Good morning people who understand the potent power of your words.

Proverbs 18:21 MEV Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs is about wisdom, and it is also about the power of what we speak and listen to. Today’s verse, although it is so well known, is more powerful than many of us often live mindful of. So, let’s simply stop today and take this verse at face value.

Your tongue, my tongue, our tongue has in it the power of death and life.

I know you “know” this, but do you know this?

I “know” this, and yet upon reflection, I don’t think I often really know this. If I truly knew the truth of this truth, my language would often be different. I feel it is imperative that we are honest today.

A more factual reality is that we often know our words are important – this we accept. But knowing the importance can still result in us being careless. Sometimes we have even said words like, “I didn’t really mean what I said”.

Words are more than important – they can literally release death and life. Words can kill dreams or words can bring dreams to life. Words can destroy seeds of greatness or words can water seeds of greatness and result in those seeds producing great eternal fruit.

Many dreams and divine callings have lived or died because of words spoken.

We will eat the fruit of the words that we speak, the words that we listen to, and the words that we allow to take root in our hearts. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Are you speaking death or life over yourself and others?

Jesus came to give life. Therefore, may our words partner with His mission.

Good morning people who trust God fully as you wait for your miracle.

Proverbs 18:14 MEV The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear?

God is the Healer. Jesus healed many as He walked the earth, and He made provision for healing through His death and resurrection. Praise God!

But it is also true that not every sickness is healed here and now. Even the apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to take away the thorn in his flesh that was sent to torment him. The Lord’s response was “My grace is sufficient for you.”

I know some people that are physically well and yet their spirit (heart) is wounded. There is a heaviness and a sadness there despite not being sick.

Conversely, I know plenty of people who are presently walking through major illness, yet their spirit is alive and their confident and verbal trust in God is a living testimony of their walk with Father! That is what this verse is talking about!

I hear the words, “A wounded spirit is more damaging than a wounded body.” Wow!

Sometimes the translation of verses doesn’t quite convey Father’s intention as well as it could. I think this verse is one of those instances. Let me explain.

The word sustain here means to keep in, to maintain. Scripture is not telling us that the spirit of a godly man will keep him in his infirmity; or will keep him remaining in his infirmity. It doesn’t mean that godly people will stay sick.

What God wants us to hear is that a God-confident spirit will keep us secure in Him, even in the midst of having an infirmity. It is us who is sustained, not the sickness!

May we know what it is to be sustained in God, even while walking through the difficulty of waiting for our miracle of healing.

Good morning people who fully immerse yourself in the fullness of God.

Proverbs 18:10 MEV The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.

I’m excited about the truth of today’s BIY!

On the surface, this verse indicates that when we are in trouble, we should call out the name of Jesus. Firstly, let me say that this is a brilliant truth and we should do it! But secondly, we need to understand that it is much more than speaking a name. Let’s lean in.

The word name in this verse means honour, authority, character. Oh, this is good!

I am instantly reminded of the powerful verse below:

Matthew 28:19 MEV Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The word name in this verse also means authority, character. The word baptising means to immerse, submerge.

Now, let’s look at our opening verse again.

The strong tower that the righteous run into and are safe is the honour, authority and character of the fullness of who the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are! As we fully immerse ourselves IN GOD, we are safe!

May we all set our hearts on knowing God better and on running into Him.

Good morning people who stay connected and humbly welcome wisdom from others.

Proverbs 18:1-2 MEV He who separates himself seeks his own desire; he seeks and quarrels against all wisdom. A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.

We were made for community. God Himself exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Perfect unity, and yet different functions.

It is also true that in community we can be hurt. I have experienced this, and many of you have too.

So, what should we do?

We walk the journey of healing as required. I’ve had to do this, and I still do when necessary. As we do so, we need to guard our hearts against becoming jaded and bitter. It is easy to withdraw when we are hurt, but it will not result in long term health.

These verses also highlight that some people separate themselves from community not because they are hurt, but because they are self-willed. They want what they want, and they will not allow anyone to stand in their way. Their opinion is exalted above the wisdom that is found in godly community, and it is always to their own peril.

I have found that when people withdraw from Father’s created pattern of community, they seek and quarrel against all wisdom. They justify it with religious sounding jargon, but that is all it is – jargon. The result is inevitably deception that leads to being derailed. Others can see it, but the one who won’t listen to godly counsel powers on in their own blindness. It is very sad to see.

One more important thing that I feel Father wants to highlight in this corrective BIY is this: those who withdraw from Father’s designed community will often start to associate with other “like-minded” communities, or start a community of their own with others that are disgruntled. Again, it often sounds right to those who are hurting, but the measure should be in the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. It can also be measured by what they say about others in the body of Christ.

How is your commitment to God-honouring and people-loving community?

How is your commitment to listening to the godly wisdom of other people?