Have you heard the saying, talking trash?

Talking trash is a worldwide colloquialism for when a person is insulting or badgering another individual. Talking trash happens readily at sporting events – boxing weigh-ins, and NBA basketball is the headliners for trash talk.

Talking trash is used to get inside someone’s head and throw off their concentration. It does work. The fact is it is so effective the devil uses it also. Yes, the devil talks trash to Christians.

This is what trash talk from the devils sounds like.

• God does not love you
• You are a sinner
• You know you fail every day
• People at that church don’t care about you.
• No one cares about you
• If God is with you, why are you suffering like this?
• Why are others happy and you’re not?

Negative self-talk 

It has been researched that 2/3 of all words we speak to ourselves are negative. Negative self-talk lowers our self-esteem, and our confidence plunders.

We must guard ourselves against this kind of personal attack. On a spiritual level, negative self-talk inhibits our faith, destroys our identity, and steals our hope.

Pay close attention to the dialogue going on in your heart and mind.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29, KJV)

We must be diligent to use words that edify and build up others.

The power of the tongue

Notice the power of words! Words possess the power to speak life or death. Words turn our lives in the direction our words create. Words cause us to overcome, stumble and fall.

Words empower or dis-empower us.

Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. (James 3:3-4, NKJV)

The symbolism of the tongue as a rudder and a bridle is eye-opening. A small rudder can turn a battleship. And a tiny bit in a horse’s mouth fully controls the horse.

The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” (Proverbs 18:21, NLT)

Life means to be alive, receive, nourish, preserve, quicken, or inspire.  Words of life, release life.

Words of death (negativity), create chaos and unrest.

Words and Jesus

Words have power.

Jesus used the words of His mouth to calm a storm, raise the dead, curse a fig tree, and multiply food.

Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.” (Mark 11:22–24, NKJV)

Mountains are symbolic of troubles and struggles. When our words are mixed with faith, mountains of fear, doubt, and unbelief are removed!  Our words have the mountain-moving ability.

Don’t be a fool

A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, and they go down into the innermost body. (Proverbs 18:6–8, NLT)

It is utter foolishness for us to say everything we think. The Bible says, “those who open wide their lips fall into destruction.”  This is where drama begins – in our mouth.

Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put perverse lips far from you. (Proverbs 4:24, NKJV)

Speaking from our emotions leads to continual drama and a roller coaster lifestyle. The up and down life leads further down the road of negativity. It is proven when we use negative words it leads to negative thoughts and negative behaviors.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45, NKJV)

The Bible reveals a connection between the words of our mouth and the thoughts in our hearts.

The mouth is the printer of the heart.

What’s coming off your printer?

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This post first appeared here.