29 Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.(Ephesians 4:29, GNT)
These words were spoken by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Ephesus. He is encouraging them to live a life that exemplifies the saving grace that was given to them as a gift. He admonishes the believers to turn away from the ”old self” they were prior to being saved. Now the words of the “new self” should be used in these three important ways:
- Our words should be helpful to build up and empower others to walk worthy and in step with God’s will for their lives.
- Our words should provide the needs of others, whether they need a word of encouragement or the truth of God spoken in love.
- Our words should be beneficial, meaning they add value to the lives of those who hear.
This transformation of speech patterns is a process. Have you learned to speak a foreign language? Have you watched the slow recovery of a person who lost the ability to speak because of a stroke? Both of these examples illustrate that learning a new way to speak does not happen overnight.
In both instances, it was very important to hear, speak, and sometimes read the new words over and over. One of my devotional practices is to read and listen to the daily devotional on the You Version Bible App. In fact, I used one of their devotionals to help me write my devotional for this month.
Here are some Scriptures you can memorize to help you focus on positive thoughts that lead to the speaking of positive words:
1 Peter 2:9
“…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” (NLT)
2 Corinthians 10:5
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (NIV)
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (ESV)
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)
Psalm 139: 4
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.” (NIV)
When God created you, He designed a brain that is divided into regions with specific purposes, that work together to make you who you are. Let’s look at the primary brain structures which function in language and speech acquisition.
- Broca’s area is involved in speech production and articulation.
- Wernicke’s area plays a key role in language comprehension.
- Primary visual cortex is the region of the brain responsible for processing visual information.
- Primary auditory cortex is the region of the brain that receives and processes basic sound information like pitch, frequency, and loudness.
Notice how these four regions of the brain are located near to each other.
Just as God created the brain with different regions that work together, I urge you to be part of a community of believers. Like nutritious food gives life to the body, wholesome words that heal and help give life to the soul. So I challenge you today, to think about how you can speak helpful, needed and beneficial words over those you love and serve and then go do it.
In closing, if you have been wounded by words of criticism, I challenge you today, to ask God to help you forgive the person who spoke those words. If possible, ask God to help you speak to the person in love, and reconcile with them if that is God’s will. When I was a senior in high school, my guidance counselor said to me, “Peggy, you can try college if you want to, but with this low SAT score, you probably will not succeed.”
With my parents support, I enrolled in college because I wanted to be a teacher. I was able to forgive my high school counselor for his negative words. College was difficult for me, but with God’s help and wonderful Christian professors, I was able to have a successful teaching career. God helped me turn around those negative words from my guidance counselor and use them to encourage my students who had reservations for their future in college, trade school, the military or the workforce. Whatever God’s plan is for your life, He will make it possible.
Maybe you are someone who speaks negative thoughts to yourself. Or maybe you haven’t forgiven yourself for something that happened in the past, even though you know that God has forgiven you. You can receive freedom from this burden. Claim the truth found in the Scriptures above plus these two bonus Scriptures! You were not created to live in a bondage of unforgiveness.
2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (ESV)
Romans 8:1-2
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set youfree from the law of sin and death.” (NIV)
https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/ May 15, 2025
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Fearfully and Wonderfully Made 