Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) teaches us that, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Now, there is plenty of scriptural evidence to refute the ‘name it, claim it’ trend made popular by the Word of Faith movement. It takes more than just declaring scripture or positivity to usher in God’s Kingdom on the earth. Words aren’t magical spells that manifest our destiny, and when we believe in the power of our words more than the One who gave us breath in our lungs and the gift of speech, we are no longer exercising faith– we are practicing witchcraft.
Our words aren’t magical, but they are powerful. When we choose to speak about God, ourselves, our circumstances, and others in alignment with God’s Word, we are demonstrating faith that pleases God while renewing our minds to truth. When we speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) we are taking control of our attitude and perspective, allowing us to see how God is speaking to us and moving in our lives. In Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV) the Apostle Paul shares this wisdom: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” When we commit to dwelling on these godly things and talking about them, we experience God’s presence and his peace in our lives.
So here are a few phrases that I have stopped saying over the last couple of years, and some new ones I have committed to. I hope these subtle language shifts will usher in greater peace, faith and hope in your life…
1. Instead of saying “my anxiety or my fear…” say, “I am feeling anxious about _____ or afraid of _____.”
Anxiety and fear are emotions that we all experience in life. They can help us better understand the beliefs we may have that we weren’t aware of, the problems that we need to resolve, the help we may need, or the things we have yet to grieve or process. At times, we may need to seek outside support like counseling and therapy for the amount of anxiety or fear we are experiencing, and we can do so without shame.
You never need to hide or minimize what you are feeling, but be careful not to let an emotion become an identity marker in your life. It’s not who you are, and it doesn’t need to limit your potential. It’s something you are experiencing. There is a difference.
2. Instead of saying “I’m getting old” say, “I’m able and I’m grateful.”
Being able to age is a gift! Sure, as we get older, we don’t bounce back as quickly from a poor night’s sleep, our joints ache a bit more, and we have more gray hairs and wrinkles than we used to. It gets harder to keep up with what all the kids are sayin’ these days. And we may prefer early 2000’s tracks to the new music coming out.
I get it.
Just because we are aging, doesn’t mean we need to grow weaker, boring or less relevant in our lives. We can approach aging with joy, hope, and faith! We can invest in our health and fitness; we can launch new things and learn more; we can sow into others; we can have new adventures and chapters of our lives. God has a whole lot more for us! The Bible is filled with people who were old by the world’s standards that made extraordinary impact in their later years.
3. Instead of saying “I’m frustrated with where I’m at” say, “I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
It’s really easy to believe that we should be further along in certain areas of our lives than we are, especially when exposed to so many different highlight reels on social media. We can compare our fixer-upper to someone’s dream home, our current role to someone’s promotion; our relationship status to someone’s engagement announcement; our current weight to someone’s gym selfie.
Even though you may not enjoy everything in your current reality, it doesn’t mean you are behind or missed out on ‘the good life’. The life you are currently living is a gift, and God is leading and guiding you. He has a plan for your life, and it’s always good. Don’t let FOMO cheat you out of joy today and hope for tomorrow.
4. Instead of saying “this is impossible” say, “this is difficult.”
It may seem impossible, but with God all things are possible. Sure, there are some things that are simply set in stone. Some things in life are irreversible and there are certain limitations we as humans experience. When it comes to believing for God’s will to be done in your life though, choose to believe God can work miracles. And when it comes to your ability to persevere through the really hard stuff, choose to believe that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. (Philippians 4:13)
5. Instead of saying “I’m tired” say, “I’m capable and looking forward to some rest.”
Of course, it’s okay to be tired or exhausted. There’s no sin in that. In fact, tiredness can be a great sign of a day or week well spent. When we always tell ourselves we are tired, though, we need to take a pause and reflect. Am I tired because I am overcommitting to things, taking on burdens I am not meant to carry, or dishonoring the Sabbath? If so, then it’s time to make some adjustments.
If that’s not the case, then you probably need to change your language to better reflect the type of strength and energy you want to have from day-to-day. Perhaps what feels tiring is really just stretching, expanding your capacity and developing your character.
6. Instead of saying “If only I had…” say, “the Lord will provide.”
I don’t think any of us would refuse more money in our bank accounts, freed up time in our schedules or even some open doors of opportunity in our careers. Those would be great, and we can confidently pray to God our Father for these.
BUT (and this is a big but), you don’t need any of these things to faithfully follow Jesus, make disciples and leave a legacy for God’s Kingdom. You don’t need an open door to be a light in the workplace. You don’t need more money to practice generosity, and you don’t need more time to seek God first and love the people around you. You don’t need any more resources than you currently have to obey God. Faithfulness is never contingent on how little or much we have, and when we become resourceful with what we have, we soon discover that God is already providing for us and will continue to meet every need.