The past couple of weeks we have been looking at the subject of discipline and success. These two words work hand in hand. There is no success without discipline; and discipline breeds success. As I have stated in the previous articles, success should be something that the Christian strives for. Notice I didn’t say we should strive for money; but rather, we should strive to be the best at what God has called us to do. Money is often the by product of success, but it should not be the motivation. In fact, the deceitfulness of riches can choke out the Word of God in people’s lives (Mt 13:22). We must remain pure and Biblical in our motivation, and know that it is God who will reward us for what we do as unto Him (Col 3:23-24). That being said, I would like us to look at another factor in being successful, and receiving our reward from God. Let’s get into God’s Word.

Proverb 12:14 says this, “A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompense of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him. Notice these two factors: it is not only what a man puts his hand to, but also what he speaks out of his mouth, that determines his success. These principles must work together. If you only speak success, but you don’t put forth any effort to be a success - then you will not prosper. On the other hand, if you diligently put your hand to a particular work, but yet you curse it by continual negative talk - then you will not prosper, either. You must put your hand to the task, and bless it with your mouth.

Since I have already spoken about work ethic prior to this article, I want to spend some time today addressing the issue of a positive confession. While positive confession often gets a bad rap in some Christian circles, we must acknowledge that it is Godly and Biblical. Speaking in a derogatory fashion, some people call it “Blab it and grab it” or “Name it and claim it”. However, is it not God Himself Who calls things that are not as though they are (Rom 4:17)? Is it not Jesus Who said, “Ye shall have whatsoever ye saith” (Mk 11:23-24)? Is it not Paul who said, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth” (Eph 4:29)? By the way, do you see any similarity between Proverb 12:14 & Eph 4:28-29? Interesting.

Is it not Peter who said, “If any man speak, let him speak God’s Word” (1Pt 4:11)? Is it not Solomon who wrote, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov 18:21)? Is it not Jesus Who said, “By your words you will be justified or condemned” (Mt 12:37)? Is it not James who said the tongue is like a rudder that steers a ship, and a bridle that steers a horse (Jam 3:3-10)? Is it not David who said, “Set a watch, oh Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips” (Ps 141:3)? Is it not God Who spoke creation into existence (Gen 1)? There are many more Scriptures on words and the power of the tongue, but these will suffice to make my point clear. To say our words don’t matter is silly at best, and deadly at worst.

Pray the Scriptures. Speak blessings over the work of your hands. Your confession will rule you, so you had better rule it. Many people are hung by their own tongues. Are you a constant complainer? Are you a constant negative talker? Do you constantly confess your lack? Failure? Fear? You have what you say. Imagine if you heard a clap of thunder and a voice from heaven saying, “You have what you say” every time you spoke something negative. I would imagine you would start being real careful about what you spoke out of your mouth. Well, you should do that anyway. The children of Israel said they could not go into the promised land, and God reminded them of their own confession when they didn’t get to go. They got what they said (Num 13: 31-32, 14:28-30).

You will eat the fruit of your mouth. Your words bless or curse. They create or destroy. They build fear or faith. They agree with God’s Word or they agree with the devil. Don’t think you can have an undisciplined tongue and be a success. Loose lips sink not only ships, but lives as well. Bless your family. Bless your work. Bless your things. Bless your church. Be thankful and bless God with your mouth. The spoken blessing is good, Godly, and Biblical. Before you sow another word, start thinking about if you want to eat it later - because you will. Until next time, rejoice in The Lord!