Proverbs 18:21 - "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it, shall eat the fruit of it"
James 3:3 - "Now we put a bit in a horse's mouth that it may obey us, and we turn the whole body."
James 3:4 - "Look at ships; though they're so large and driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder, wherever the pilot wants"
Ephesians 4:29 - "let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth..."
You need to change the way you talk, after you've given your life to Christ. You need to change the way you speak.
The life before Christ, we tend to speak all kinds of negativity, all kinds of things are in our hearts and life, but we come to the Lord and our inner life changes. We're born again inside.
"...but rather speak words which are good for edification (building up)..."
Change from negative talk, critical talk, putting down talk, destructive talk, bitter talk, harsh talk. He says begin to actually start to commit yourself to speak words that are building up words, that acknowledge good things, that honour people, that value people, that appreciate people. Start to speak differently.
“…that they may impart grace to the hearers.”
Impart means: ‘to transfer’, or to put into someone's life, to bring into them something which they need. The word ‘grace’ always in the Bible refers to the power of God - By grace you're saved, in other words the power of God that changes us on the inside, when with faith we respond to Christ.
Speak words that release the life of God to those who hear, or are responding to what you're saying.
I can speak words that impart grace, that empower people, release the life of God.
Silent men - have the power to speak words that could change young people in their thinking, in their outlook, but they don't say anything.
There's a life flow within your words, because you're joined to the Lord. "He that's joined to the Lord is one spirit"
You have the power to speak words of encouragement and strength into yourself.
1 Samuel 36 - David was in this huge problem place, he'd lost everything. In the middle of it all, when everything was disastrous, he ‘strengthened himself’. He must have said something! He spoke words that strengthened himself, in his relationship with God, and in his faith, and it turned that day. In the middle of it, when everyone is talking failure, defeat, grieving, weeping, he spoke differently. He spoke words that strengthened himself in the Lord.
Isaiah 55:8-9 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as heaven is higher than the earth, so are My ways of doing things higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
=> a human being without God is limited in their thinking
My ways of doing things have got greater value than your ways.
Proverbs 23:7 - "As a man thinks in his heart, so he is."
Matthew 12:34 "...Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."
Matthew 12:35 "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him"
Inside us, in our heart, are Agreements.
Another thing that gets into our heart and into our mind are Mindsets.
Expectations are a part of our inner life - what we expect, what we're looking forward to, anticipating.
Kinds of things He will help you see:
* Broken Relationships – pain leads to certain mindsets
* Grief (or disappoint, loss, family breakup)
* Bitter judgements
* Words we’ve come into agreement with
How to shift them?
* God's words have a power of spirit life. Jesus said: the words I speak are spirit in their life.
* God's thoughts always are higher than ours,
#1 – Having a relationship with Jesus Christ (respond to God’s love)
1 Corinthians 6:17 – “if you are joined to the Lord, you are one spirit.”
#2 – Identify and resolve the personal issues we have (deal with it – just resolve and forgive – let it go) Jesus said: when you stand praying, if you've got anything against anyone, just forgive them, release them, let it go.
#3 - Practice speaking out and breaking agreements with negative words. Learn how to break agreements with negative words.
#4 - Search out and embrace what God says about you. (He says: I've redeemed you. I love you. I have accepted you. I forgive you. I have a destiny)
Jeremiah 15:16 - I found your words and I ate them. I took them right into my life, and they were the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
=> God's word coming into our life shifts us, and changes us.
#1 - Resolve the conflict.
#2 - Break the agreements with the negative patterns of thinking, as you identify them.
#3 - Declare strongly God's word over your life as an affirmation.
#4 - Meditating: picturing, imagining, visualising, seeing God's word
Joshua 8:1 – “These words that I speak shall be in your mouth, shall not depart our of your mouth, He said, but you'll meditate on them day and night to do them, and then you will make your own way prosperous.