Speak Life

My niece, Phoebe, drew this 3 days after I wrote this article

Two simple words…speak life.  Two powerful words that we often don’t stop to consider what they mean.  I know I haven’t really weighed the impact of my “careless” words often spoken in moments of passion, opinion, jesting, or a myriad of other emotions.  Yet, in the past several weeks, the Lord keeps pressing these two words into my heart and frequently reminding me of them - from looking into the growing faces of my nieces and nephews, to texting back someone during a day riddled with defeat.  It’s usually in these everyday moments that I can’t stop thinking about writing. That’s when I know it’s a good idea to pray, listen, and move forward with my unction to write on a principle He is showing me.  I am ill equipped in and of myself (flesh) to deliver much more than just an empty opinion. In the Hebrew, opinion means to reveal “what I think,” which comes from the word “pinion” or “broad, overshadowing wings.”  God’s Word tells us that we are to be under his pinions (Psalm 91:4).  This is our place of refuge and safekeeping. Thus, my thinking (opinion) is no longer my own, but that which is surrendered to His pinions (His thoughts) is what I am to reveal.

It burdens my heart how lightly I have used my spoken words. How often I jump out of His protective covering - much like a child resisting the protection and covering of their parents, while desperately searching for their independence. By the way, the Bible tells us that is just flesh or self-life. My created purpose is not to “express myself,” “be authentic,” or “say it like it is,” which are all clichés used within our Christian spheres of influence.  God’s reality is I’m to be expressing HIS views, HIS authenticity, and saying it like HE says it.  As believers, we take liberties in an effort to be real with our emotions, when His Word tells us that our emotions (not surrendered to the mind of Christ) will lead us to all sorts of destruction (Jeremiah 17:9-10)!  Our redeemed lives were not created for the purpose of convincing others of our convictions or our way of living (which will vary based on family, gifting, and calling placed upon each life).  But we are to demonstrate to fellow believers, and unbelievers, the Doctrines of His Ways revealed to us through His Word.  Those are to be shared in a like-minded state within the perfect spiritual unity that comes from Jesus Christ alone.

Romans 15:5-7 says, “⁵ Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, ⁶ so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁷ Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”

Our acceptance of one another isn’t to stem from not wanting to “offend” one another, because Truth will often offend; but rather, wanting to accept and embrace the oneness we obtain through Jesus Christ’s redemptive work.  Knowing He will reveal His biblical Truths in different seasons to each one of us, our problems of disunity could often be avoided if we would not try to “make people believe” on our time table; but rather, to share - knowing that it is not our responsibility to produce the fruit.  If we do try to “make people believe,” we just get “fake, plastic Wal-Mart fruit” (people pleasers) as my Dad says, not the real deal. Now that being said, I need to pause a minute and tell you something, “OUCH, this hurts”.   This lesson is constantly buffeting my fleshly desires and even my well-meaning intentions for my fellow believers.  As a fellow sister in the Lord said to me this week, “God’s thinker is better than my thinker.” The bottom line is my flesh is independent and wants persons, places, and things conformed to make life easier for me.  God’s purpose is that the suffering in my life (whether relational, emotional, or at times physical) is to bring about obedience to His will.  If God did not spare his own Son suffering here upon this earth, but rather furthered the Gospel through suffering, why should I be exempt from that process? 

That being stated, how can I encourage others by what I speak?  What does it mean to speak life into the life of another human soul?  Is it fluffy, feel-good words?  Is it telling people what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear?  Is it defining life for them?  The answer to each of these is no, because as God reveals His character to us through the entirety of Scripture, we see that He defines life for us by Who He is and what His Son became on our behalf.  Speaking life is speaking words that challenge us, but also edify us. Even the “hard” Truths of God’s Word will build us up, because it is building the right things in us…we decrease, He increases. I don’t believe we can ever praise a child or a human soul too much.  Although, let me clarify that I’m not referring to natural man’s human praise of building up the flesh or only referring to externals, such as puffing up people’s pride; but rather, the true praise and edification of the Body of Christ.

For instance, calling out the giftings  that God has placed in each of His children, reaffirming each other’s identity IN Christ that we are not “becoming the righteousness of God,” but rather, WE ARE the righteousness of God because of His FINISHED work upon the Cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). Edify with the reminders that we see growth in them.  Embrace that they are nothing without Christ, but we marvel at what He accomplishes through them as they live broken lives before Him day-to-day.  In an effort not to “puff one another up,” we have also minimized and not praised God for His glorious work WITHIN the lives of our fellow believers.

Stop and think of marked things people have said to you that somehow defined how you viewed yourself.  No really, stop a minute and think upon it.  What’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  Most of us will probably call to mind a negative or hurtful thing someone said long before we call to mind words of Truth, the affirmation of who we are in Christ, and the unique gifts God has placed in each of us to fulfill His purposes as we journey on this earth.  If I function from what others say about me, I will always be seeking praise and approval through man and will have one of two things happen: I will always miss the mark and need to try again or I will find pride and worth in man’s standards rather than God’s and find my success by what I see with my eyes. 

God’s Word gives us so many examples on words and our tongue. We could go on and on with Scripture references, but here are just a few to call to mind.

Ephesians 4:25, 29

“²⁵ Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another ²⁹ Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”

Proverbs 25:11

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.”

Romans 15:2

“Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification.”

Proverbs 23:16

“And my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.”

Our flesh and spirit already wage war against each other (Romans 7:14-25). So why would we want to build up the flesh with empty words of pride, or tear down by not admonishing and edifying one another with the identity of Christ and the gifts He has placed in each True Believer?  Why would we constantly want to call to mind people’s flesh, rather than call out to their Spirit-filled identity? We need to encourage one another to walk in our redeemed identities, yet knowing we will fail in our own strength. But, God rejoices in our weaknesses for the perfection of His power lived out through us.  There is a time for confrontation, when we who are true indwelt Christians choose to once again walk in deeds of darkness of our  flesh that was crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6-7). When we are called to speak to them… SPEAK LIFE.  Call out to the Spirit within them. Speaking life does not mean we will not cause pain with our words; but rather, if they are the right words (His opinion, not ours), the pain will be momentary compared to what they will experience in the Truth applied to their true identity.  The Truth is meant to be spoken so it can set us free!  Lies are defeated through His spoken Word and His alone.  Contemplate how He desires you to speak life to those He places in your path each day; pray and seek how your tongue can be surrendered to Him to fuel others to embrace an identity found in Him. When we doubt, may we not speak at all, least we be counted among the foolish (Proverbs 17:28).

All Scriptures, unless otherwise stated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. 

Note:  All bold emphases in Scriptures mine.