Word Game

 

Semantics... a word game...

 “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”

Matthew 12:36

Idle is defined as any word which is not profitable.

So, that’s gossip and slander.

But it’s also self-defeating words we, all too often, hurl at ourselves. Words like...

Hopeless...

Worthless...

Stupid...

Ugly...

Unlovable...

And these words need to be challenged, via the Twelve Steps. Word power is certainly found within them.

1.      We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable.

“Unmanageable” behavior, does, in fact, include these destructive words used against ourselves.

2.      We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

We need to understand and internalize how we do not have the final say; God does.

And He uses none of these toxic words to describe or view us.

“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”

Isaiah 43:4

“I have chosen you and have not cast you away.”

Isaiah 41:9

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

“All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”

John 1:3

3.      We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

We need to admit our self-perception is faulty; His estimation, however is perfect- and accurate.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he...”

Proverbs 23:7

4.      We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

And now, we need to examine why we view and speak of ourselves in such a derogatory way? What is the payoff?

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

5.      We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

We have to admit we are in the wrong concerning our viewpoints.

“But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?'"

Romans 9:20

6.      We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Are we willing to change our ways? Are we really?

 “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.”

Isaiah 1:19

7.      We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

What new behavior will we incorporate in our lives?

Are we willing to stop some of our habits, adopting newer, healthier ones?

8.      We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9.      We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Have we apologized to others for the role self-pity has negatively impacted their circumstances?

For, as we have viewed ourselves with such contempt, self-hatred and recklessness, there has been a ripple effect. No man is an island...

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”

Proverbs 18:21

10.  We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

Included in our newer approach to life is our ongoing commitment to do reality checks with ourselves. Our recovery is not a one-time, perfect cure. It is a lifelong, imperfect practice, filled with mistakes and setbacks. We need a realistic attitude as we progress.

11.  We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

We need to confront our self-talk as we interact with the Most High. He knows our every thought, anyway. Challenging our thoughts, words and beliefs can help us attain a stronger relationship with Him and a healthier way of life.

12.  Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Again, we need to remember the ripple effect. We are to encourage, empower and educate others. And that includes the power of words.

 “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14

That is the challenge. Therefore, if we, ourselves, do not necessarily possess the vocabulary, we need to rely on scripture for the proper value estimation.

 “But he answered and said, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4

 “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Hebrews 11:3

The power of our words...versus the Power of God’s Words?

There is no contest!

Copyright © 2016 by Sheryle Cruse