As we all close the chapter of 2024 and enter the new year of 2025 my prayer is that the world will find hope in the One who loves us the most, that you my friend will find that hope in the One who loves YOU the most. Jesus is the Light of the world and is truly our hope for all things good. He can take the darkest of happenings and speak life and transformation to shine His light straight through the darkness of defeat.

Some of you have dealt with painful situations in 2024 and the past years as well but now it is time to speak words of life over your life and the people you love. In no way am I diminishing your losses or the difficult things you are experiencing or have been through in the past years. What I am encouraging you to do is to place your hope in Jesus love for you and speak words of life into the world.

Words are powerful, they can be positive or negative. What kind of words are you speaking? What kind of thoughts are you thinking?

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

That is a very powerful little scripture that can be life changing if we take it seriously and put it into practice into our daily lives. There is so much negativity in the world but words can change the atmosphere around us. Words spoken with love and kindness can have such great impact for good on the people we do life with. Opposite of that, negative words also have great impact for evil on those same people.

Unfortunately, because of sin over humanity many of us have developed negative ways of communicating from learning from parents, peers and the hard knocks life has dealt us. The enemy of our souls wants us to destroy each other with words spoken in anger and stress.

Proverbs 15:1-2 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly. But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. The eyes of the Lord are in every place keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Proverbs 15:3 “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it, breaks the spirit.”

Is your tongue, rather are your words to others wholesome or perverse? So many times we speak too quickly, especially when the emotions are being challenged with a stressful situation. It is then that we need to be intentional in how we speak to others, especially those closest to us; spouse, children, parents, family members.

Are we breaking the spirits of the ones we love with harsh words? Trees have roots just as our words have roots. Are your words rooted in God’s love or anger? We will eat the fruit of our own words and impact future generations, our children and grandchildren in positive or negative ways. May our fruit be wholesome and good not perverse and sour.

James 1:19-21 “Understand this my dear brothers and sisters, you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce righteousness God desires. So get rid of all filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”

Let’s be intentional and wise with our words this year and speak life into the world. God’s word can transform us with hope in the One who loves us most and wants the very best for us in this new year. I pray His light shine into your life my friend and bring you into His peace that passes all human understanding in the year ahead!

In His Love, Sharon Kay