12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “Lord Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.
14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, Zechariah 1:12-14
For those of you who thrive on words of affirmation like me, you might get this more than those who do not, but everyone should be listening to what I am about to say. Speaking kindness can take you to pleasant places within your mind and spirit, where speaking unkindness can take you to dark places. Think back to the last time you spoke to someone with maybe an unkind thought or deed. How did you feel the rest of that day, week or period of time? My assumption is that unkindness may lead to other things that you shouldn't have said or done, because the enemy can take that one slip of unkindness and turn it into a series of events that we may all end up regretting later. The enemy wants the unkind words to come out of our mouths, so that he can slide into our lives. Looking at how the Lord our God even spoke to the angel, it was with a comforting presence and this is taking place most of the time with us, we just have to listen. I know that having a positive word spoken to me can have an exponential impact on how my day goes. One small negative word to me can send me down a spiral that impacts others in a negative way. So it can work both ways, the negative word you speak can impact you just as much as a negative word spoken to you. The secret is in how God views us and provides us words of affirmation daily about how we can be close to Him. Take a moment to give words of affirmation to people, and be prepared to battle the words spoken to you that are less than positive.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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