Within your mouth are miracles. Proverbs tells us there is life and death in the power of the tongue. Do you believe that, or is it just some catchy scripture?

Are you speaking life or are you speaking death? Miracles or misery? It’s your mouth … what are you saying?

Complaining is so easy we don’t even have to try. It takes zero effort to complain about the weather, point out the mess and speak negatively. None. No effort at all.

Have you gotten lazy in your living? Have you grown lazy with your tongue and let it just spew nasty negativity in every direction, creating misery in it’s path and sucking life from all around you?

Does your mouth align with your heart? Check it. A grateful heart simply cannot have a complaining mouth. Is your heart grateful? Then get your mouth in alignment girl!

My mama always told me if you don’t have anything good to say, then say nothing at all. That’s a good rule, maybe we should follow it. How about we try it for today?

I call it the ZIP IT CHALLENGE.

We zip that lip tight against nagging, complaining, bickering, picking, whining, and casually pointing out the negative. News Flash: No one needs you to point out the negative. We all see it. Yes, we know. We are aware of what is happening around here. Your pointed finger and personal input is not required here. Zip it up sister.

I share this not only to make your environment better, because dang will it ever improve the atmosphere of your office and your home if all complaining and negativity is eliminated, but I share this because it is crucial to the very things God is trying to grow in us and around us.

Within you are seeds of God-given potential. Potential trying desperately to grow and become more. God’s purpose is trying to rise up in you, but you keep killing it. How? Your mouth! The words you speak about YOU and your life.

Calling yourself fat, referring to yourself as stuck, pointing out your flaws and shortcomings as if they’re some sort of mark disqualifying you from God’s good plans in your life … girl that’s got to stop. You’re killing what God has put in you. Dwelling on what’s wrong, joining the negative conversation, throwing your words around carelessly. You say things like “this just runs in my family” and “I’ll never change”, or “I’ve always struggled with this” and you hang that noose around your neck like a death sentence trapping you in a little life where you will never be free to experience more. Yes, this is exactly what Proverbs 18:21 means. The MSG translation says it like this “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.”

Check yourself sister. What you are saying to yourself and about yourself is either poisoning your potential, or it is feeding your potential. God gave you these seeds of greatness, now what you do with them determines much of how your life turns out.

Yes, just words. Tiny little words that you speak without even thinking. They come spewing out of your mouth out of habit. And they’re either poisoning or feeding what God started in you.

May I be so bold as to speak some truth at this moment? Girl, SHUT YOUR MOUTH. Stop killing what God wants to do in you.

Zip it. When you catch yourself speaking negatively, adding to the ‘uh-oh squad’, complaining about things you’re unwilling to do a darn thing about, stop yourself in mid-sentence and stop the flow of that poison. What a difference it would make if you practiced this. You want to make a change in the new year? Commit to this simple change … no more negativity. No more complaining. No more nagging. None of it.

We dismiss ourselves by saying “oh, I’m just a worrier and I naturally jump to the negative. It’s just how I’m made.” No it’s not. God didn’t design you to be a worrier. He didn’t hand craft you as a master complainer. THAT WAS NOT HIS DESIGN FOR YOU, THIS HAS BECOME YOUR DEFAULT. You’ve defaulted to some dangerous stuff but it’s so natural now you don’t even notice it.

Have you considered making a commitment to change the way you see things and change the way you speak about things, then ask God to help you in that change?

Only life will flow from this mouth. Death will not be given power by this tongue. Miracles will flow from my mouth where misery was once spewed.

Psalm 107: 2 “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.”

What this scripture is telling us is to talk about what God has done for you. If he has saved you, say so. If he has healed you, say so. If he has blessed you, say so. If he has given you hope, say so. If he has filled you with peace, say so. If he has good plans for you, say so. If he has been faithful to you, say so.

This is life. This is joy. And you know, the joy of the Lord is your strength. You can’t be happy when you’re complaining about how dang cold it is. But when you find the beauty in everything and see God’s fingerprints on it all, you will be filled with joy. And joy is strength. We are STRONG when we speak life.

Misery will not be spoken here. Miracles will come from this mouth.

I’m beginning to understand what potential God has placed within me and within you. It is a game changer. But that potential is either given life with our words, or it is beaten to death with our words. You choose. What will it be for you today?