones we will speak. Choose to hear the positive ones from God’s word! You will be happy and encouraged and powerful. 

Choose to always praise God and share kind words to others! Choose also to resist toxic words that will make you sick through people who insult God and others. Don’t forget words come to us by personal conversations, by phone, by radio, by TV, by computer, by and newsprint. We choose moment by moment what we will hear, and what we will repeat. Proverbs 13:3 He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Concerning words: measure them by God’s word! Investigate the source, filter the content, and discern the motives behind them. You cannot control the words of others but you can control your words! Pray to gain wisdom! Repeat that which builds God’s kingdom of love, peace, and joy! Words in the end are power, for good or for evil! How many words do you use a day to pray and to bring about healing and good? 

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Words: They Kill or They Give Life

Words: They Kill or They Give Life      Kelly Durant   10-2-2012 Re:4-21-24

2.All day long we speak words. An amazing physiological ability really! I recall working with my deaf son as a child and every day for several thousand days it was hard work to get him to learn just a few words each day! An average toddler by age 3 can speak and arrange into sentences over 1,000 words. With 1,000 words you could speak a second language! What is it per day that people speak, 7,000 words for men, and 20,000 for women? That’s 7,300,00 per year! 

Words help us express our needs and feelings but there is a serious factor involved with the words that everyone speaks. Our words are drastically affecting our bodies and spirits, and bringing about eternal consequences: either heaviness or joy, either blessings or a judgment. Matthew 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

3. First, I would like for you to understand a certain precept, God holds us to our words like a seal on a contract. Our words determine our vocal acceptance of salvation or our vocal rejection of it. How many of you have confessed with your words Jesus as your Savior? You are privileged. Romans 10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  The words we speak forge our eternal destiny! Confessing Jesus gives anyone who believes salvation from eternal death! God abides by your own words!

4. Before we get into a case study on people who speak vile words, let’s first lift up the power of positive words! Do you want to always feel encouraged? Psa. 100:4 I will enter into his gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter into his courts with praise! It really works that you will always feel good when you praise the Lord out loud and lift up Jesus! Words are like the air we breathe, like it or not, you must take them in and give them out in order to stay alive! The question is how healthy is your air? 

Why do people love to listen to music? It is because certain words inspire the hearers and makes one want to live, love and fight for the right! (Unless it is evil violent music, of course) Jesus himself said, John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. And what is the word of life but God’s energy in you? 

5. It is The Holy Spirit which comforts you with words in your mind to make you feel love, joy, and peace like you are in heaven! Don’t you feel you empowered and invincible when you take in God’s word? I do! You gain indescribable strength! But like breathing, you must take it in constantly! Like the song, ‘This is the air I breathe’! However, there are many other times that you or I feel inadequate and stupid. But I have always found comfort in this verse… Psalm 119:130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. God’s word and the Holy Spirit will illuminate you and me to make us smarter than what you or I actually are! Do you believe it? God’s word can flow through us if we are pure in tune instruments.

Here is another precept: The more you fill up yourself with God’s word, the more inspired and empowered you will be! When I first started serving the Lord I would memorize a new scripture everyday just to keep my mind on the Lord. Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusts in thee. I got up to about 500 verses memorized and I recall many of them to this day and I have them in my mind ready to quote when the situation fits. So one way to keep your mind on the Lord and be encouraged all day long is to memorize God’s word repeating it in the morning, noon, and night. 

6. Another thing I have learned by studying God’s word is to always filter the outside words one is hearing through the Bible’s precepts and wisdom found within the Word of God. Are the words someone is speaking to you of truth? Are they making you mad, sad, or glad? If so, determine if it is a manipulation of your emotions or a justifiable truth that requires an action from you or from someone else. Ask yourself, what purpose does the person talking have in sharing these words? Again, you have the responsibility to define in your mind how the words that you hear are affecting you, for good or for evil. It is amazing how words will either torture you or comfort you! Words always seem to play over and over in your mind. Words either inspire you and heal you, or depress you and make you sick! 

Here is a good standard to filter words by, Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. We are commanded to sift through words; to throw away the trash or worthless words and just keep the good ones in our minds that are pure and worthy of praise. If something is not in essence glorifying God, then we erase it out of your mind. Forget who said something bad too!

7. Some of you, I am sadly conscience of, are forced, by your family or work situation, to interact with carnal, selfish, unsaved unloving people that all day long produce nothing but depressing toxic words. Everything coming out of their mouths seems to be a curse word, a ridicule, a complaint, a sarcasm, or a tale with a plot for their benefit. Being around some people, listening to all their bitterness can cause you to feel sick or depressed!

Haven’t you and I observed how some people in this Corps literally get sick due to unkind words from people close to them? And what is our role? To heal them with Jesus words and pray for them and speak healing words to them! We share the joy we have. Proverbs 17:22A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

8. Another thing, consider how words will condemn a person’s soul to destruction, for example, for people who curse God. Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. The Holy Spirit is an internal voice of conscience and people who practice the occult, or people who oppose the the presence of God when He eternally speaks to them that Jesus really is real, rejecting conviction, these people live condemned by their own choice. 

I have always thought that the phrase, “Go to hell” was one of the most terrible curse phrases ever used. Because the person speaking it for one, is not God to make that judgment call (God will never be mocked), and two, the person saying it must be truly evil to wish the flames of eternal fire on someone! Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. The law of curses is that person will eventually reap what they have sewn. 

9. Words, by God’s design, affect our body’s chemicals producing moods of joy or moods of depression. I recall as a young adult I was disturbed by the words of the Bible! You might say to me, excuse me? Why? Because I was living in sin and the Word was convicting me to change to give my life to the Lord and I didn’t want to give up my life of sin at that time! Here is one passage that disturbed me a lot. Luke 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. But later when I gave up and surrendered all, and I started living to serve Jesus, these same words brought me great peace, that Jesus would not be ashamed of me because I was not ashamed of Him! Consider this: Words affect you according to how your heart is with God! This might explain why some people love certain words, sermons, or messages and others don’t like them!

10. Here is another factor on words, we should seek words that bring us wisdom. Proverbs 10:19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. 

If you are not full of God’s life giving words having your goals on obeying God to gain rewards in heaven and saving others while here on earth, then you are as an open house vulnerable for anything stray to come in. Not being full of God’s words of wisdom means you will be occupied and taken over easily (deceived) by any ones words. People fall into traps because they seek to gratify their own selfish ambitions.  So how can you protect yourself from deceitful words then? 

11. Focus in on, pray over, and analyze the words that others speak to you. If a person sincerely says, “Oh, you look good today”, don’t you feel good inside? People reap what they sew. People who always say nice things to others also usually get nice things said back to them, have you noticed that? Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Literally words can heal! This is what prayer is all about, you are proclaiming God’s words of promises for the healing of your (or someone else’s) body or spirit!

Do a research on positive words. You will find hundreds of books on the powerful effects of positive words. Many self-help books are just a basic guide to getting you to speak positively so you will be more successful, and it actually works! For example, a person that usually would say, “I am too old to learn anything”, would seem to live out just that, an inability to learn. But if the person says to their self, “I can learn anything I want because God will help me”, this person gets positive results! It is a law of nature to some degree that you pronounce your own success or fate! Of course your will has to line up with God’s will or it will not work.

12. However, be careful with the non-Biblical optimistic doctrines of speaking into existence your desires. You cannot just say, “I will be rich and I will be a millionaire”, and expect it to happen by magic. God’s will for your life may not be that you become rich but maybe He would prefer you to be rich in souls you would win for Jesus! God is interested in what will last for an eternity and that which is worth a lot more than our desires!

Here is the whole duty of a Christian concerning our words; the words of this verse affected my mind and changed my life. Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  If you can pray this and practice it you will live blessed!

13. Proverbs 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Today we are shocked how many people speak lies and false stories. A few years ago it seemed that we could recognize foolish talk, slander, or bad words at our jobs, or with in our families. Let’s take a typical scenario. Maria is a hard worker and does her job well. But Maria, being one of the prettiest women on the job as the cashier seems to attract all the young men to go to her to register to place their order. What happens? The usual typical reaction is she is getting stories told about her behind her back by the other women workers. Mean things get said about her, things like, “Oh, she is such a flirt (or worse)”. In society, people a few years ago, folks would take this type of talk for granted that it was not true observing the comments were coming from a jealous person. 

However, what has changed today is that the people are not verifying the source of the spoken words they hear. They just hear, swallow and repeat. People today are dangerously vulnerable to being deceived since truth is less valued than something interesting like a scandal. Over 90 years ago when Hitler said to kill all the Jews because they were the reason for their economic depression and poverty, everyone believed him!? And they followed through doing just that, killing innocent people. Today we observe that a majority of people live without God’s wisdom, truth, and knowledge, so this is why they just accept any misinformation of words from anyone. So what can we do? Pray for discernment!

Time reveals the evil or truth of words. You and I must resist the temptation to speak on a matter until we know more about it. Ecclesiastes 5:2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

14. In life each of us experience thousands of words every day and we are being constantly tried and tested and these words attribute to our blessings or to our condemnation. Each of us must choose our words, the ones we will hear, and the ones we will speak. Choose to hear the positive ones from God’s word! You will be happy and encouraged and powerful. 

Choose to always praise God and share kind words to others! Choose also to resist toxic words that will make you sick through people who insult God and others. Don’t forget words come to us by personal conversations, by phone, by radio, by TV, by computer, by and newsprint. We choose moment by moment what we will hear, and what we will repeat. Proverbs 13:3 He that keeps his mouth keeps his life: but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

Concerning words: measure them by God’s word! Investigate the source, filter the content, and discern the motives behind them. You cannot control the words of others but you can control your words! Pray to gain wisdom! Repeat that which builds God’s kingdom of love, peace, and joy! Words in the end are power, for good or for evil! How many words do you use a day to pray and to bring about healing and good? 

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.