May I Have A "Word" With You?

I started to title this Happy Holidays, but then there is so much talk about what we ought to say during this time of the year. My reason for wanting to say Happy Holidays is because there are several coming up and I wanted to cover them all: namely I pray you have a Merry Christmas, continue to practice the principles of Kwanzaa, and may the New Year be blessed beyond your greatest imagination.

I'm working on the Blessed Trinity trilogy (finishing up Book 3 while handling copyedits for Book 1). The other day I was talking with some people, and it seems many folks are down these days. I hate to use the word "depressed" because words do have power. The Bible tells us that life and death or in the power of the tongue. Out of the heart the mouth speaketh. Our thoughts have power. Our words have power. We must be mindful of how we use this power.

I often tell people, Satan really has no power. He knows we have it. Our mouths can get us in trouble if we're not careful. If Satan can get you talking wrong, then guess what? He has used your god-given powers to defeat you. If you can only get this in your heart, your life would change. Satan places images before you (some of it appears real; some is just our imagination). What many people do is speak what they see with their eyes or the fear they have in the hearts. Satan will focus your attention on what you "don't have" what's "not going right" and other things that can get you down. What you need to do is focus on what you DO HAVE. What you have accomplished. Don't discount those things; they serve as markers so you can see just how far God has brought you.

When talking with and encouraging people this past week who were a little down (and you know we also have to encourage ourselves, me included), my goal was to turn toward what God has already done. Start speaking out of your mouth from that perspective and see how the present changes. What you do and say today does affect your tomorrow. Remember that when you speak. When David was preparing to face and fight Goliath there's a lot he could have focused on. Instead, he focused on what God had already done for him (there was a bear and a lion he faced in the past and he defeated them both). When you do that, it builds you up and puts you in a place for God to do great things now. As David declared about the giant Goliath, who is this uncircumcised Philistine who dares to come against our God.

So if you're a little put out because things don't seem to be going the way you thought or had hoped, focus on what you have. And remember: You're made in the image of God. And God said . . . and it was so. Watch your mouth; protect your heart; and speak only those things you desire to manifest. Speak it in the present tense ("I am", "I have") and watch the power of God work. May I have a "Word" with You? Lift up your head, o ye gates. Gates keep things in and keeps things out.

Until next time . . .
Vanessa Davis Griggs
http://www.VanessaDavisGriggs.com