Friends, where has the focus of your heart rested today? It is good to come to the place of remembrance and think about all the Lord has done for us and what He has brought us through. The psalmist said, “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands” (Psalm 143:5). Like a daily vitamin, it is nourishing for the soul to spend time reflecting on the Lord’s hand in one’s life and letting the thoughts thereof build one’s faith even stronger.
Friend, do you ever feel like you can’t? Oh, how that contraction of perplexity hinders our progress of moving forward. But as we prepare to cross the threshold into the new year, we can choose to override that contraction and replace it with the Bible’s language of faith. The Bible says we “CAN” and when it comes to our faith and where God is leading us in the next season of life, the words of Philippians 3:14 can be a great source of encouragement: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
When traveling through familiar places in our past, we often encounter landmarks, buildings, spaces, people, or things that remind us of certain events or times in our lives.
My mother and I one day traveled down roads and through neighborhoods we had not visited together since I was a kid. As we drove, we pointed out buildings over here and over there that held special memories. We laughed as we remembered, asking each, “Do you remember when…?” when pointing to other spaces.
It was literally our chance to drive down memory lane. Although it took us longer to reach our intended destination, the joy we experienced in traveling through these memories made it more than worthwhile.
In life, I often come upon places, things, persons, or even situations that will spark a memory in my heart, a memory of deliverance. Whatever it is that initiated that spark, the thought of “I remember when…” comes, and I cannot help but stop and thank God for the way He brought me through or stood by my side during that situation.
In the Bible, places were named and marked for various things, including those deliverance moments. In Joshua 4, stones were gathered from the midst of the Jordan by some of the men of Israel, one from each tribe, after the people crossed over on dry ground. The purpose was, “That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever,” (4:6, 7).
Those stones were gathered to remember a moment of God’s deliverance on behalf of His people.
As we encounter things, people, or moments that jar a memory of God’s moving deliverance on our behalf, take a moment to thank God for where He brought you from and what He brought you through, and use that memory to reassure your heart in the faithfulness of our God today. He who has traveled with you in those moments is with you now in these moments of today.
Father God, thank You for all the times of deliverance You have provided in my life. Thank You for all the moments I can reflect and see where Your hand and power have stepped in for my cause and worked on my behalf. There are multiple times when You have kept me from seen and unseen dangers. Thank You for all of those deliverances time and time again. Thank You for Your keeping power, strength, mercy, grace, and help at work for me. Your faithfulness has been so real and I just want to bless Your holy name for continuing to travel with me through this life. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, AMEN.
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“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” Isaiah 43:2
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life . . .” Proverbs 15:4
Oh, my friend, how careful are we to put good things into our bodies? Wholesome foods, filled with nutrition, that will nourish us from the inside out. There is no doubt for us that making good choices concerning the foods we eat affects our overall health and well-being.
To be strong, to be the best version of ourselves, we work diligently to supply this life with the things that are beneficial to us, things that are good, and things that promote health.
What of the words we speak from our mouths and the words we take into our souls?
The words we speak have power. Proverbs 18:21 plainly tells us, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” What we are speaking impacts our lives. How and where we direct our words will affect what is produced from them. The things we speak from us will determine what will be filled within us: “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled” (Proverbs 18:20).
What we speak not only impacts others who hear our words, they impact ourselves when we hear what we say. What we speak feeds us. What we say comes back into our own hearing and seeps its way into our innermost being. If we are wondering why this or that keeps happening, start monitoring the words you are speaking into your own environment, into your own life. “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health” (Proverbs 12:18).
So, too, do the words we allow to come into our space, into our hearing, affect us. When the Bible teaches “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21), that mindfulness to guard words is not limited to what comes out of our mouths, but we are to be aware of what is coming from the mouth of others, from their tongues, that we are allowing to infiltrate our world.
Constantly opening ourselves to words of negativity and unwholesome speech can influence how we live and how we think. Unwholesome speech can be poisonous to the life that is trying to live holy and healthy, to the life that wants to produce good fruits.
This is why Paul encourages us: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8). To have a wholesome and spiritually healthy life, these are the things you want to hear. These are the things you give permission to enter the space of your hearing and thinking.
Wholesome words make a difference to a wholesome life. Guard your space and satisfy yourself with the good things that are developed and produced from good words. Good words are healthy. Good words build up. Good words restore. Invest in yourself, your space, and your life with the benefits of good words.
