When God speaks humanity into existence, He embeds life-giving speech within us. Proverbs paints a stunning landscape of what’s possible:
- “The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain” (Proverbs 10:11).
- “The words of the wise bring healing” (Proverbs 12:18).
- “The lips of the godly nourish many” (Proverbs 10:21).
We have opportunities to speak life everywhere we go—to submit our hearts and minds and tongues to the Spirit and ask God to give us words to strengthen the weary.
Through the Spirit, we can utter care-filled words rather than careless ones. We can speak words that foster life rather than echo death. We can impart hope to those facing despair. We can ask the Spirit to help us call out gifts and talents in others that they may not even realize they possess.
But how do we align with the Holy Spirit so that our words reflect the glory of Christ into which we are growing?
One simple way is to marinate in the greatest love letter of all time—the Bible.
Scripture is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning you’ll find the Spirit hovering above and nestled into the words of those who documented the law, recorded the history, penned the psalms, and collected the proverbs. Through God’s Word we discover our true selves and are molded and fashioned for every good, God-given task under the sun.
When we make space for the words of God to come alive in our hearts, they unleash an unmistakable transforming power in our attitudes and actions, shifting the way we see and speak to others. As we spend time with the Scriptures, we expand the library from which the Holy Spirit can draw in our lives.
If I sense the Spirit nudging me to say something to someone, I must start by using Scripture to scrutinize any words I suspect are prompted by the Spirit.
If the syllables are Spirit-given, they will never conflict with Scripture or the character of God.
I’ve also found that words given by the Spirit are meant to be a gift. One chapter of the Bible that helps guide me in the discernment process is nestled in an ancient letter written by Paul. 1 Corinthians 12 explores spiritual gifts and how they work together among God’s people, particularly involving speech. The next chapter begins:
“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing
(1 Corinthians 13:1–3).
We can sift our words through 1 Corinthians 13 like a colander to see what, if anything, remains. If your words are always patient, always kind, always protecting, always hoping, always persevering, you can have a measure of confidence the Spirit is at work.
If your words are marked by faith, hope, and love most of all, the Spirit just might be resting on your lips. Spirit-infused words have a shelf life beyond that of all the ordinary syllables we speak.
Just as the Spirit has infused the words of those who came before you, the Lord wants to infuse your words so they drip with the power, presence, and purposes of God.
Adapted with permission from The God You Need To Know, By Margaret Feinberg. Copyright 2025, Zondervan.
For deeper reflection, listen to 1 Corinthians 13 today!
- 1 Corinthians 13
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