Tag Archives: words

September 27, 2024 · 5:44 AM

Choosing Words

Studies show that an adult person speaks 7,000 – 20,000 words a day. That’s 2,555,000 to 7,300,000 words a year, and between 158,410,000 to 452,600,000 in your adult life. That’s a lot of words we speak. How many of those are careless versus carefully chosen? Our words carry weight with the people who hear them. Someone will hear something you say and it will stay in their mind for the rest of their life. Beyond that, your words will echo for eternity because one day we will be judged by what we have said. When we put those millions of words we say into perspective, it reminds us to be more careful in what and how we say things. There’s a lot more riding on them than you think. Once they’re spoken, you can never recapture them.

Here are some Bible verses on choosing words:

1. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.

Proverbs 18:21 AMP

2. Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.

Proverbs 12:18 TPT

3. Be careful what you say and protect your life. A careless talker destroys himself.

Proverbs 13:3 GNT

4. When you speak healing words, you offer others fruit from the tree of life. But unhealthy, negative words do nothing but crush their hopes.

Proverbs 15:4 TPT

5. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Matthew 12:36-37 ESV

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January 22, 2024 · 5:30 AM

Healing Words

A flight attendant once told me that every day she keeps in mind that every passenger has a story. Each passenger is traveling in response to something like a need for a vacation, work request, to see family or friends. Some are happy to be traveling and others are sad. No matter what, each person has been hurt in their past and is in need of kindness. Knowing this helped her to give grace to the hundreds of people she came in contact with each day. She also felt like it was her duty to bring some joy into their life no matter why they were traveling. Her wisdom changed my perspective. I began to think of the people I see throughout my day and how many hidden hurts and struggles they could be going through. The words I say to them in our interaction could bring hurt or healing.

In 1 Samuel 1 we read the story of Elkanah and his two wives, Peninnah and Hannah. Hannah wasn’t able to have kids and Peninnah was. In that time period, infertility was looked at as a punishment from God. Rather than feel,sorry for her, Peninnah treated Hannah poorly. Verse 7 says, “Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat” (NLT). Her husband’s words weren’t much better towards her either. However, in bitter weeping before the Lord, the healing words from the priest told her she would have her request granted by God. She began to eat and had a son named Samuel not long after.

Proverbs 12:18 says, “Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal” (TPT). Do the words you speak to those closest to you stab and hurt them or bring healing and relief? What about the passengers of life that you come in contact with? You never know how much the words you say to someone can change the trajectory of their day or life. You have the power of life and death in the words you choose to use each day. Choose words that soothe and heal. Choose to show someone they are loved by the Word, as John referred to Jesus, that gives eternal life. You can bring healing to the wounds that were left by the words of someone else.

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November 2, 2023 · 5:30 AM

The Donkey In The Well

When I was a senior in high school, I went on my first mission trip. We drove deep into the heart of Mexico. At one point, we turned off the road into a dry creek bed. We drove down that creek bed for about twenty minutes and then we arrived in a small village to build a church. The people seemed to come out of nowhere to greet us. One day they took us to a deep well and told us about how a donkey had fallen in there and died. It took them several days to get it out, but by then the water had been polluted. They had to empty the well so they could get fresh, clean water again. I don’t think I’ll ever forget that story.

Proverbs 20:5 tells us that wisdom and counsel are deep within us like a well and that people of understanding will be able to draw them out. Then in Luke 6:45, Jesus said that we speak out of the abundance of our heart, meaning the things that are deep inside us come out of our mouth. Then in James 3:12, the author writes, “Is it possible that fresh and bitter water can flow out of the same spring? So neither can a bitter spring produce fresh water” (TPT). He’s talking about our words and how we speak. How can we speak words of healing if we are full of bitterness inside? How can we speak life if there our inner well is polluted?

Each one of us have donkeys that fall into our well and die causing our heart to be polluted. The words we speak to others reveal whether we’ve taken it out and refreshed our well or not. I’ve learned that we empty our polluted well by confessing our sins, faults and inner struggles to God and to others (James 5:16). We confess them to God for forgiveness and to people for healing. When’s the last time you looked deep into the well that you’re drawing out of? What kind of water are you giving other people? Take some time today to get alone with God, do some self examination and get healed so that you can produce fresh, clean water that others can drink from.

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Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.

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June 9, 2021 · 6:57 AM

Using Healing Words

On November 19, 1863, Edward Everett, the former dean of Harvard, gave a two hour speech at the dedication of a piece of land in Pennsylvania. When his speech was over, they invited President Lincoln to offer a message as well. His speech was two minutes long, and became one of the most recognized speeches in American history known as the Gettysburg Address. He could have used this opportunity to gloat and talk big about the victory the North had just won over the South in the Civil War. Instead, he took the opportunity to try to heal the nation. The words he spoke are remembered because their purpose was to bridge the divide, to honor the fallen and to call the nation to a new birth of freedom.

In 2 Samuel, King Saul had been killed in battle and Israel was divided between those loyal to the house of Saul and those loyal to David. Saul’s son Ishbosheth had been ruling Israel while David ruled Judah. Once Ishbosheth was killed in a battle, David became king over all Israel. It had been 15 years since he had been anointed King over Israel. He had fled for his life and lived in the wilderness running from Saul all that time. Instead of disparaging Saul, David honored him with his words and deeds. Because David didn’t alienate those who had been loyal to Saul, he was able to unify the nation and rule for 33 years as Israel’s most famous king. David understood the power of his words and taught that to his son Solomon who became king next.

In Proverbs 12:18, Solomon wrote, “Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal” (TPT). Do your words cut and maim or soothe and heal? Do they bring people together or push them further apart? What about what you post on social media? It’s in our nature to use words to hurt others, especially those who disagree with us or have even been against us in the past. Paul reminded in Colossians 4:6 to always let our speech be full of grace. We have the choice each day with the words we use and how they’re used. We have a choice in what we put out on social media as well. Choose to let your speech, and posts, bring healing in an already divided world. Let them be filled with the love and kindness of Christ that will lead them to Him rather than to push them further away from Him. In the end, it’s eternity that matters.

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January 29, 2021 · 5:41 AM

Words Matter

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October 23, 2020 · 5:48 AM

Choosing Your Words

According to reference.com, a University of Arizona study found that most people speak about 16,000 words a day. Just as a side note, women did not speak more than men. I can tell you that I would never have guessed that I use that many words in a day, and I talk a lot. My next thought is, “How many of those words are well thought out? How many edify others? How many put others down?” Then I started to wonder how many words do we think in a day since we hold back on a lot of things we wish we could say, but there’s no research on that. As I began to think about that more, I wondered how many of those words we address to ourselves in a negative way. We’re pretty good at not tearing down others (out loud), but how many times do we put ourselves down out loud and internally?

Words are some of the most powerful things on the planet. Even though we said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” we knew it was a lie. Inside we were dying because of something someone else told us. How much more do we hurt by replaying those words or even repeating them over ourselves in agreement? As Christians, we must be careful with the words we say to others and ourselves. We have to change our internal words before we can change the 16,000 words we speak. Just because no person can tame the tongue, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t control it. With God’s help, you can change the words you speak and agree with in order to change your life and someone else’s. Use your 16,000 words wisely each day.

Here are some Bible verses on the words we say.

1. But no one has ever been able to tame the tongue. It is evil and uncontrollable, full of deadly poison. We use it to give thanks to our Lord and Father and also to curse other people, who are created in the likeness of God. Words of thanksgiving and cursing pour out from the same mouth. My friends, this should not happen!

James 3:8-10 GNT

2. Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal.

Proverbs 12:18 TPT

3. A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life, But a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:4 AMP

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

Proverbs 18:21 MSG

5. Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29 NLT

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May 14, 2018 · 6:02 AM

Using Words Wisely

When I was in the Fifth grade, my lunch time consisted of a group of boys gathered around a table. We would have put down contests and Yo Mamma joke contests. Each day two boys would be chosen, one from each side of the table, and they would trade put downs until one ran out of them or one of them started crying. When one boy won, two more would be chosen and it would continue. I learned to be quick witted from that, but I also learned that putting down others was funny.

We were just kids, but we were finding out how powerful words could be. Just by saying certain things, you could make someone laugh or cry. We were too immature to understand the power of those words and the ability of them to stay in someone’s mind with the potential to define them. I don’t know what happened to the rest of the boys at that table, but I hope they learned how to use words to build others up instead of tearing them down. The words we speak to others are so powerful that we shouldn’t treat them lightly.

Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you” (GNT). This should be the standard we use when talking to others. Before we speak, our filter should ask, “Will these words do good or cause harm?” God is in the business of building people up. As His followers, we need to be doing the same. I’ve still got work to do in this area, but my prayer is that God would help me to use my words wisely so that they provide what is needed, do good to those who hear them and build others up.

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May 23, 2016 · 5:47 AM

Word Choices


I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten in trouble after saying something. The first question to me is usually, “Why would you say that?” My response is, “I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking.” I speak so much that sometimes I forget that I need to pay attention to them before I let them leave my lips. As a result, I’ve said some pretty hurtful things to people. Those words could have been chosen more wisely or better yet, left unsaid. Once words leave our lips, we can’t get them back again or undo the damage they cause.

On the other hand, I’ve had some people speak words to me that have brought healing to some of my deepest wounds. Their words have brought hope into my hopeless situations, lit up my dark paths, and built me up when I’ve been down. Their words were wisely spoken at just the right time. My prayer has been that I would be that type of person. I want to be someone who uses my words to bring healing instead of pain.

I’ve been reading Proverbs since I was a kid. I can tell you that Solomon understood the power of words. Over and over in that book, he tries to get us to see just how powerful they really are. One such example is in Proverbs 12:18. He wrote, “Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal” (GNT). Many of us can attest to how deep someone’s thoughtless words have hurt us. As they echo in our mind, the wound gets deeper and a root of bitterness can easily spring up in that environment.

It’s critical for each one of us to choose our words wisely. Whether we are responding to someone who has hurt us with their words or we are just having a conversation, our word choices matter. We can’t afford to speak without thinking. We can pray each day and ask God to help us to choose our words wisely so that we bring healing instead of pain. The power of life and death truly is in our words. Never take that lightly.

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August 31, 2015 · 5:30 AM

The Power Of Words

When I was a kid and someone said something ugly to me, the appropriate reaction was to say, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” It wasn’t until later in life that I realized what a lie that was. Broken bones heal, but the wounds from words rarely do. They cut deep into the subconscious of people and alter their self-image which changes the future they could have had.

When we hear words about ourselves that are negative, we often use those to replace the thoughts about ourselves that God gave us. We become insecure and self-conscious about everything we do and how we look. Words spoken in a moment can create damage for a lifetime. Some people never get over the words we use to describe them or to hurt them. I’m always amazed to hear stories from people about how a simple phrase changed their identity. That’s why it’s so important to speak life into others.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body” (AMP). Some translations say, “Kind words are like honey.” An interesting thing about honey is that it never goes bad. There’s no expiration date on it just like there’s no expiration on kind or pleasant words. They’re not only sweet, but they’re long lasting in someone’s life. You can change someone’s mindset for the better by choosing your words wisely.

This verse says that pleasant words are sweet to the mind. What I’ve learned is whatever you put into your mind is what comes out in your actions. If you put anger in there, you tend to have violent actions. If you put bitterness in there, you tend to have sarcastic actions. But if you put sweetness in your mind, it will produce actions that are pleasant to others. So when you speak pleasant words, you’re actually creating a ripple effect in the lives of others.

I like how the verse ends. It says kind words are healing to the body. At first thought, I wondered what that meant. Then I started thinking of all the psychosomatic illnesses people have because of hurtful words spoken to them. When your mind is negative, it produces stress and illness in your body. Conversely, kind words bring health to people. It gives them a positive mindset that keeps the body in balance thereby, bringing health. Proverbs 18:21 says the power of life and death are in the tongue. So choose your words wisely today and speak life.

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