Not tonight, Catherine!

The power and authority of words

I feel like I have been hit with a revelation this week regarding the power of words and the authority they can have over you life.

Words carry immeasurable significance: The universe was created with a word; Jesus healed and cast out demons with a word; rulers have risen and fallen by their words. Words create impressions, images and expectations. They build psychological connections. They influence how we think. Since thoughts determine actions, there's a powerful connection between the words we use and the results we get.

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

According to the Scriptures, the tongue has a power. Notice it says here, "the power of the tongue". It is obvious that the power referred to here is not the physical power of the tongue as a muscle, but the power of the words it produces. I've never heard of the word "tongue" used in relation to God Himself. It is a word used of human speech. So we can see that the Word of God is saying that our speech is tremendously important, powerful and significant. So much so that our words are a matter of life and death. Perhaps this is why Jesus declared, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:36). "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:37). These declarations of Jesus Christ should cause us to sit up and take notice, and consider very carefully what kind of words are coming out of our mouths and why.

Sitting at a lunch table with several other women my age, this very topic came up. One girl who is eight-month-pregnant told about a guy she knew who casually said, “Once your baby is here, your husband won’t be number one anymore, she will!” She responded, “Don’t speak that over me.” He said, “But it’s true. Once that baby gets here, it will be all about her!” She said again, “Don’t speak that over me.” … and walked away.

Examine the places in your life where people speak to you calling you something you are not, giving you responsibilities that are not appropriate, calling you to be anything other than what our Creator has already created us to be.

How careless are we, reading horoscopes, plastering them to our Facebook pages through a random generator. We can not be so trusting to allow words spoken over us randomly. What an upper-hand that allows for Satan… the master deceiver. I choose TRUTH! God’s truth over my life is His breath and His word! I ask you Lord now… Father God, please give us a discerning heart to know what YOU, our Creator, has called us to be. I ask that the blood of Christ cleanse our hearts. I believe what Jesus and Solomon both said, that our words have power. Co-operating with the Holy Spirit, we will start to harness our tongues to produce much good fruit through our lives. Help us to recognize when words are spoken over us in a way that does not honor you. Our lives are dedicated to you and we are submitted to you for your glory!!

John 14:18

Five years in and I have found myself more content than I have ever been in my entire life. We celebrated our anniversary on July 30th weekend by having Joe's parents keep the kids in Knoxville for the weekend. It is amazing how much ground we were able to cover in our conversations without the children in those three short days.

Them the sweetest gift ever, my yearly homemade card had an extra something special in it.....



"Thank you so much for sharing your life with me, and for helping us raise two (so far)... wonderful children."

How blessed I am to have a Godly husband with a softened heart for the least of these. Adoption has been in our conversations for years now, but to me, this was a confirmation that he we are both on the same page.

We are wanting to start the process next year and have our eyes and hearts wide open to wherever God leads us.... expecting somewhere in Africa though. Please pray for our decisions, large and small, to always honor God and that He receives the glory for all things glorious!

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Driving to and from Knoxville from Murfreesboro, I always noticed several signs advertising oriental massage. One, in particular, is the Rainbow Spa. Have you seen it? I guess they stuck the sign on the side of the interstate to lure in truckers.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am super sensitive to spiritual warfare and I have always had a weird feeling passing this sign. I suspected that it was a place where illegal activity was taking place... probably prostitution, possible under-aged girls who had become desperate to feel loved or desperate for money...

I attended a two day leadership summit last week where I was able to hear the testimony and life passion of Christine Caine, with the A21 Campaign, which stands for “Abolish Injustice in the 21st Century.” A21 is committed to the abolition of human trafficking by rescuing girls caught in sex slavery, and bringing them freedom, justice, and hope. Currently, A21 is focusing their work in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece - with the long-term goal of moving into other areas of Europe where there is a need. The statistics are horrific. An estimated 27 million people are held in slavery worldwide. Every 30 seconds, another person falls victim to human trafficking. In fact, human trafficking is the number one crime worldwide. The average age of a trafficked victim is 14, and the average victim is forced to have sex up to 20 times a day.

Christine discovered the magnitude of this atrocity while walking through an airport in Greece. Plastered on the walls were posters of missing women and children, some as young as 6 years old, which she later discovered were faces of people who had become victims of human trafficking. Christine began researching this global injustice, heard countless stories of women and children being forced into prostitution, and decided immediately that doing nothing was no longer an option.

Regardless of our location on the globe, our denominational affiliation, our past, or our God-given gifts and talents there is a connection through the cross of Christ that is unmatched. For this reason, I can feel just as connected to a ministry half-way around the world as I do something happening right across the street. Who know, it could be here right under our noses.

Mountain Dew Mouth

Appalachia...No 1 in the nation in toothlessness. According to dentists, one of the main cultprits is Mountain Dew soda. With 50 percent more caffeine than Coke or Pepsi, Mountain Dew seems to be used as a kind of anti-depressant for children in the hills.

Anyone else need a reason to kick the daily soda habit?

See video here.