Words

You are what you eat.

This is known to be true in the development of the body but it is also true in mental and spiritual health. The food of the spirit (and therefore life) are words. Proverbs 4:20-24

"You are a mistake, proud and paranoid."

How did that inspire you?

How about;

" you were washed clean, you were made holy, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1Cor 6:11b ERV)

What if you hear this consistently?

Well, either communication will affect what you believe about yourself and eventually make you exactly what it says. That is the power of words.

Proverbs 18:21 (MSG) says,

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

And Romans 10:17 (AMP)

So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message 'concerning Christ'.

The good news in these scriptures however, is: YOU do have the power to choose! The choice of what to pay attention or expose yourself to is yours and no one can take that from you. Even the Lord, through Moses his servant, told Israel: "“Today I have given you a choice between life and death, success and disaster." Deuteronomy 30:15‭ ERV

In order words, ''before you are the tools for death and also the tools for a right, true and empowered life but the choice to on which you will use or to listen to is still yours."

If what you are hearing is not bringing you life, success and confidence in God, you are listening to the wrong words.

Words do not just communicate facts, they communicate the mind and spirit of the speaker. If fact, the most important thing about the words are not the letters spoken, it is the spirit (heart) behind the letters that is being communicated. So I can say "you are free" but what is being communicated is opposite. The most vital in anything you hear, is the spirit or intent behind them (2Corinthians 3:6). This can be easily discerned but irrespective of whether you can or cannot, as long as you keep hearing those words, they will take effect in your life.

So, what you call 'just news' is anything but 'just'. And what you call just an opinion is more than that. It is a force for life or death when expressed. And when heard consistently, it goes into the innermost parts of a person's being to shape it and this in turn shapes their life. This is why surrounding yourself with God's truth is vital. In the bible, God's intentions towards you are clearly shown, proven by His love for us which is demonstrated in the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, . [Romans 5:8 AMP]

In Christ Jesus, we are loved, accepted and justified not based on our works but on his sacrifice. Therefore anything spoken to us by him is empowered by his pure heart towards us!

The image about you that should count in your life, therefore, should only be those projected by Jesus Christ through his words in the bible. This are the words and communication that truly give life. So sift all you hear in the world through the sieve of his Word. As the Apostle Paul said,

“Now I am putting you in God’s care. I am depending on the message about his grace to make you strong. That message is able to give you the blessings that God gives to all his holy people. Acts 20:32 ERV

Focus and stand in the Truth spoken by your creator, saviour and good Shepherd (Jesus) alone and you will always walk in his peace; confident, free and victorious over of any negative opinions of men and the evil out there.

''We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God’s throne.'' Hebrews12:2