DON'T GO BREAKING YOUR HEART
PROVERBS 18:14 & 21 NKJV
14 The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness,
But who can bear a broken spirit?
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Don't Go Breaking My Heart was a song from the '70s. However, it was not the best musical representation of that decade. But breaking your own heart is even worse.
I have connected these two verses today because ignoring one can lead to the other.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. This verse has been a guiding light to me for over 40 years. I wish I could say that I have never violated the truth it proclaims, but it has been a major help.
Way too much death is in our mouths. We talk about what we can't do, don't have, and don't know. We are too well-versed in our faults and failures and speak about them on a regular basis. We give too much credit to the negative and evil forces we experience and what we see all around us.
What we have not realized is the impact of these words on our heart. These are the words that break down our spirit.
We know all about the death containing words others have spoken to us or about us. Some of these words still seem as fresh today as the day on which they were uttered. But these are not the most damaging words unless we allow them to be. We can choose to reject these heartbreaking words and speak words of life.
This is where God's word can be such a medicine, such a life-giving power. We can speak what God says about us because we are in Christ, and it strengthens our heart. When we are strong on the inside, strong in our heart, we can handle the challenges that life sends our way without cracking.
So instead of declaring that we are weak, we can say that we are strong in the Lord. Instead of highlighting all the areas we have come up short, we can speak about God's goodness and favor to us. If we believe that death and life are in our words, then we put a guard on our mouths. We want to do the things that strengthen our heart and pave the way for a better walk with the Lord.
Don't go breaking your heart. Do go making your heart strong. Speak life.