Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 18:20-21(KJV):
20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:20-21(Amp):
20 A man's moral self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth, and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied (whether good or evil).
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge it shall eat the fruit of it (for death or life).

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs is filled with much wisdom and these verses tell us of the power of our words.  Most people do not realize that the things they speak, positive or negative, will affect their lives. We all have known people who are habitual complainers.  They are always confessing a scenario of bad things that could happen. Many of these scenarios do happen to them, because they are not walking in faith. On the other hand, people who voice a positive confession of faith in the face of their troubles, are an inspiration to others and many are granted miracles to overcome the obstacles in their lives.

We must learn to set a guard on our mouths, as it is very important to control our conversation. We will ultimately receive the things that we speak. If we speak evil long enough, it will come to pass; likewise if we speak good. We must also realize that we shall be judged for the things we speak.  In fact, the Bible tells us that the things that come out of our mouths actually reveal the things that are in our hearts.  We all occasionally speak things that we should not speak; however, the things that we speak in abundance are the things in our hearts. The things we embrace in our hearts will bear fruit.  We will reap what we sow with our words, as well as our deeds.

Matthew 12:33-37:
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Verse 21 in our study, tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue.  There is a principle of death and life that exists in the world.   Certain things bring life, while others produce death. An example would be if we do not care for our physical bodies properly, eventually sickness will attack us that can lead to death. On the other hand, eating properly and exercising, etc. bring life and strength to our bodies.

In like manner, the words we speak will bring life to us, or death.  There is another scripture in Proverbs that verifies this.

Proverbs 17:22: "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

For someone to have a merry heart, they will certainly be cheerful in their talk.   We can choose to speak good and cheerful things or we can choose to voice negative things.  We have a term for those who complain all the time.  We say they are "down in the mouth."  We can overcome our problems by speaking the Word of God over them. When I feel weak or tired, I quote this scripture:

Ephesians 6:10: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."

I thank God that I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might.  I do not have to rely on my own strength, but rather, the strength of the Lord. When I voice this scripture as a prayer, soon I actually am stronger and feel better.  However, the opposite will work against me if I start complaining how bad I feel and how weak I feel.   While the feelings may be real, the Word of God is greater than my feelings and as I confess it over my problem, soon I feel better. Truly, life and death are in the power of the tongue.

Psalm 19:14: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, I do thank you for Your goodness to me.  Lord, help me to guard my mouth so that those things that are edifying and good will come out and not those things that contribute to a negative lifestyle.  May I bless others with my tongue and never be guilty of cursing anyone. Let my words be gracious and may they bring healing to others.  Let my words be kind and gentle and loving. May I reflect Your goodness in all that I do.  Forgive me when I say the wrong things. Let me speak and pray the Word of God over my life and others.   Give us all grace to say things that bring life into this world.  I ask this in Jesus' Holy name.  Amen.