Read with me, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21

“Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39

I want to remind us today of the importance God has placed on the way and what we say. Throughout Proverbs much emphasis is laid on the significance of words, having words likened to honeycomb, thrusts of a sword, healing,   a snare, deep waters, a fountain of wisdom. What we say can bring life or death, freedom or bondage, hope or despondency. Our words are powerful, our mouths are tools for good or bad, our tongues equipped to steer our paths. All through other passages we see God putting emphasis on the words,  we read that He places importance on Isaiah’s mouth by transaction with the Holy Spirit, by words God creates, John realised that the with Jesus’ words came life, in Acts we read of Moses being referred to a man of power in word and actions. With our words we demonstrate our intent. With our words we show whether we have partnered with the Holy Spirit or with flesh. When we speak our truth instead of His, our lives will bear the fruit. We have the power to wield a sword of destruction, or to build and create. We have been given the right to choose how we speak, but we have to understand that what we speak will create and live on in our lives as well as the lives of others.

In Luke 8 Jesus Himself commands the man who had been delivered to go into the entire city and tell of what he had experienced. Jesus demonstrated how and equipped His followers to speak because He understood that by hearing comes faith. He had an appreciation for the idea that the talk about what He was doing and saying created curiosity and stirred the people to seek Him out. It still works like that today! Testifying instigates positive evangelism in our lives. When we don’t know how to tell people of the Jesus of the Bible, a good idea is to tell them of the Jesus of today. Your Jesus is still active and alive. Testimony is an act of admittance of His goodness. Speak of what He has done for you. If you see something, say something. The word testimony translates into “witness.” I see something, I say it, and the act yields belief and ignites hopes in others. Testifying about His goodness makes God relatable. When we see what He has done for others and speak of what He has done for us, we are reminded that He is in fact a good and present God, loving, merciful and kind. Testimony of His goodness in our current lives eradicates the hopelessness we experience in the absence of immediate answers.

The beautiful thing about testimony is that it glorifies God. It generates an awareness of His constant goodness throughout time, and takes the focus off of the struggle. It shifts focus to what He is busy with, and allows our thoughts to be set on His heart again. When this happens, we cultivate thankfulness. With thankfulness comes breakthrough.  So today, if you are unhappy, despondent, down, hopeless, I challenge you to listen to some testimonies of His goodness and allow your heart to be stirred to hope once again. Write down some things He has done for you that you can be grateful for. Gather your spouse, family, colleagues, staff or friends, and speak of what He has done for you. Celebrate His goodness today. Thank Him for those things. Engage His heart. This is how you remind your own heart that He is still the God of the mountains and the valleys, He is for you, and He loves you. Testify of His love. Go tell one person of what He has done for you.