Atmosphere is the prevailing influence that's around; it can't be seen but it can be felt. An atmosphere can affect your whole life, your quality of life. You can either thrive in it or be destroyed in it. Atmosphere gets polluted, it affects you very, very seriously.
We did a season where we were talking about Taming the Tongue, identifying the ways that we speak which are negative and destructive and change the atmosphere around us. Now we're looking at how we constructively use our tongue, so we're looking at a whole series now on the Creative Power of the Tongue, the ability of your words to create atmosphere and to create life. We had that verse, anyone remember it? Proverbs 18:21, death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it shall eat the fruit of it. So in other words we will eat the fruit of the words we speak, and the words we speak can impart something to us. They can impart death. They can impart life. You choose.
So I've found as I've been speaking even on this series, God's been speaking to me also, about this same area. I've been finding myself being challenged all the time on how I speak, continually, how I speak to children, how I speak to various people, God continually putting His finger on it, so we can improve what's happening around us. We shared last week, we shared with you different ways, about how you could influence and shape the world around you, and the first place to start was by shaping the world inside you. So we looked in Ephesians 4, Verse 29. It talks there - can anyone remember that verse? Can you all remember that verse? A-ha.
Don't let any corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth. In other words guard what you're speaking. Put a stop to negative talk, but rather such which is good to the use of edifying. Edifying is to build up, to strengthen, to enlarge something, make it bigger and better than it was. To edify, build up. So He says - notice this, He's talking about the words we're speaking; stop talking negatively. Learn how to speak words that build up, that impart grace to the hearers, and that word impart means to give, to transfer something that's needed to build, and that something that we can transfer is the grace of God, the life of God. So it's not like we're just ordinary people. We have the ability to bring into the lives of others a word of God, encouragement from the Lord, words we speak can touch the hearts, and strengthen the lives, of people around us. What a tremendous chance!
End of last year we did a seminar, and it was just prophetic evangelism, how to hear from God, and speak words that open up the hearts of people. That was fantastic. How many enjoyed doing that? That was really good. That's something to keep doing, and of course what happens is as you speak words from God, as you speak from your heart, the things God's speaking to you about, then what happens is it opens up and touches the lives of people, builds them up - most wonderful gift. It's a tremendous gift. That's why the Bible says covet to prophesy. Covet - in other words, of all the gifts, it says covet to bring words from God, that lift, and build people up, release destiny into people. Release destiny into people. Come on, release destiny into people. Release hope into people. See, people are hungry for it, and you and I have the ability, as representatives of God, to speak into people, and to release the word of God into them. That word of God brings life.
Ezekiel prophesied into dead bones; LIVE! And God came on them, and they lived. Now God never came on them until he spoke see, so we have power in our words to speak, and something from the spirit of God can be transferred into people. Whoa! That's got to be good! So tell someone next to you, speak up, don't mumble. You won't impart life mumbling you know. That won't do it. You've got to speak words, and speak from our spirit into the world around us to change it. Now notice in that verse there, Ephesians 4:29, it says this: don't let any corrupt words come out of your mouth, but rather that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may impart grace to those who are listening to what's being said, and don't grieve the Holy Spirit.
So your words can release the spirit of God, or grieve and quench the spirit of God. See we can stand here and praise, and ask God to work through our life, but then our words can grieve Him, and the spirit of God withdraws. If He withdraws, you don't impart grace to people who hear you. Okay, we're getting there. Now what we saw last week was that, the one that you listen to the most, is yourself.