Every word that comes out of our mouths has power in it—creative or destructive, positive or negative. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Whether we murmur and complain or give thanks and keep a positive attitude, we are feeding our body, mind and spirit. So, if you’re not enjoying your life, the best thing you can do is think about what you’ve been talking about.
First Peter 3:10 says, “He who would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.” Our joy is connected to what we say. And one of the ways we can instantly increase our joy is to stop talking about all of our problems.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with gratitude, make your requests known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will protect your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
These verses show us that when we put our faith in God, we can stay in peace in every situation in our lives. The question is, when we pray and ask God to change something in our lives, are we releasing our faith?
We need to understand that the moment we pray, God goes to work on that situation. And after we pray, what we say while we’re waiting to see the answer to our prayer is very, very important. So pray and then say something to enhance your prayers─speak faith-filled words. After I pray, I set myself to believe that God is working no matter what I see … no matter what it feels like. Because oftentimes when it seems nothing is happening, that’s when God is doing what we need the most.
Another way we can instantly increase our joy is by using our words to encourage those around us. Proverbs 18:20 says, “A man’s stomach will be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips will he be filled.” Every word is like a seed and it brings some kind of harvest in our lives. If you give others joy with your words, you will increase your own joy. If you want to enjoy your life, let God use you to make other people happy. Because the happier you make other people, the happier you will be.
Encouraging words can also bring healing, by simply saying things like “I appreciate you. Forgive me. I’m sorry and I was wrong.” I was not what I would call a natural encourager, but I made a commitment to God years ago to start encouraging people on purpose. Now I ask God every day, “Who can I encourage today? How can I build someone up?” It’s amazing how much better life can be when you give someone an encouraging word every day.
We can also increase our joy by being thankful and saying it. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!” Thank God for every blessing that you can think of. Every morning I like to have what I call a “blessing session.” It’s when I take time to thank God for working in my life. One thing I’ve learned is when we’re waiting for a breakthrough, we need to thank Him for working on that situation behind the scenes. I also thank God for my husband, children and grandchildren as well as all of our partners and all of the people who work with us in spreading the gospel through our ministry.
God wants you to enjoy your life. I hope you will really get this message today and be encouraged to know that when you face challenges in life, you can make them better or worse by the way you talk about them.
I don’t believe we can change all of our circumstances into pleasant ones by making positive confessions, but we can increase our joy and peace in the midst of them when we choose to speak in agreement with God and learn to say what He says.
Joyce Meyer is a New York Times best-selling author and founder of Joyce Meyer Ministries Inc. She has authored more than 100 books, including Battlefield of the Mind and Living Courageously (Hachette). She hosts the Enjoying Everyday Life radio and TV programs, which air on hundreds of stations worldwide. For more information, visit joycemeyer.org.
