Lord, Shut My Mouth - Breaking Through OffensesSample

What words have been spoken to you, that made a negative impact on your life? What about words that were said to you that were a big encouragement? Words are powerful. God says that there is life and death in the tongue. And I’m sure you’ve felt both sides of that. The danger comes when we allow the words of others to define us.

The more weight we put into other peoples’ words, the heavier the burden of desire for acceptance by others is. Yeah, that’s deep. But it’s been very true for me. I spent years of my life thinking that my identity was defined by the opinions of others. I wanted to be told I was beautiful, smart, successful – I wanted to be viewed as valuable. So much so, that I sacrificed my own values. I did things to fit in, that were against my beliefs. I sought out attention because I thought it would fill me up. And instead, it left me emptier than a shopaholic’s bank account.

When we start to spiritually mature, we learn to separate people’s words from our identity. How we use our words and how we are affected by other’s words – both shift with a Godly perspective. How we process and react to words from others will change, the more we align our heart with the word of GOD. The more you know about what God wants you to focus on, the less time you have to focus on what other people think and say about you.

You see, when we are in the word and longing to know more about him – we discover our identity in HIM and not in what we have been told or even what we feel! And that brings true freedom from the bondage of other’s words. When you know the truth of the bible, then you are equipped to overcome the lies of the enemy! Those words that have wounded and scarred you and the false identities that you’ve believed for years.

And when you understand that God’s words are more valuable than any words people speak to you, then you start to really not give a rip about the opinions of others. Words that once might have broken us, no longer have power over us because we know who we are, in Christ. And it becomes much easier to channel your inner Elsa, and just let things go.