Speaking With Purpose

When the Lord began teaching me about the incredible importance of my words, He showed me that His Word is full of power. And over time as I began to speak His words out of my mouth, I saw firsthand how cooperating with Him brings about His beautiful plan for my life and others’ (see Hebrews 4:12).

It took a lot of practice, but learning to use my words intentionally has been one of the most rewarding parts of my walk with God. And I couldn’t have done it without His help.

When we’re walking with Jesus, He calls us to use our words on purpose. He wants us to to speak life—even in our hardest moments—because that’s what He does, and we’re called to be like Him.

So that leads us to the question: how did Jesus do it? How did He use His words when He was facing overwhelming circumstances? There are a couple of key steps He took in order to control His words, and when we put them into practice, we’ll experience Him on a whole new level.

Resist the Urge to Be Critical

Scary, frustrating or unexpected circumstances often tempt us to say and do things we would never say or do when things are going well. In fact, Jesus was tempted in this way (and in every way), but He never sinned—even with His words.

When Jesus was faced with hard times, He chose to speak less, but with more purpose. Even when He was being beaten before He went to the cross, the Bible says that He “opened not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7 AMPC). He also told the disciples in John 14:30 (AMPC), “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.

This verse is thrilling to me because it reminds me that even Jesus needed self-control to not speak out of His emotions during a time of intense stress. The suffering He was about to endure was unimaginable, but He was determined not to give Satan any opportunity to mess up God’s plan with His words. In that same way, when we exercise our self-control and refuse to lash out in anger or fear, the enemy doesn’t get his way in our lives. 

Say What God Says 

When Jesus was weak after fasting for 40 days and Satan was tempting Him in the desert, He fought the enemy’s lies by responding over and over saying, “It is written…”. Then He finished each statement with a truth from Scripture (see Matthew 4:1-11). This kept Jesus from giving in to Satan’s temptations. We can do the same by responding to our own problems with what God says about us and our situation.

For example, if you’re praying for your children to change, shift your words to something like, “My son/daughter is going through some challenges right now, but I know God has a great plan for his/her future and He’s working this out for our good.” (see Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28). Or if you need help in your finances, begin to say something like, “God meets all my needs, and I have more than enough to help others.” (See Philippians 4:19; Psalm 37:25; 2 Corinthians 9:10-11.)

Whatever your challenge is, there’s a verse that will encourage and strengthen you as you’re going through it. God’s Word is alive, active and full of power (see Hebrews 4:12), so when you’re hopeful and align your words with His, you’re working with Him to bring about His amazing plan for your life. 

What are you saying on a daily basis? I want to encourage you to listen to your own words and ask yourself, “Am I being unnecessarily negative right now? Are my words reflecting God’s in this moment?” Ask Him to help you grow wherever you’re struggling, and trust Him to give you the grace you need to change your words…then watch Him change your life.