4. A Healing Tongue is a tree of life
Proverbs 15:4 A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in
the spirit. KJV
The word 'wholesome' translated in the King James Version is from the hebrew word מַרְפֵּא marpe' that has the meaning according to Strong's ; Health, Healing, Cure, Sound of mind and Profit. The word tongue is translated from h3956 לָשׁוֹן lashown which means tongue or speech. Speech is made up of words and the words can be defined as : Words are analogs for perceptions and actions that allow us to communicate with each other about our personal experiences, feelings, desires, and thoughts. Words are learned through the cultural conditioning of our families, schools, and the broader cultural milieu.
Other Scriptures that confirm this truth is :
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. (Proverbs 16:24 )
Did you know that the words you speak have incredible power to bring healing in people’s lives? When you speak words of love, comfort, or encouragement to someone, those words have power to affect the person hearing them in such a positive way, that the result is health in their body.
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. (Proverbs 12:25)
Who in this life doesn’t suffer from some “anxiety?” Often the source of our anxiety is focusing on the negative, and sometimes even things that are not true, rather than the positive things that are true. You can help someone by speaking to them words of truth for encouragement to them and to build up their faith.
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18)
For those of us who are parents, our words can impart knowledge and life to our children, which results in their good health: My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. (Proverbs 4:20-22)
Are you speaking healthy words to those around you?
Not only do our words have power to heal, but unfortunately they also have power to destroy, which can result in sickness. As Proverbs 12:18 above states: “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts..”– and swords kill or cripple people! Proverbs 18:21 says: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” When we get into a conflict or argument, our words can either diffuse the situation like dousing a fire with water, or they can inflame the situation like throwing gasoline onto a fire!
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
Words and neuroplasticity
" Neuroplasticity is the term used to describe how the
brain continues to re-invent itself. Older, unused pathways fall away, and new
ones, with repetition and focus, emerge. What we think about actually rewires
our brains—for better or worse. We now know that our choice of words has a
direct and immediate effect on our emotional response and makes our brains
inclined to respond in specific ways. This is true whether we are reacting to
spoken words delivered by someone else, or to the inner self-talk that we hear
ourselves “saying” inside our heads."
This is an amazing discovery for me as it shows we can change and that by using our "heads," as my mother would say, we can establish new ways or even better Torah ways of living and loving. We must remember if we repeat those loving sayings to ourselves and our family that it will help them to create positive ways of thinking and behaving as well. As servants of a righteous and just King we are to speak blessings out to this world.
" Neuroplasticity is the term used to describe how the
brain continues to re-invent itself. Older, unused pathways fall away, and new
ones, with repetition and focus, emerge. What we think about actually rewires
our brains—for better or worse. We now know that our choice of words has a
direct and immediate effect on our emotional response and makes our brains
inclined to respond in specific ways. This is true whether we are reacting to
spoken words delivered by someone else, or to the inner self-talk that we hear
ourselves “saying” inside our heads."
This is an amazing discovery for me as it shows we can change and that by using our "heads," as my mother would say, we can establish new ways or even better Torah ways of living and loving. We must remember if we repeat those loving sayings to ourselves and our family that it will help them to create positive ways of thinking and behaving as well. As servants of a righteous and just King we are to speak blessings out to this world.
