“My dish was delicious,” my friend said as we finished lunch at our favorite Asian restaurant.

Before receiving the bill, a waitress came to the table with a tray. “Fortune cookies for you,” she said with a lovely accent.

Although I don’t believe in that stuff, I took one. And it read: The worst lies you hear are those you tell yourself.

Could the fortune cookie speak truth?

Oh my, for the first time this silly cookie contained a true statement. How many times have I done that? Have you? We mess up and what comes out of our mouth are…ahem…lies. “Oh, what an idiot I am.” We talk down to ourselves more than we realize.

Have you said one of these: I can’t handle this stress, I’m way too overwhelmed, I’m so afraid, I’m horrible at controlling my diet, I hate the way I look, I don’t think I can ever manage that, I’m reaching the end of my rope, I’m sick and tired of…

Allow me to sound the trumpet of caution. If repeating any of the above becomes a habit, you’re giving them power because your tongue holds the power of life and death (See Proverbs 18:20).

Life and death? Gulp. What you say will eventually manifest itself. Your words have the ability to put destructive weight on your thoughts, they could taint your attitude, steer you in the wrong direction, and goodness gracious, eventually, those words will usher in exactly what they say.

But when God’s Word speaks louder and His truth resonates more powerfully in your heart, that’s when victory arrives. When it does, a new scenery appears, a new horizon comes to view.

First Steps:

And before you know it, even when the circumstance doesn’t change, you’re singing the melody of victorious joy. Since that joy is just around the corner here are the first steps to meet it:

First, acknowledge the harm in those lies we say about ourselves. And recognize where they come from. Jesus said: “He the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 NIV)

Do the words that slip from your lips align with the lies from the enemy? Or do they align with the truth in God’s Word?

Two. Ask God to transform your words: “Set a guard over my mouth, O lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3 NIV)

When God hears our pleas, His compassion. Faithfulness and love work to lift us up.

Three. Commit to change your words to reflect who you truly are. “My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long…” because as the psalmist says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 35:28 and Psalm 139:14 NIV)

If we silence those negative words and realize who we are, what we can do, how far we can reach and where we can end up…our words shine with optimism as they’re based on God’s truth.

Should we open a fortune cookie, we might find silly nonsense. But when we open God’s Word, we’ll find His truth, powerful, solid and capable to erase negative words.

And when you conquer negative talk, there’s room to celebrate the joy. When praises, edifying words, and positive comments flow from your lips, the enemy is silenced, your attitude is transformed, your days look brighter, and joy begins to grow.

Let’s Pray Father for so long, I’ve been tempted to speak negativity into my life. Thank You for showing me the path to freedom from that habit. Thank You, that You accompany me as I choose words that edify, that give you glory and empower me during my journey to victory. In Jesus’ name.

What words slip from your lips these days?

Further reading: The tremendous power of our words.

Janet P. Eckles