Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. (Psalms 141:3) A prayer many of us need to pray every day and one that can spare us much heartache. As children of God, we must always remember that we are anointed and so are our words. In the beginning, God used words to form creation and has given us that ability as well as you saw through Adam—the first man.
We are priests under the new covenant according to 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
So our words carry the anointing.
God taught me this in an important lesson and I want to share it with you to help you guard your words from now on.
A couple of years ago one Wednesday evening after work, I was on my way to the public park called Emancipation Park, a place people would go to relax, jog and even watch stage shows. I usually go there to relax for a few hours until church begins.
However, when I came off the first bus and walked to the second to get to the park, I noticed a young man sitting on a metal casing that surrounded flowers in front of the bank. His appearance caused me to stop and stare. He was only wearing trousers that weren’t fitted properly around his waist. He was dirty so you would think he was insane. What broke my heart was that as he sat there I saw the crack of his bottom exposed with faeces showing as well, and people walking past him as if he didn’t exist.
I found myself asking myself— WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
When I asked myself that question the answer came without me wondering or doubting what I should do. Despite thinking of people staring at me, I walked over to him and asked him one simple question.
Are you hungry?
The young man turned and stared at me and said yes. He said he wanted stem fish—something that isn’t cheap. Anyhow, I didn’t have enough money to buy what he wanted so I told him I will get him something to eat with what I had. I walked over to a nearby small shop and bought a banana, juice and bun with cheese.
When I walked back over to the young man and was about to hand him the bag with the food, he opened his mouth and said, “Do you have a credit card?”
I looked at him puzzled and asked him why he needed one.
He then proceeded to tell me he wanted me to go across the street to get money for him. All of a sudden I felt uneasiness inside me and just like that I walked away from him with the food still in my hand.
I went to the park and sat there feeling so bad within myself. I wanted so badly to give the man the food and didn’t all because of what he said. It bothered me all night even at church later that night.
When the church was over and I was now walking to my house, I asked God why I couldn’t give the man the food even though I really wanted to and what He told me shocked me and gave me a new perspective. This was what God said.
“You see how you wanted to bless that man with the food you bought, not even worrying about what people were saying when you walked up to him. It’s the same way the angels come with people’s blessings and they open their mouths and say things that cause those angels to hold on to the blessing and return with it. It grieves me when that happens the same way it did you when you walked away with what you had for that man.”
There God confirms the importance of our words and many times it’s in cases such as this, that satan provokes us in a different matter, to speak negatively against ourselves or our own kids and family without thinking that those words carry life and death in them. Remember the verse that says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” take it seriously from now on if you don’t.
Stop calling sickness on yourself when you feel pain here and there. The devil sticks you a certain place on your body and the first thing that comes from your mouth, for example, is – I have diabetes or high blood pressure. It’s your words that bring curses on yourselves. That’s why no matter what the devil does we ought to try to guard our words and recognize what is working against us.
There is a reason for God saying, ‘Let the weak say they are strong or the poor say they are rich.’
It’s not to ignore what is visible in the natural, it’s using the power of God’s words to change your situation. The more you declare a thing the more it becomes real and builds your faith. It’s how we should speak the word of God. Declare the scriptures over and over and build your faith in the power of God’s word- which will change your situation.
Faith grows and you begin to trust more in his words-then they work for you. Just as you do when you speak negative words-there is conviction there so they work-but against you. So beware. Question: How are some ways the devil gets you to speak negatively against yourself or others?
Check out this short video snippet from my book Life's Journey our Great Test about the Light vs. Darkness. You can subscribe to the Youtube channel as well to grow more on your spiritual walk.