By Lisa Wilmore
Dear Hearts,
I greet you in the only name that matters, Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior who is our everlasting, eternal, and endless Savior. Glory to God!
Interestingly, the authors of The Power of Your Words, Don Gossett and E. W. Kenyon, make a powerful statement concerning the words we speak, which is noted in our title for this message, “Defeated with Your Own Lips.” They bring an interesting fact to our attention; that is, we can defeat ourselves by using words that come out of our own mouths. They point out that, “When we say that we cannot, in that moment we have already accepted defeat. When we say you do not have faith, doubt begins to rise like a giant and binds us before the battle has even begun.”
To make mention of, have you ever been around someone who always says, “I just speak my mind”? Well, speaking their mind may not be a bad thing if their mind is being directed by Christ. However, when the mind is dominated by worry, doubt, negativity, or even the enemy, everybody may not want to hear what is on their mind. Specifically, we have to be careful because what we speak on a continuous basis can become what we constantly believe. Jesus reminds us that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” (Matthew 12:34 KJV) Therefore, what is in our hearts will eventually find its way through our lips.
Furthermore, the power of words can bring life, healing, encouragement, or destruction. Proverbs reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21 KJV) So, we should not casually speak words of defeat over our lives. We should not continually say, “I will never make it,” “Nothing will ever change,” “I cannot do this,” or “There is no hope.” Instead, we must learn to speak in agreement with the Word of God.
Throughout God’s Word, He gives us powerful words to speak in order to bring life to our situations. When we use our lips to declare what God has already spoken, we remind ourselves that our circumstances do not have the final word. Philippians 4:13 declares, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13 KJV). When we speak those words, we are declaring that our strength comes from Christ. Isaiah reminds us that “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17 KJV). When we feel discouraged, we can declare, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD” (Psalm 118:17 KJV). When fear tries to take hold of our hearts, we can speak, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1 KJV) These are not simply words we repeat. They remind us of what God has promised and how his Word bring life and hope rather than death or defeat.
Dear Hearts, there will be moments when our circumstances do not look like the promises of God. Nevertheless, keep speaking His Word and have faith instead of discouragement. Watch your words and allow your mouth to testify to the goodness and power of God. Do not defeat yourself with your own lips. Speak life by speaking the Word of God!
Jesus Saves!
