Psalm 119:105 says 
“Thy Word is  lamp unto my  feet, and a light unto my path.”

DAILY READING – Romans 13; 1 Samuel 25; Psalm 68

In Luke chapter 18, parents brought their children to Jesus. They wanted Him to lay hands upon them and bless them. 

What these parents were doing, was carrying out a  Jewish tradition of having a righteous person bless a child. This tradition is part of the Jewish celebration of the Sabbath. 

Every Friday evening, in Israel, the celebration of the Sabbath begins. This celebration lasts 24 hours, beginning at nightfall on Friday till nightfall on Saturday. The period of the Shabbat is a time where there is no work, no television, no rushing to the demands of a busy schedule or other stressful things. It is a day of rest. At beginning of the Sabbath on Friday night, special blessings are said over the children. Customarily the father lays his hands on the children’s heads and recites blessings. In modern times it is not unusual for mothers to also join in blessing the children. Oftentimes, the mother holds, especially the younger children, on her lap while their father blesses them. Taking time to bless the children on Shabbat is a great way to reinforce the fact that they are loved, accepted and supported by their families. In many homes the blessings are followed by hugs and kisses or words of praise. 

As a result of this tradition, the children as they grow manifest these blessings in their lives. No wonder today Israel is a leading nation in many fields. Israel has more scientists, technicians, and engineers per capita than any other nation in the world. Great inventions and innovations abound in Israel, for instance the cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola. Many great scientists in history including Albert Einstein come from Israel. Israel ranks high among winners of the Nobel prize. 

Proverbs 18:21 says “life and death are in the power of the tongue.” Words are powerful. They can bless or curse, encourage or discourage, hurt or heal, tear down or build up. There is enormous power in words. Our words have the potential to either give life or cause something to die in another person. Encouraging words can lift someone up and help them, while destructive words can cause deep wounds that can  destroy someone. This is why we must apply great wisdom in choosing the words we speak. Let us therefore always speak life to those who cross our paths. 

The Bible says the right word spoken at the right time is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.

Words are real. The fact that words are invisible does not make them intangible. Words are like the wind; you cannot see it, but you can hear and feel its effect. This is why the words of blessings spoken by Jewish parents are determining the destiny of their nation.  The words of our mouth control over our lives, whether we like it or not. What comes out of our mouth will determine our future. What we say today impacts our tomorrow. As a rudder controls the direction of a ship, your tongue controls the direction of your life. You can re-create your world with your words. The spiritual world is controlled by words. Hebrews 11: 3 tells us that ‘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’ The world we see today was created by words unseen.  What this also means is that we can recreate our world by speaking the right words. We are our own prophets. We can change the situations that surround us by changing our words. This is why we speak only what God has said concerning us. 

Words work when they are in perfect alignment with our hearts. When our hearts are right we will speak right. This is why we must feed constantly on The Word of God, so as to speak the words of God. It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. In order to control our mouth, we must first control what is in our heart. Right and wrong speaking is a result of the contents of our heart. God’s Word is a compass that will guide us to speak right and also to walk right. Psalm 119:105 says ‘Thy Word is  lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Let us therefore make a fresh commitment today to fill our hearts constantly with The Word of God so that His Word will overflow through our mouths and bring blessings to us and to those around us. When The Word of God dominates our heart it will bring our lives in alignment with His perfect will for us.  
PRAYER: Lord, please help me to speak right words always. Let my mouth be a fountain of life that brings blessings and healing to everyone I come in contact with  in Jesus name.  
QUOTE : 

The study of The Word will keep  shame and disgrace far from you.

WORDBITE 222. 

 [ADAPTED FROM TRIUMPH OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS]