If you call your child a loser, he will probably end up a loser. If you call your child lazy, they will probably end up lazy. If you call yourself undisciplined, you will stay undisciplined. If you call yourself broken, you will stay broken.
Pastor Jack Graham tells a story about a professional baseball catcher who went to visit inmates at a prison. A prisoner asked him what made him great. Jim Sundburg {the catcher} responded, "My dad...he was the ultimate encourager. When I was little, I had a great arm. I could throw the ball through a wall, but I had a hard time hitting the wall. But instead of jumping on me, my dad encouraged me. I guess I just fulfilled the expectations of my father who believed in me."
A prisoner stood up and said, "Well, I fulfilled my dad's expectations of me too. All he told me my whole life was what a loser I was...how I couldn't do anything right and I'd end up in jail someday."
Proverbs 18:21 states, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it should eat the fruit thereof." What we speak has power to build up or destroy. Steven, my son, was home recently and he told me he never speaks without choosing his words carefully. I can never recall him hurting anybody with his words.
God calls us saints, new creatures, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. {I Peter 2:9} He tells us we are dead and freed from sin. He calls us many good things once we believe. He never calls us anything negative once we are His child.
If you have noticed that at the end of every post this past week, I have a sentence reminding you who you are in Christ. This is so important if you want to live a godly life for it is God who works powerfully inside of you to do His good pleasure. We are called to encourage one another daily. You are not alone. You have the power of the most holy God living inside of you.
Now He wants you to become an encourager: to your husband, to your children, to your neighbors, to anyone that God puts into your path. Only speak words that build and lift people up for this is what God does for us and wants us to do for others.
***We are no longer called sinners, but saints. God has clothed us with His righteousness and taken us out of the kingdom of darkness so that we might be a light to others.
