I have some friends in New Orleans, Louisiana, who are pastors. They had been grocery shopping. They were both tired at the end of the day.
As they were bringing the groceries into their home, the wife asked her husband, “Did you get the artichokes?”
What he heard her say was, “You ought to choke.”
Her husband said, “Why would you say such a thing?”
She responded, “All I said was did you get the artichokes?”
He said, “I thought you said I ought to choke.” That caused him to respond in a negative way.
We create an atmosphere. We make it conducive for the love, the Word, and the power of God with the words that we speak and with the spirit that we release into the very atmosphere that we’re in.
Be careful how you hear things.
Begin to say, “I choose not to believe something ugly.” There is no grace for a secondhand offense. Let me tell you what I mean by that.
Your friend Susie tells you that Mary said something bad about her, or some injustice took place. Now, you know Mary. Your experience with Mary has been that Mary is kind, loving, and thoughtful.
Susie is your friend. Rather than finding out that there are always two sides to every coin, you say, “I can’t believe she did this.”
If you take offense at another person and you’ve only heard one side of the story, you need to be able to say, “You know what, Susie? I have known Mary for many years, and maybe you’ve heard something that she didn’t say. It just doesn’t sound like something that she would do. Maybe you’ve taken her words apart from the spirit with which she was intending to say something.”
We all say foolish things and inconsistent things. We can say, “I misspoke.”
Admit it. Back up a little bit when you say things that are not as nice as they need to be said. But also, on the other side of that, we are living in a time of the cancel culture. Many people are getting their feelings hurt about something that somebody said.
Words are powerful.
Words are powerful to heal, as well as to kill.
The Scripture teaches us that the kingdom of God is a kingdom of words. God’s words are to be voice-activated by the redeemed. You’ve got the promises of God, and you’ve got the curses of hell. Pick one. Choose to be an advocate of the goodness of God.
Reach out and let love come out of your mouth.
What comes to mind when you hear, “The spiritual man judges all things?” Most people think of the Scripture, “Judge not, lest you be judged.”
There are two words to look at in this Scripture, “Judge not, lest you be judged,” The original language in krino means to condemn, to speak down, to say something bad about somebody.
And then the spiritual man, those that are redeemed from the curse of the law of sin and death, and received Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior have a responsibility. That’s the ability to respond to the authority of the Word of God, and that you create with the fruit of your lips, by calling the things that are not to become the things that are.
When you judge after the flesh, the krino judging, that you look at a person and say, “Well, he’s always been an old drunk. You know, they just come from a long line of losers.” You are looking at the negative, and you are releasing words that come straight from the mouth of the accuser.
The Bible tells you Satan is the accuser, it’s not God.
Jesus said, “I didn’t come to accuse anybody. I came to set you free. I came that you may have life and have it more abundantly.” As his representatives here, representing Christ on the face of the Earth, you and I have the pleasure and the opportunity to create with the fruit of our lips, by calling the things that are not, to become the things that are.
When you see somebody that’s possibly bound by drugs, and alcohol, and wrong relationships, rather than saying the obvious, call that individual healed, delivered, and prosperous. Begin to say positive things in a wonderful way, and you will be amazed.
The Scripture says that angels are ministering spirits, sent from God to help us, who are the heirs of salvation. I don’t know if that excites you, but it really excites me. What they respond to is the Word of God, not some fallacious opinion or accusation that we have made. There’s a difference between facts and truth.
The facts may say you’re oppressed, suppressed, repressed, depressed or possessed, but your covenant says you’re healed, you’re delivered, and you’re prosperous.
If you continue to say that you’re sick, if you continue to say that you’re oppressed, if you continue to say what the problem is (I’m not saying that the problem’s not there).
I’m saying, if you build it up with the words that you speak, then you not only have the angels of God that are running behind you; you have the demons from hell (they can’t do anything until the sons of God begin to say the negative things).
The enemy cannot create, but he can complicate.
Watch and see what the sons of God are doing, and what works in the kingdom of God.
Satan is an imitator. He tries to imitate the things of God. There is a demonic force that’s just waiting for you to say the wrong thing. Begin to say the Word of God, begin to say, “I choose to agree with God.” It’s a choice.
That’s all you and I have to do. My hope is that these stories and testimonies that I’m sharing with you of things that I’ve experienced in my own life will make you say, “You know what? I need to be more careful about my words. I need to understand there is a difference between facts and truth.”
Seek and speak the Truth.
Blessings to you.