“With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.” (Psalm 119:13 NKJV)
“I speak continually of your laws as I recite out loud your counsel to me.” (Psalm 119:13 TPT)
“I have recited aloud all the regulations you have given me.” (Psalm 119:13 NLT)
“With my lips I have told of all the ordinances of Your mouth.” (Psalm 119:13 AMP)
“With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from Your mouth.” (Psalm 119:13 HCSB)
“With my lips I have rehearsed all the judgments of your righteousness.” (Psalm 119:13 ABIPE)
I can remember as a kid, whenever someone would say something hurtful to me I would quickly say back to them, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” While saying that helped take the initial sting out of their words, down deep their words still hurt. While the intent of this saying may have been to protect myself from the harm of their words, it didn’t actually work. The truth is that words are very powerful for good or bad. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (NIV).
As I am pondering Psalm 119:13 up from my spirit is flowing Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (ESV). Speaking the Word of God is a very powerful force which changes whatever it touches. When I speak aloud words of blessing, the blessings that I speak begin to take form. When I speak forth words of cursing then the curses that I speak do the same. I am able to add life to everything around me as I speak words of life. And I am able to bring death to my environment when I speak words of death.
Perhaps a more accurate rendition of the child’s phrase that I started with would be, “While sticks and stones may break my bones, words hold power to kill me.” They also hold power to keep me alive. The words that I declare need to be based in the truth of the Word. As I tell, rehearse, recite aloud, proclaim, declare, and speak continually, the ordinances, judgments, laws, and regulations that come from the mouth of God things happen.
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10 BSB)
I am considering my confession as I consider…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 287: Clean Living (Psalm 119:9-16) – Part 6 – Verse 13