Proverbs 12:3-4 "From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands reward him."

Yesterday, we talked about how you can stay committed by taking personal responsibility for putting your faith into action. Today, I want to talk about how using the right words will help you stay committed. Your actions are very important, but your words alone are as powerful.

We see the ultimate example of the power behind words in the very first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, when God spoke our very world into existence just using His words. With His words, God created, gave life, and commanded action to mankind. Our words also have the ability to create, to give life, and to command action - if we allow them to. As it says in the verse from Proverbs (written above), your words are as important as your actions in shaping who you become, what you experience, and what you do.

Of course, this isn't a magic wand: speak better = life better. But, what speaking life and faith-filled words will do is challenge your heart to believe for greater things. And once you start believing for greater things in your heart, the seeds of your words will begin to transform your actions and your life, and will cause you to be committed to seeing those greater things evolve in your life.

Your actions will always reflect what you say. If you say you're not strong enough, you'll never take the right steps to get stronger. If you say I'm a lousy child or a lousy spouse, then that is how you will act. That's why it's important to not settle for who you are in and of yourself, but instead to hang onto the promise that you are fearfully and wonderfully made and speak faith-filled words that will challenge you to be a better person. Doing so will birth the actions that move us closer to the abundant life God intends for us.