Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.

Proverbs 18:21 (MSG)

I’m like a broken record. I am always telling my girls, “What you speak matters. Your words are powerful.” They either give life or take it.

Pause for a moment and think about the hurtful words someone has said to you.  How does it feel? What does it make you want to do?

Now do just the opposite and  think about when someone’s words gave you hope, made you feel accepted, and loved. What are you experiencing now?

One truth we often fail to realize is that the words we speak have power over us, the power to heal or the power to poison our soul. In his book, Prayers that Heal the Heart, Mark Virkler wrote, “Every time you speak something, you deepen it in your heart.” Have you ever stopped to think about what you are thinking about? What are deepening in your heart?

It is important that we take a peek inside and recognize what we are saying to ourselves because our life follows the direction of our most dominate thought! What we dwell on the most becomes a part of us and drives who we become! Romans 12:2 (GNT) states, “…let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind.”

This is a great verse, but if you don’t know what needs changed in your mind – how can we allow God to transform it? So first, we have to become aware of our most dominate thoughts.  If your car won’t start, do you take it to a mechanic and ask them to fix your tires? No, you want them to diagnose the problem under the hood and take a look inside!

In the same way, you can’t fix a thought that you don’t know you have! For example if you don’t realize that you have always said to yourself, “I am not enough”, you’ll always wonder why every relationship you attract makes you feel not enough. We draw to ourselves what we believe. Stop trying to fix the tire (the outside problem), when what you really need to fix is your heart!

There is a daily battle for your thoughts and who you become depends on the messages you believe. Renewing your mind in God’s truth is not passive, it is an intentional practice where you open up your heart to God and listen for what He has to say about you. This gives God the opportunity to reveal the source and the hidden messages we have come to believe that are paralyzing our destiny.

We cannot heal with thoughts that destroy. Our beliefs are powerful; powerful enough to paint the picture of our life. We have to allow God the opportunity to change the inside pictures our negative beliefs have created. What negative beliefs are currently painted on the inside canvas of your heart? Fortunately, the power to change your thoughts is within you. No matter what your current inner canvas portrays, there is hope when you allow the truth of God’s Word to seep into your hidden wounds and let Him paint a new word-picture on your heart.

THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE:  Pause one time each day for then next 7 days and log your thoughts and see where they are taking you. Does something need to change about what you are believing to get you to where you want to be?

Be Blessed – Be a LIGHT!