Devotionals for the Heart: How to use the power of our words wisely

The Power of Words
A devotional by Desiree Future

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

— Proverbs 16:24 (KJV)

Years ago, an interesting thing occurred while I worked in an office building.

Just returning from my break, a woman approached me. She looked a little bit troubled. With crossed arms and furrowed brows, she immediately began to ramble. Noticing her body language of frustration and not wanting to further her initial angered state, I replied in the best way I could. Smiling brightly, I responded “Good morning.” The woman took a deep breath and relaxed her hunched shoulders. Replacing her frown with a smile, she greeted me as well.

She asked me if I knew where the doctor’s office was in the building. I assisted her so she could find her way. She shook my hand in a thankful gesture before heading in the right direction to her appointment.

In this thing we call life, someone is always going through something. My private matters can be ten times worse than yours. The person standing in front of you in the grocery line could have issues the size of Texas. Unless you know them personally, you cannot understand the depth of their pain.

Real-life scenarios that cause deep pain include but are not limited to: A man evicted from his apartment desperately seeks shelter for his wife and their kids. A single mother of four children struggles to decide whether to pay the electric bill or feed her hungry kids. An older gentleman without health insurance franticly searches for ways to pay for his much-needed surgery so he can return to work.

What is going on in the minds of people who are suffering is more than likely reflected on their faces. The weight of the world is beating them down to the ground. Feelings of heartache and despair have taken up permanent residency in the place where their beautiful smile once resided.

The examples of everyday stories above are just a few of the troubles we might go through in our lives. For most of us having to endure any hardship is very difficult, especially if you’ve never been in that place before. In times like this, we all need to hear a kind word. I brought a smile to that woman’s face simply by saying “Good morning.” That was all it took to change her demeanor. My simple greeting to her could have meant she didn’t hurt herself or someone else.

Some people say that words are irrelevant and mean absolutely nothing. However, I beg to differ because I’ve seen and heard a lot in the fifty-plus years of my life. I’ve had hurtful and painful things hurled at me like daggers from all different sides. All I wanted to do was cry because my circumstances were so bad and beyond my control. But by the grace of God, I’ve experienced a healing touch that is as light as a feather. God saw fit to mend my wounds by putting people in my life to help me along the way.

God often puts people in your life to guide you in the direction you must go. Whether they come and give you a five-second encouraging word or become your life-long confidant, He will send you a rescuer just for you.

Remember: Words say and do more than you know. It’s how you choose to use them that’s important. Saying “Good morning” or “Thank you” or “Please” and “Goodnight” goes a long way. You never know what someone is going through and whether they need to hear something to make them stronger.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, I pray that the person reading this will understand that they are just as powerful as the words they use. Let them speak life into others by lifting them up and not tearing them down. Help us all to be more like You. In Jesus's Name, I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: “Speak Life” by TobyMac. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Desiree Future is a self-improvement blogger at “Hope Faith & A Smile” where she pens inspirational and encouraging posts. 

This blog that she started as a place for her upcoming novel turned into something far more than she expected. It developed into a home for conversations with people from all walks of life. By writing about everyday events that occur in her world she makes her posts very relatable. As some commenters have said, “Desiree talks to us and not at us.”

In 2013, she self-published The Pastor’s Heart, a Christian romance novel. The following year in 2014, she self-published its sequel, It’s a New Season.

Desiree has been a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) since 2020. She’s also been a member of a writing critique group through her local ACFW Chapter since 2021. Several of her articles have appeared on the official blog for ACFW. In 2022, she became a contributing author in the encouraging devotional, The Courage to Write.

This child of God may not have a church home yet, but God is first in her life.

Desiree is a cancer survivor who calls New Jersey home. She enjoys traveling to different places to spark ideas for her next article. She likes thrifting and going to the theater to see the latest matinee.

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Connect with Desiree:

Website: https://desireefuture.com/

E-mail: desireefuturewrites@hotmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Gracious Words, Health, Honey and Healing

Gracious Words
A devotional by Melissa Henderson

“Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”

~Proverbs 16:24 (NIV) 

Have you considered your words lately? What about your thoughts? Who did you have conversations with today? Reflecting back on this day and recent times, have you shown the glory of God in your words and actions?

Each day, we are given opportunities to shine His love to others. When things are going great and life is lovely, we are happy to share good news and be joyful in discussions with others.

What about those times when life is tough and we feel like venting?

Those times when someone cuts in front of us in the traffic line, or someone gives a not so nice opinion, or something happens at your job and you just feel like you could scream. How do you handle those times? Are your words soothing and calming, gracious and sweet to the soul?

Or are your words angry and defensive, bitter to you and to others?

These are times when we definitely need to pause and ask God for help. Ask Him for peace of mind and heart. Ask Him for the words He would like you to share with others. 

Ask… Ask…

He knows our hearts. He knows exactly what we need.

Imagine having a conversation with someone and the words from the other person are hurtful and angry. Maybe tears flow as the first reaction was unbelief at what was being said. The next reaction might be to defend yourself with hurtful words. How would that help the situation?

Instead, what if you walked away from the conversation? What about pausing to pray and asking God for the words He wants you to share? Or maybe God wants you to stay quiet in this particular instance. Ask Him for guidance.

How do you feel when someone gives you a compliment? When words spoken to you are gracious and sweet to the soul. Does that kindness cause you to want to respond in kindness?

Do you easily lift up others with gracious words and friendliness? We may never know what someone is experiencing in their life. Gracious words can change the perspective of a person who needs love and kindness.

Say hello to the cashier at the store, to the letter carrier, to a neighbor. Ask “How are you?” and truly pause to listen to the answer. Visit a nursing home and listen to the stories of the people there. Their lives are full of magnificent journeys. Taking a walk in the neighborhood on the weekend often brings a chance to speak with people we may not see during the week.

Listen to how you speak to others, in person and on the phone. Are you shining God’s love in your words and your actions? A smile and friendly words can soothe and heal the heart.

Listen to the way people speak to you. Is there something bothering them and they need comfort by your words?

Many questions and many things to consider. Words are a very special way to show others His love and grace. I pray today will be a day full of gracious words.

Blessings,

Melissa Henderson

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Author Bio:

Melissa Henderson and her husband Alan live in South Carolina.

Married for over 38 years, they have one son (Mike) who is married to daughter-in-love (Christine) and now are blessed by precious grandson (Rowan).

Melissa was taught the love of reading and writing at an early age from her parents. She is now working on her first inspirational fiction novel.

Her passions are volunteering, Bible Studies and reading and writing. Connect with Melissa online, https://mimionlife.wordpress.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: The Power of the Written Word

The Power of the Written Word
A devotional by Patrick E. Craig

“The pen is mightier than the sword.” 

This often repeated phrase was first coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy in 1839. It has been said of Bulwer-Lytton that he “had the good fortune to do, what few men can hope to do: he wrote a line that is likely to live for ages.” And it is true. These words ring down through the years because they reveal an inherent archetypal truth—the written word has enormous power: power to lift up, power to destroy, to bring joy or despair, to illuminate the truth or encase it in shadow.

The Power to Persuade: The written word can change minds, it can bring down kingdoms, and it can set new standards of truth and morality. The Nazi Joseph Goebbels once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” And all around us in these fractured times we see writers who are telling “a big lie” and telling it often—the media is full of this kind of writing. The fruit is that God and his Word are being excised from the day-to-day lives of many people who are being persuaded by what they read.

The Power to Pervade: The written word is powerful in its capacity to pervade the mind and heart of those who read it. When someone picks up a book, there is an implied acceptance of the ideas the author is trying to get across. The reader is thereby opened to the words and thoughts contained therein. Because of this acceptance, written words can penetrate a resistant heart, simply because the choice to read the book opens the door to the truth it contains.

The Power to Testify: I Peter 3:15 (KJV) tells us…“and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear…”

Your testimony as a Christian is one of the most powerful weapons against the work of darkness that God has given you. And a written testimony of the grace of God and His power to bring love and forgiveness out of the most terrible circumstances is one of the most powerful witnesses to those who are longing for peace in their troubled lives. Consider the impact of a work such as The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, or Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot. These written words have reverberated through the years and are lasting proof that God is who He says He is and that He does what He says He will do.

The Power of Permanence: One of the inherent marvels of the written word is its permanence. A sentence you speak can change with each repetition. I am reminded of the game “Telephone” where someone whispers a phrase into the next person’s ear and the phrase is passed around the circle that way. When the last person compares what they heard to what was originally spoken the results can be amazing and hilarious since the original meaning is usually entirely lost. The written word, on the other hand, remains powerful because it can be replicated exactly and reproduced many times as it was written.

Now, here's the point: Jesus is called The Word because He came to communicate God through the things He did and said. His followers wrote down eyewitness accounts and revelations from Jesus and because of that God is communicated to us through the written word. That word persuades, pervades, and testifies of God on every page. It is also permanent.

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

~ Matthew 24:35 (KJV)

So, if you are a follower of Christ and a writer then it behooves you to communicate God to a lost and dying, hurting world through your writing. You must let God communicate himself to you. Listen as the Holy Spirit gives you the story He wants to tell and then use that story to persuade, pervade, and testify of God. I'm not saying preach, I'm saying tell His story. That's what Christian writing is all about.

Homework: Consider writing down your own testimony as a witnessing tool to share with those who need Christ. You might be surprised how effective you can become to witness the power of God and the truth of the Gospel.

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Author Bio:

Patrick E. Craig is a lifelong writer and musician who left a successful songwriting and performance career in the music industry to follow Christ in 1984. 

In 2011 he signed a three-book deal with Harvest House Publishers to publish his Apple Creek Dreams series. His current series is The Paradise Chronicles. The first book in the series, The Amish Heiress, a romantic suspense novel, was published by Patrick's company, P&J Publishing, in August of 2015 and remained on the Amazon Top 100 best sellers list in three categories for seven months.

The second book in the series, The Amish Princess, a historical romance novel, was released in December of 2016 and was on Amazon's Hot New Releases for over a month. Harlequin recently purchased the print rights for both books for their Walmart Amish series. Patrick also just released Cracking The Indie Egg—A Recipe For Publishing Your Own Book and it is available in most major digital bookstores.

Patrick and his wife Judy, make their home in Idaho. They have two married children and five grandchildren. Patrick is represented by the Steve Laube Agency.

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Connect with Patrick:
Website - www.patrickecraig.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PatrickECraig
Twitter - https://twitter.com/PatrickECraig
Amazon Author page - http://tinyurl.com/n6sfagg

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Devotionals for the Heart: The Power of Words and Kindness

Words, How Do You Use Them?
A devotional by Tammy Karasek

When words are spoken in haste, they can either edify or tear down. Yet once spoken, they cannot be retrieved. Have you ever been hurt by people’s words? I know I have been crushed.

I have one of those memory banks that are both a blessing and a curse. I tend to remember just about everything. And I do mean EVERYTHING — both good and bad. The harder I try to forget the bad, the more it seems to commit to staying. I could probably list more times of hurtful words than my poor writing hand could handle.

Now that I’m much more mature in age, I have been purposely trying to go to those memories and see if the comments were truth or if they were lies. Then those that were not true, prayerfully choose to let the words go. I’ve tried to see where the person was coming from. Some times they were thrown out as an opinion, other times; there may have been slight truth to the comment. I’m sure soon after the person spewed out the harsh comments, they moved on. I, on the other hand, have given those words way too much time replaying in my mind. I’ve realized that the more I’ve held the memory, the more the memory has held me . . . and my heart.

I’m grateful to God those hurtful situations are mostly gone from my memory. But you see it’s the deep hurtful words, the words spoken to the heart by those we love that are the hardest to let go. They were spoken. And sadly, remembered. Yet, through prayer, they can diminish as well.

Recently I read this verse in my daily quiet time with God:

“Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you — for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.” 

~Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 

Wow! That’s big.

It tells me to not pay such close attention to every word spoken, because I may hear “cursing” — or hurtful words. Then the second verse says that I know I’ve done this same thing.

Wait, what did that say?

Did that just say that I know I’ve done it, too? No way – not me. I love words. I wouldn’t do that. I know the pain of mean comments, so I for sure wouldn’t do that. Would I? Have I?

Yes, God says I’ve done it, too. Oh, how I did not like reading that. That verse really caught my attention and has made me slow down before I speak too soon. Will the words I’m about to say help or hurt the person. If they may hurt, are they necessary for growth? If not, I don’t say them.

Some words are necessary to hear for our good, but if they’re hurtful and untrue, will you give them to God first? Let Him show you if it was given in truth and something you needed to hear. Do not let them consume your heart.

Harsh and hurtful words are going to be flung at us. That is a guarantee. Yet scripture reminds us that we‘re going to fling ‘em, too.

As I’m learning to “not pay attention to every word people say” as the verse above says, may I encourage you to do the same? And I’m not off the hook either; I also need to remember to not flippantly throw out those possible hurtful words to others.

What are your thoughts on words? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

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Author bio: 

You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life. Tammy’s past filled with bullying and criticism is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and share with them the Reason to smile. 

She’s been blissfully wedded to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 36 years, mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and wrapped around the paw of a little puppy named Hattie. 

She’s the President of Cross N Pens Christian Writers and a member of ACFW. She will be published in the 2018 Divine Moments book – Cool-nary Moments.
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Connect with Tammy:
Blog - http://www.tammykarasek.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/tickledpinktam
Email - tickledpinktammy@gmail.com

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