The Bible says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” We know that people hurt or help us with the power of words, but do you realize that the words you say to yourself have power too? They can be as edifying – or destructive – as the words of a friend or enemy.
Positive thinking starts with removing destructive words in your life: gossip, self-criticism, profanity, deceit, etc. The words of your mouth reveal the state of your heart and may uncover deeper truths.
If you struggle with this, we’re here to help!
Today, we’re discussing the power of words in our lives.
What do you say when things don’t go your way? When “bad” things happen…
How does that impact your mindset and health? We’ll share how to get a grip on your words to produce positivity no matter what is going on in life.
We’ll dive deep into what the Bible reveals about the power of the tongue and how to control it. We’ll talk about how to build up the people in your own life and share how we speak to each other in stressful times to edify our marriage.
Join us today to learn how to unleash the power of words so you can speak life to those around you – and yourself!
Table of Contents
Listen Here
Episode Highlights
- Topic Intro and what’s in our diffuser (1:56)
- News and announcements: book and film! (6:17)
- What do you say when bad things happen? (9:41)
- Biblical truths about your words (15:48)
- Do you truly honor the power of your tongue? (20:30)
- Using the power of words to edify others – and yourself! (26:01)
- Reprogram yourself and your life (33:14)
- Testimonial time (36:26)
- Being judicious with your confession (38:05)
- Do you use your mouth to tear others down? (46:30)
- A word of prayer and more on your confession (55:34)
- Natural living tip and episode wrap (59:35)
Quotable Quotes
“Our words are a window to our soul.” – Dr. Z“We need to always be looking upward and outward, and finding solutions to watch what we say.” – Mama Z“The power of positive thinking is so important because when you think positively, you’re going to speak positively.” – Dr. Z
“Every morning when you have your devotional time, write a list of all the things that you’re thankful for. Over time, gratitude becomes habitual.” – Mama Z“You don’t have to be a people pleaser. You’re here to please God.”– Mama Z
READ TRANSCRIPT
[0:00 – 0:55] Prelude
Mama Z: “If you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say something at all.” That’s what my grandma always used to say.
Dr. Z: It is a really good idea just to be quiet because we know the book of Proverbs says, “A man of few words is wise.” I mean, over and over, and over again, the book of Proverbs talks about—
Mama Z: Oh, you still had quite a few words for me after the pain incident earlier.
Dr. Z: I wasn’t happy. And you know what, though? I wasn’t happy. I’m still not happy about what you did, but I’m not going to dwell on it. I’m not going to say anymore and I recognize it…
Mama Z: Well, I technically didn’t do it.
Dr. Z: And I will say it openly in front of everyone. I repent and I’m sorry. And I ask you to forgive me because you really upset me.
Mama Z: All right, well, I’m expecting a foot rub later tonight.
Dr. Z: No, you just accept my verbal apology. You don’t need like a physical apology.
Mama Z: No, I need extra service. It’s all in there. Read the Love Languages book, okay.
Dr. Z: No.
Mama Z: Yeah, it’s time.
[0:56 – 1:23] Intro for Podcast 33 – The Power of Words
Dr. Z: Hi, this is Dr. Z.
Mama Z: And Mama Z. And welcome to Episode 33 of the Natural Living Family podcast.
Dr. Z: Each week, we invite you into our home and walk you through how we master the art and science of natural living. And we share the very same tips our family uses each and every day, to enjoy an abundant life. And you’re going to love today’s talk.
Mama Z: So come on in and get comfortable. After all, you’re one of the family, our Natural Living Family.
[1:24 – 1:55] Sponsor Spotlight: Thrive Market
Dr. Z: But before we dive into all the fun today, we’re excited to share a special note about today’s sponsor.
Mama Z: As a special gift to our Natural Living Family podcast listeners, Thrive Market is giving you 25% off your first order.
Dr. Z: Plus a free 30-day trial. Simply go to NaturalLivingFamilyPodcast.com to find the special link so you could redeem this deal on the show notes from today’s episode.
[1:56 – 6:16] Diffuser Reveal: The Forever Young (aka Stink No More) Blend
Dr. Z: Well, hey there, everybody. Welcome to the show. Today’s episode 33, Power of Words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. What do you think?
Mama Z: I like it.
Dr. Z: It’s kind of serious.
Mama Z: It is.
Dr. Z: So, what’s in our diffuser?
Mama Z: This was Forever Young. And it was frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, myrrh, and rose. However, we ended up having to change it to Stink No More, which was cilantro and peppermint.
Dr. Z: There you go. And what happened, why did we have to change it?
Mama Z: Because you told me to?
Dr. Z: Yeah.
Mama Z: You said it needed to be a little more vibrant or fragrant. I can’t remember the words you used, but anyways, Stink no More.
Dr. Z: So, when I walked down… We have a little audio studio basement here and I don’t know what you were thinking.
Mama Z: So this is what I was thinking…
Dr. Z: I don’t know why you were doing this.
Mama Z: Okay, listen, listen…
Dr. Z: And you know how sensitive I am to smell.
Mama Z: And I am, too. But listen. This is what happened. We had done touch up on our washer and dryer that’s downstairs. And it’s been around the block, maybe twice.
Dr. Z: What, the washer and dryer?
Mama Z: Oh yeah, the washer and dryer has been around the block. So it ate up the first stuff and it was starting to not look as pretty. We need a new one down here but anyway, so my handyman was here and I had two cans of the touch up stuff, of the appliance stuff. Normally, all the paint we use is like very non-toxic, all of that stuff. Well, the only thing that you have to do the appliances is toxic chemicals but I didn’t even realize that. I was thinking that it was just like all of our Harmony stuff and the other stuff that we have that is all non-toxic. So you don’t smell anything. And it smelled like we needed a fume hood in chemistry lab over here. You know the ones where they like put the hood all the way down and then they suck the air out.
Dr. Z: So, we have an Air Doctor in the bathroom. We shut the door and Air Doctor in front of the bathroom. You can probably hear it right next to us, and we have an Air Doctor about 20 feet away. If you don’t know, obviously we use Air Doctor and it’s helping saving me.
Mama Z: So at first, Chris was like, “Well, the Air Doctor is working.” And then my handyman said, “The Air Doctor is mad at me. Look.”
Dr. Z: Yeah, because it went all red.
Mama Z: Well, first it was yellow and then by the time it like made it there, then it was really mad. So then we moved it around and added some more Air Doctors, but it went back to blue but it’s still… you know.
Dr. Z: It’s much better. I’m telling you, Air Doctor is a lifesaver. Here’s the thing, sometimes… I mean sometimes, you…
Mama Z: You can’t get it…
Dr. Z: Yeah but you don’t do that before you film and record. And we’ll talk more about this in the future. We have a documentary crew coming to our home in like five hours, to do a pre-production meeting because they’re going to be at our house all day tomorrow, and Sunday. Today’s Friday and so I kind of freaked out for a minute there.
Mama Z: Yeah, he kind of went postal on me but you know…
Dr. Z: No, because I walked down and you’ve got this really like earthy, stinky blend anyway and it’s like…
Mama Z: No. It was very good…
Dr. Z: Where did you come up with that?
Mama Z: Okay, listen, this is all of the good oils that I use on my skin that smell amazing.
Dr. Z: Yeah, they’re good for skin, not good for like…
Mama Z: No, this is an actual blend.
Dr. Z: Ah, anyway, we…
Mama Z: People love this blend.
Dr. Z: Of course, anything’s a blend.
Mama Z: No, no, no. This is a blend. Frankincense…
Dr. Z: People love this blend. Who’s people?
Mama Z: … sandalwood, lavender, myrrh, and rose.
Dr. Z: Who are these people you’re speaking of?
Mama Z: These are all anti-aging. And believe me, if you look at your face right now, you need some anti-aging essential oils in the diffuser.
Dr. Z: I don’t need to anti age. I need to…
Mama Z: Look at your forehead. Yes, you do.
Dr. Z: I need to focus and…
Mama Z: Well, there’s good focus ones in here too. Look at it, frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, myrrh, and rose. So anyways, now we’ve got Stink No More.
Dr. Z: So I came down here… actually it’s much better… I came down here, it was super strong. I brought down 20 extra Air Doctors, just so we can get… I mean, we were just cranking this thing.
Mama Z: All right, my 10-gallon hat cowboy over here. Oh Lord.
[6:17 – 9:40] News and Announcements
Dr. Z: Anyway, so welcome to our life. And you know, here’s the thing, power of words, death and life are in the power of the tongue.
Mama Z: So maybe you should have said, “I am so glad that those appliances look so nice since they’re going to film in the bathroom, us getting our hair and makeup done.
Dr. Z: No, I think we could live with that. No, I don’t want to… no. No. That’s the thing. These people… again, we’ll talk more, there’s a global streaming service that is going to be coming out with a series of health documentaries, and one of them is going to be on essential oils. And lo and behold, we were chosen to be protagonists in this film, one of the main characters. So they want to they want to film us filming a masterclass. Our upcoming book, by the way, just official, our upcoming book title is still forthcoming.
But we’re going to have a book coming out in February 2021. I know it seems like forever, but it goes quick. February 2021 is going to be on how to use essential oils for chronic disease. So we’re going to be doing a masterclass all about it. So, if you all have been following our work, you’ve got The Healing Power of Essential Oils, which is really a key foundational book. I mean, it’s 101, and it’s what people need to get started. And a lot of folks that have been using essential oils for years, they love it because there’s more than 150 recipes.
Mama Z: Do you want to know what my vote is for the title of this book?
Dr. Z: What?
Mama Z: The Healing Power of Essential Oils: Chronic Disease. Oh, yeah.
Dr. Z: I’ll share that with the publisher. That’s not a bad idea.
Mama Z: Because, you know, everybody looks for that book. I mean, some people even wrote another book that used part of that title, just so they could add some oomph to their sales. So, obviously…
Dr. Z: The book took off.
Mama Z: Yeah, people are looking for our title.
Dr. Z: A cool update, you can check me on Instagram. You can look at Dr. Eric Z, just go on Instagram.
Mama Z: If I could say it in Spanish, I would.
Dr. Z: Our book, my book, my first book, came out in Spanish. The Healing Power of Essential Oils is officially available in Español. Yay. And in the next year, you’re going to see it in Portuguese. You’re going to see it in Taiwanese. You’re going to see it in Vietnamese, Serbian, Czech, and half a dozen other languages. It’s like, wow! So that’s pretty exciting. So we’re going to be film ing a masterclass tomorrow. And the documentary team is going to be filming us filming a masterclass. So that’s really exciting too. So anyway, that’s kind of fun, recent, current news that is going on in our little world. So anyway, don’t be applying topical chemicals on appliances and then put yourself in a closed environment.
Mama Z: Well, I didn’t apply them but I did get a headache from them.
Dr. Z: We’re not doing that.
Mama Z: And you know what? I did the best day, since our air conditioner went out.
Dr. Z: Yeah, and here’s the other thing. And again, we have a basement studio and we have three air conditioners. And that’s typical in Georgia because in Georgia…
Mama Z: Yeah, one for each level.
Dr. Z: Yes. In Georgia, you need an air conditioner for every level of your home and we have a basement that’s finished. So we have a basement air conditioner, a main level, and an upstairs. So it’s not like we have a mansion that, “People should have three air conditioners?” Like yeah, most people do in Georgia, if you have a two level home and a finished basement. So our air conditioner just kaputed on us, like gone. And I was like, “Agh, what else can happen?”
[9:41 – 15:47] What Do You Say When Stuff Happens?
Dr. Z: And two days ago, I got a second degree burn on my skin because I was cooking and the weirdest thing happened. The weirdest thing happened.
Mama Z: But I will say, you had that burner on for a while before you did.
Dr. Z: It was hot oil. But hot oil is not supposed to form a big bubble and explode.
Mama Z: Yes, but even if you put organic, grass fed butter in the oven, and you turn it on and melt it, and you get past the point of browned butter, when you take that out it will overflow and it will do the exact same thing. So, you can’t leave the burner on for 10 minutes and then come back and think that it’s going to be like it was when you first turned it on.
Dr. Z: So the craziest thing happened, was that I just poured a little bit… because I was making some… what was it?
Mama Z: It was like a stir-fry thing.
Dr. Z: Yeah, I was making a stir-fry and it was late. The kids were in bed. I’m making a stir-fry, just putting a little bit too much coconut oil…
Mama Z: It was like leftover stir-fry basically. All kinds of things from the fridge.
Dr. Z: I was trying to put some coconut oil in and the coconut oil got really hot. And then I noticed, “Wow, that’s a ton of coconut oil in this pan. Let me go put some back.” So I was just going to simply put the pan and put the oil back in the jar. And I’ve done this a million times before. But what happened… something happen and I kid you not, I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life. Something happened where as I started to pour, the oil formed a giant bubble on the pan ,and then pop. And next thing you know, it’s everywhere.
Mama Z: The kids the next morning were like…
Dr. Z: It’s on my hands…
Mama Z: “Daddy…”
Dr. Z: … in my face.
Mama Z: “Daddy, look. There’s all kinds of things all over the floor and all over the cabinets.”
Dr. Z: It’s over the cabinets. And so thank God, we have our Sovereign Silver Gel. We have our essential oils. I have my lavender. I’m putting ice. I’m cooling it. Like thank God it didn’t blister and it doesn’t look horrible. Thank God it doesn’t hurt anymore. But man oh man. Here’s one thing.
This is a great intro to this topic because power of words, death and life are in the power of the tongue. When stuff like this happens… And if you’ve heard us talk, remember when Sabrina said last week about, without fail, it was going to be a clinic exam, a final exam, something super important that the washer and dryer would flood, the basement would flood, something would break—
Mama Z: So, it doesn’t even phase me anymore, it really doesn’t. You can ask anybody, it doesn’t, that…
Dr. Z: So, this is a big deal. This is a really, really big deal that we’re being featured in this documentary this weekend. There’s a lot that’s going into this. Just imagine having people being in your home from like 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, two days on a weekend. What do you do with the kids? How do you manage childcare? How do you manage the house? What do you do about food? What do you do about hair and makeup? What do you do about all the different elements of all that stuff? It’s a lot of work, right? And here we are prepping for this. And Natalie, our sweet helper, our intern, sliced her finger just working.
Mama Z: Oh yeah, she was drying the blade.
Dr. Z: The food processor.
Mama Z: She was drying the blade on the food processor.
Dr. Z: Just boom, boom, boom, boom. And so okay, what comes out of your mouth…?
Mama Z: When all this stuff happens?
Dr. Z: When this stuff happens? This is the context to this. I mean, this is happening right now y’all. Like right now, our air conditioner, I just heard 10 minutes ago from the handy guy or from the air conditioner guy, he was like, “Sorry, can’t fix it.”
Mama Z: And he is about as Southern as you can get.
Dr. Z: Yeah, he is like, “I’ll send Tony down here on Monday, and I’ll get you a quote for a new one.”
Mama Z: “Bless your heart.”
Dr. Z: And I’m like, “Man?” So anyway, here I am, and you know, it’s not the worst case but I mean, we’re going to have 10 people down here with studio lights, and it might get hot. But it’s still, it’s like one of those things. What comes out of your mouth? That’s the thing. That’s what I’m saying. What comes out of your mouth in those situations?
Mama Z: Well, for me, what I know is that when all that crazy stuff is going on, we know that grace much more abounds. But we know that God’s going to do something awesome during that because everything blows up and then God just explodes, and it’s even more amazing. So, you just know that God’s doing something awesome, and it’s going to be awesome.
Dr. Z: So what’s the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you stub your toe? What’s the first thing that comes out of your mouth when you cut your finger, like I did? Like Natalie did yesterday. Right? Or like someone else does? Is it, “!%*!,”? Maybe a four-letter F word you don’t want your kids to hear? I’ve heard people say that. I’ve heard lots of people say that. I’ve heard Christians say that when they hurt themselves. And they’re like, “Oh, I’m just upset.”
Since when does having a foul mouth become excusable because something bad happens to you? And as a believer in Christ, we have been given all that we need. A spirit of self-control, we have control. So typically speaking, like when I hurt myself, and I burned myself, I’m like, “Lord, I’m sorry. I screwed up.” I don’t even know what I did wrong but evidently, I heated that thing too hot and that was not smart.
Mama Z: And you should have heard it. We heard it in the other room. I thought you’d dropped a glass on the floor, it popped so loud.
Dr. Z: Then I dropped the pan though. Yeah, actually, I did. I dropped a bunch of stuff.
Mama Z: Oh, okay.
Dr. Z: I dropped the pan. I mean, once my hand got burned, I dropped the pan, I dropped the jar.
Mama Z: Well, you know when I burned my leg a week and a half before the pageant, and that was a third degree burn. And thank God for our really sweet friend who is a holistic vet because she treated my body and it literally… with what she did, and our homeopathic methods using essential oils, it was completely healed. And that was the leg that was shown in the dress. But I’ll tell you, I had poured boiling water and it was a steam and boiling water burn. And the thing was, is there was no place for me to drop the pan. I mean, I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to mess up the dinner, so I had to just finish pouring it, and it was so painful. So, I know that decision.
Dr. Z: Thank God for frozen vegetables you can put on that.
Mama Z: I know. Well, I gave you the asparagus. Yours was more asparagus, where I had the peas. The peas really worked well on my burn.
[15:48 – 20:29] Biblical Truths about Your Words
Dr. Z: So I’m looking at probably about 20 verses right here in front of me. I got some notes. I want to start with Proverbs 20, verse 15, wise speech.
Mama Z: Hey, wait, I thought we were going to share a nice testimonial.
Dr. Z: We will. But I’m just going to read these verses quick. “Wise speech is rarer, and more valuable than gold and rubies.” So just think about that. What comes out of your mouth? And this is obviously in the context of when like, you know, stuff happens, bad stuff happens, like, not good stuff happens. A friend of mine just… this is another topic. Man, I don’t know if I should cover this one, but this is a serious topic in Washington, Washington State. Washington State just mandated that there are no other philosophical or medical exemptions to not getting vaccines. And one of my friends reached out to me and…
Mama Z: You can’t have a medical… Like if there’s allergies, that’s ridiculous.
Dr. Z: From what I gather, they only allow religious exemptions now. And you need to have a medical doctor sign off on a form that says that you have religious exemptions that will prevent you… religious concerns that will prevent you from vaccinating your children. And here’s the thing, this is just about the MMR. Now, I could be wrong about the medical piece, so don’t quote me on that. But all I know, at this point is that my buddy told me, he goes, “The only exemption that they’re taking are religious exemptions, and no doctor is willing to sign off on it.”
And so here he is, he has kids that are in school, and that the kids can’t go to school because they don’t have their vaccines. And not only this, the MMR is a three-month booster. So you get a shot, wait a month, another shot, wait a month, another shot. And the principal of the school already told them months ago, like, “Hey, just a heads up. If this law passes, a couple of months from now,” which is like last week, “If this law passes, if your kids aren’t up to date, we won’t allow them to come into school.” Whoa.
So he went to his doctor, his kids’ pediatrician, who is someone that was very much friendly to alternative medicine. He won’t sign off in the paperwork. And now he’s like frantically trying to figure out what to do. So here’s his choice, find a doctor, maybe, who can be willing to sign off on a medical exemption. And who is willing to put their chop their head on the chopping block in Washington, when they just enacted this law? You can’t blame an MD for not wanting to do that, or you homeschool, which, that’s a huge decision, if you’ve never homeschooled before, three kids. Or three…
Mama Z: Move.
Dr. Z: Well, move. Or three, you do the boosters. The first time ever your kids get shots, and then you’ve got to wait three months. So the kids don’t start school till three months from now. What do you do? What do you do when that kind of stuff happens, right? What do you say? How do you respond? Our words are a window to our soul.
Jesus says this in Matthew chapter 12, “You brood of vipers. How can you speak good things when you’re evil? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” He wasn’t speaking at me or you, as a believer, as a brood of vipers. But the concept is, for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Luke quotes Him a different way, in chapter six, “The good person, out of the good treasures of his heart, produces good. And the evil person, out of the evil treasure, produces evil. By the abundance of his heart, his mouth speaks.” So when it talks about the power of words, life and death are in the power of the words, right now, wins… and this is the context of things happening. And this is all over. I mean, bad things are happening. Bad things are happening to people all the time.
Mama Z: And they always have.
Dr. Z: And how do you respond to that? Like I would say what happened to my friend is a really bad thing. And actually, I remember praying. I prayed with him right… it was yesterday, right? I prayed for him. I’m like, “Lord, this is really bad. This is really not good. But You are better. And You’re bigger than this, God. And You have solutions.” To acknowledge that something is bad, that’s being in reality, but to dwell on it and to speak on the death, and to manifest the death, to meditate on the death, so to speak, the bad of it, that’s when things take a downturn.
Mama Z: Yeah, you can’t. You can’t do that, or else, then you take that on in your life. And we need to always be looking upward and outward, and finding solutions and watching what we say.
[20:30 – 26:00] Do You Truly Honor the Power of Your Tongue?
Dr. Z: Power of words. And that’s what this is, this is about how to shape our reality, our individual reality. How we see things. How we respond to things. Now I want to put it out there, you know, I’ve been part of some different churches and I know there’s like a ‘name it and claim it’ movement, you know, for those of you that have been around for a while. I’m not going there. I’m not talking about us speaking things that are not as though they were. I’m not talking like that. I’m talking a very practical application of how we shape our lives, how we shape our world, our individual world, my mind, my emotions, my heart, physically what happens when you say something, you will end up believing what you say. And if you say it, and if you internalize it, you’re going to manifest it.
And that’s why the power of positive thinking is so important, because when you think positive, you’re going to speak positive. And that’s why the Bible is so clear, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So if you see yourself speaking death all the time, and negative and complaining and bickering, and everything has like a bad spin to it, that’s a heart condition. It really is. And it’s like, God can heal you of that. And I believe, like it says in Ezekiel, He’ll give you a new heart. He’ll give you a heart of flesh for that heart of stone, a new spirit.
Mama Z: And if that can make water come out of a standing rock, then He can do that with your heart too. And sometimes we need to be the change that the world needs. And if all of that is around you, and the people that you’re surrounding yourself with are negative, then you need to be the positive light that needs to happen, and the change that needs to happen. But if you continue to be in an environment that doesn’t change with you, then you need to seek out other people who are more positive.
Dr. Z: So when you’re going through something, the best thing to do is to keep your mouth shut.
Mama Z: Yeah. “If you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say something at all.” That’s what my grandma always used to say.
Dr. Z: It is a really good idea, just to be quiet. Because we know the book of Proverbs says, “A man of few words is wise.” I mean, over and over and over again, the book of Proverbs talks about…
Mama Z: Oh, you had quite a few words for me after the paint incident earlier.
Dr. Z: I wasn’t happy. And you know what, though? I wasn’t happy. Still not happy about what you did. But I’m not going to dwell on it, I’m not going to say anymore. I don’t recognize it.
Mama Z: I technically didn’t do it.
Dr. Z: And I will say it openly in front of everyone, I repent and I’m sorry. And I ask you to forgive me because you really upset me.
Mama Z: All right, well, I’m expecting a foot rub later tonight.
Dr. Z: No, you just accept my verbal apology. You don’t need like a physical apology.
Mama Z: No, I need extra service. It’s all in there. Read the Love Languages book, okay.
Dr. Z: No.
Mama Z: Yeah, it’s time.
Dr. Z: And so when something’s happened like that, what do you do? Are you going to produce death in your marriage or are you going to produce life in your marriage? Are you going to produce death in your relationships or life in your relationships? Same thing with your work. Same thing with your emotions and your mental capacity.
Mama Z: Yeah, you almost didn’t look like you were happy with me when I was kind of smiling while you were talking like that.
Dr. Z: No, no.
Mama Z: But I knew, it’s just like, you have to just roll with the punches. It’s really important.
Dr. Z: So many things, because what’s the purpose of speech? From 1 Peter, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil, and their lips from deceitful speech.” If you love life and want to see good things and good days, you’ve got to just stop talking evil. Stop the criticism. Stop the condemnation. Stop the judgement.
Mama Z: Overwhelm evil with good.
Dr. Z: Colossians 4 says, “Let your conversation always be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everybody.” And this is where, taking that moment, and like the Bible says, “Be angry and sin not.” So looking back to an hour ago, I should have just allowed myself to be really angry and gone upstairs and just…
Mama Z: You should have just gone in the shed and spent some time with Jesus.
Dr. Z: I should have gone outside like I do, take off my shirt, get some vitamin D, pray, and come back in because you’re never as angry or you shouldn’t be, an hour later, 10 minutes later, 20 minutes, as you are in the moment. So that’s a very good practical thing and that way, you don’t say anything that you’ll regret, but I don’t necessarily say anything that I regret. I just shouldn’t have said anything to you because I was really angry at you. I just told you to stop. I’m like, “Stop. Just stop,” because you’re like OCD. I mean, everything’s got to look perfect.
Mama Z: No.
Dr. Z: Oh yeah, you are.
Mama Z: I’m very organized.
Dr. Z: Oh, no, no, no. You are classic OCD.
Mama Z: Oh, I am not.
Dr. Z: You are. No. Sabrina, look up in the dictionary under OCD, it has your picture on it.
Mama Z: No, it does not.
Dr. Z: Yes, it does. Oh, yes, it does. Everything. That’s why you’re so successful in the pageant industry. That’s why you’re successful as a model and what you do. You are a perfectionist. And there’s elements where that is a lot to manage at times. It’s not a bad thing.
Mama Z: Are you saying I am high maintenance? Because that is so not true. One time I said to my dad, “I am not high maintenance,” and he goes, “At what?”
[26:01 – 33:13] Using Your Words to Edify Others (and Yourself!)
Dr. Z: Here’s what Ephesians 4 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth,” and this is what I am guilty of, “but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen.”
Mama Z: A foot massage will really build me up.
Dr. Z: So, what I started to do several months ago was I realized… because you’ve got a short fuse, and you get easily set off, and you do not like being put in a corner. And you’ll fight. You’ll fight anyone or anything if you feel like you’re being attacked. Right?
Mama Z: It’s the martial artist in me.
Dr. Z: There you go. So I realized as I started praying more, “God help me bring the best out of you,” because I found myself bringing the worst out of you, and I don’t like that worst. No one likes that worst. So I started in praying and asking God, how do I say wholesome things that out of my mouth that benefit to build you up, according to your needs that might essentially help, not hurt. And that’s part of this, like, you want a good relationship with someone. What’s coming out of your mouth? That is so absolutely vital. And you want a good relationship with yourself. And what does that mean? How do you think, like your thoughts?
You are with yourself all day long. You’re dialoguing with yourself all day long. You’re imagining conversations, you might be speaking to yourself openly or not openly. But how’s your relationship with yourself? And most importantly, how’s your relationship with your Creator, with your Savior? And what kind of things are you saying out there that are producing an abundant life giving relationship with Christ? Or are you ruining your relationship with Christ because of what you say?
And one thing that I’ve noticed is having an ungrateful heart and not being thankful. So one thing to do is… you know, the power of words, death and life are in the power of the tongue… express thanksgiving. Like, “Thank You, God, it is well with my soul.” “In this world, you will have trouble but take heart, I’ve overcome.” This has been the mantra of my life the last month or so, because a lot of stuff has happened to us, in a lot of different ways.
But it is so well with our soul. Amidst all the craziness that we’re having, got another book to work on, we’ve got the documentary we’re working on, you’ve got your pageant. We’ve got all the fun things that we’re doing. The kids are healthy and strong, now that Elijah’s clavicle healed because he fractured it, all these things.
Mama Z: It only took three weeks too.
Dr. Z: Yeah. There’s so many things. Yeah, that’s a miracle, right? There’s so many things to be grateful for and thankful for.
Mama Z: Well, one time, I was listening to a books on tape, and I can’t remember which one. And the preacher, the speaker was saying, every morning when you have your devotional time, first of all you need to write a list of all the things that you’re thankful for. You need to go through those things and really continue to think God for those things. And it becomes more habitual that you have a heart of thanksgiving because you’re practicing that as well.
Dr. Z: So when it comes to bringing the best out of people, one of my favorite books is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. A timeless classic. The first thing he talks about…
Mama Z: I got you to listen to that because remember, I had the CDs on tape or book on CD.
Dr. Z: No, I actually had that before I met you. Oh no, I’ve had that one.
Mama Z: I had the whole collection.
Dr. Z: Oh, no, I actually have it. Yeah, I had that. I remember vividly because I remember being in Poland. I was listening to that on Discman, back in college. And that was pre-Sabrina. Oh yeah.
Mama Z: Wow. Well, I noticed that you were eating up my CDs back in the day.
Dr. Z: You turned me on to Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking.
Mama Z: Power of Positive Thinking, Power of Positive Prayer.
Dr. Z: Here’s what Dale Carnegie says, this is the first thing, part one, principle one, “Don’t criticize. Don’t condemn, and don’t complain.” So the principle is, world famous psychologist, BF Skinner, proved that an animal rewarded for good behavior will learn much faster and retain what it learns far more effectively than an animal punished for bad behavior. So, since then, Dale goes on to talk about how studies have shown the same principle applies to humans. Criticizing others doesn’t yield anything positive. So again, what are we trying to do?
This is why Paul says, “Don’t let unwholesome criticize and condemning, judging talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful to building others up, according to their needs. And they may benefit those who listen.” Dale says, we aren’t able to make real changes by criticizing people. Also yourself, right? Now I’m finished with this angle. Don’t criticize yourself. And we’re going to talk about that in a moment because we’re going to have a break in here, in a second. Instead, we’re often met with resentment, like you will end up resenting yourself. That’s why people hate themselves.
You’ve got to think about this. If you call yourself fat and ugly, if you look at yourself as someone who’s stupid, “I’m a bad reader. I can’t do this. I’m not doing that,” you’re going to end up hating yourself. And that goes back to Episode 8 and Episode 9 about the art of self-love. You’ve got to fall in love. Like, why do we end up needing to have to fall in love with ourselves?
Because you’ve fallen into hate with yourself, because you condemn yourself. You’ve criticized yourself, you’ve verbalized it. So it’s important to remember that when dealing with people and yourself, we’re dealing not with creatures of logic. But, “We’re creatures of emotion, who are motivated by pride and ego,” Dale Carnegie says. “Criticism is futile,” because it puts a person on the defensive, and usually makes them strive to justify themselves.
Mama Z: So, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale talked in The Power of Positive Thinking about the little negatives and the little things that you say during the day that are negatives. We all know of people who walk around like… what is that one character from Peanuts that you always like? The one that has the…
Dr. Z: Pigpen.
Mama Z: Yeah, and like if it’s raining…
Dr. Z: He has a cloud.
Mama Z: The cloud is over that person. Okay, we all know that person. And you’ve got to steer away from them, for sure. But watch the little negatives that you say, if you’re just looking for something to talk about and you’re going to talk about the weather, or different things. Just, in everything that you do, cutting out those little negatives. Like, “Oh, it’s probably gonna rain today.” “Oh, I’m stressed,” or you know, those kind of comments, because those are all little negatives.
Dr. Z: It’s already admitting defeat before it happens.
Mama Z: And it starts to implant those things. But guess what? You can…
Dr. Z: “Oh, I have a brown thumb.” How many times have I heard that from people?
Mama Z: Oh, my goodness.
Dr. Z: “I have a brown thumb. I can’t grow anything.”
Mama Z: I’m like, “Oh, yeah. Yes, you do because you just said it.”
Dr. Z: “I can’t even grow weeds,” I’ve heard people say.
Mama Z: Oh my gosh. I said, “You’d better start confessing something better because that’s not good right there.”
Dr. Z: You see, what you’re doing is you’re criticizing yourself.
Mama Z: Yeah. And you’re just keeping it in perpetual motion.
Dr. Z: Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
[33:14 – 35:44] Reprogram Yourself and Your Life
Mama Z: So one of the things you have to do is you have to do some re-programming. And one of the ways that was suggested in my favorite book, is to have the Bible, like the New Testament, playing at night when you’re sleeping. So that’s getting into your subconscious.
Dr. Z: That’s a great idea.
Mama Z: For some people, having it on a timer, especially if you have a spouse or somebody that wakes up in the middle of the night or earbuds if it doesn’t, but having it play, and it’s just in your subconscious. Because you do have to reprogram yourself, and you need to catch yourself too, if you watch your speech and watch what you’re saying, because when you can change that, other things start to change too. Always, your theme should be, if something is not going well, you always need to say, “You know what? This is all going to work out. Everything always works out.” Your mindset always needs to, even if somebody says something negative, always come out with a positive.
Dr. Z: So we’re going to take a quick break here, and when we come back, we’re going to talk about how we reap and what we sow in this area. And we’re going to do a deep dive in the book of Proverbs. I’m going to throw out a Matthew 15 out there, because Matthew 15 is awesome. But most of this is going to be on the book of Proverbs. And if none of you have ever read the book of Proverbs, here’s a fun challenge. It’s actually fun. I’ve done it many times over the years, take a month, any given month, and choose to read the entire book of Proverbs in a month.
And it’s as simple as, whatever day of the month it is, read that chapter, because there are 31 chapters of Proverbs. So if today, for example, it is because this airs September 2nd, today, read chapter 2 of Proverbs. Tomorrow, on the 3rd, read chapter 3. And the next day, read chapter 4. And in the whole month of September, you can commit because we’re starting early in September, you’ll have the whole book of Proverbs read by the end of the month. Now, I know some months have 29 days, leap year, 30 days, whatever, add an extra one, you’ll get extra credit, praise God.
Mama Z: Yeah, you get bonus one of those days.
Dr. Z: You get bonuses. So anyway, you’ll see the consistent wisdom and the theme of God, and it centers on our words.
Mama Z: I love your natural living tip right there.
Dr. Z: Yeah. But before we talk more into how we reap what we sow, a quick word from our sponsor.
[35:45 – 36:25] Sponsor Spotlight: Thrive Market
Dr. Z: There’s nothing like hearing the doorbell of the delivery person letting me know that our Thrive Market package has landed on our doorstep. It’s like Christmas time, every time we get a package.
Mama Z: Yes. From ingredients to snacks, it’s so awesome. And the kids go nuts.
We love Thrive Market, the convenience, the price, and just the movement because we know that every dollar spent goes towards a more sustainable, healthy, natural world. So if you haven’t joined, then what are you waiting for? You’re going to absolutely love it.
[36:26 – 38:04] Testimonial Time!
Dr. Z: All right, we are back. And I forgot… No, I didn’t forget. I kind of glossed over it. We forgot… I forgot the testimony.
Mama Z: I had it right here, and I did remind you. So I’m going to just go ahead with that.
Dr. Z: What is it? What is it?
Mama Z: Well, this one has no title, but it has five stars. So, thank you!
Dr. Z: We get a lot of five star reviews, by the way.
Mama Z: I love it. “One of my absolute favorite podcasts. I look forward to hearing from Dr. Z and Mama Z every week. They are just down to earth, real people, and I love that. They encouraged me as a like-minded believer. Thank you both so much.” -Coghill2. Thank you. That’s so sweet.
Dr. Z: Aww. If you’re new to this podcast, we normally have a flow. We do our intro, or a little jingle or a little sponsor thing.
Mama Z: You just wanted to get downright and busy with it.
Dr. Z: And then the diffuser and then the review because we like to, we really appreciate you all that have given reviews. And if you haven’t done it, please do. I mean, we actually have had nearly, at this point, 130,000 downloads of our podcast. And we have a couple hundred reviews out there. And I would expect 1,000. So I’m asking, if you’ve benefited from this… you know why? Because it encourages us and blesses us. And people need to see what you think because that will help them determine whether or not they want to read or listen, or be part of this podcast because we have the transcripts up on the website and all kinds of good stuff.
And don’t forget, you can always join our podcast newsletter by going to NaturalLivingFamilyPodcast.com because we want to stay connected.
[38:05 – 46:29] Being Judicious with Your Confession
Dr. Z: All right, the reason why I glossed over the review is because today has been a day. It’s already been a day. This week’s been a week, boy.
Mama Z: Hey, I think you’re confessing some bad stuff over there.
Dr. Z: No, see, that’s where I argue with that. It’s been. No, I’m not confessing death. I’m not confessing defeat. Listen, if you…
Mama Z: This week is going to end amazing!
Dr. Z: If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, don’t ignore it. We’ve got to actually talk about this. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, there’s a huge difference, saying, A, “I’ve been diagnosed with cancer,” which is a fact, or saying, “I have cancer.” “I’m battling cancer. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer. I’m on a healing journey from cancer.”
Mama Z: But don’t claim it as yours.
Dr. Z: See? Those are three ways. Again, these are three things. Angela, the lovely protagonist of our upcoming documentary, which by the way, if you want to get a sneak peek, whoo, whoo, it’s available! Chris, you’ve been doing a great job on this film. Chris has just been working. We’re actually heading out to Nashville, probably in a couple weeks, to be doing some last minute filming for this, because this is airing September 2nd. Chris, our audio video extraordinaire who does everything for us. We are so excited. Go to HopeforBreastCancer.com, HopeforBreastCancer.com, to get a sneak peek at the trailer.
This documentary is coming out. And we talk about a wonderful lady, Angela, and Angela always called this experience her healing journey. She never once, ever said, “I have cancer.” Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Do you have cancer? We could argue. But you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, I don’t think that’s death. That’s a fact. “The doctor told me I had cancer. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer. I am battling cancer. I’m on a healing journey from cancer.” However you want to say it, but the problem is, when someone says, “I’ve got diabetes… my diabetes, my cancer, my pain, my back issues. I have this… my this, I have that,” if you do the “I haves” and “my’s”…
Mama Z: You’re owning it.
Dr. Z: … you end up owning it.
Mama Z: Yeah, don’t own it.
Dr. Z: Don’t so it. But please… and this is something for those of you who’ve ever been to a Word of Faith or a charismatic church, they’ll condemn you for speaking death. “No, you stub your toe. It’s right there. I can see it, it’s black and blue,” “Your arm is broken. You broke your arm.” If you’re not speaking death, your arm is fractured, like, look at a clavicle, they’ll condemn you for speaking death. No, look, “I fractured my arm but I believe in God to heal me quick.” Like our son, Elijah, it was actually two weeks, he healed his clavicle in two weeks. Not ‘he’, God, because we also use Arnica and essential oils. We spoke life over him, “You’re healed. You’re blessed. You’re strong.” Broken clavicle.
Mama Z: I went over to pick him up from camp and I asked the camp counselor, and I’m like, “So how did he do with his arm?” “Oh, actually, he played really well with both arms today.” So he used both of his arms for tennis. He was only supposed to be using his right arm.
Dr. Z: It was so hard to get him not… because we tried to tell him, “Hey, buddy…”
Mama Z: Then he goes, “Mom, I don’t need to wear this anymore. I’m healed.”
Dr. Z: Yeah, he kept on saying, “I’m healed,” and I’m like, “I know you’re healed but you still broke your arm, buddy.”
Mama Z: Let’s just make sure it’s on just for a little bit.
Dr. Z: Like, “Your bones don’t connect.”
Mama Z: He was like, “Really, this is ridiculous. This is totally healed.”
Dr. Z: He was supposed to be in this sling thing for six weeks. Wow.
Mama Z: He was like, “I’m healed.”
Dr. Z: It was so cute. He’s six.
Mama Z: So you know, we love the Word of Faith movement anyways, but he’s talking specifically about certain people that take a message over the top, and I have seen that. I had a friend that broke her arm, and she was asked by her employer not to wear her cast, one of those movable casts, because it would discourage people, and they wanted people to think positive. So she literally had to hide her cast under her outfit.
Dr. Z: Yeah, that’s ridiculous.
Mama Z: And that’s ridiculous.
Dr. Z: That’s not what we’re talking about.
Mama Z: These are people that take it too far. I mean, we’re from that background, and one thing I love about that background, is people are very conscious about what you say. And I love it because if people call you out about what you say, those are the people you’ve got to have around because iron sharpens iron. And we want to make sure that our mouth stays positive. And so you want to keep that spouse around, that’s going to remind you when you get a little negative.
Dr. Z: So there’s a reason why James, in the book of James, says that the tongue is an unruly fire. To say that no one can control the tongue, I mean, that’s a very biblical principle. Like, this is something that we understand is part of the human predicament. Yet, out of all the different verses that talk about this, there’s a reason why God stresses how important wise speech is. Again, going back to Proverbs 20, “Wise speech is rarer and more valuable than gold and rubies.”
Just think about that, and think about all the unwise speech, just for a minute. And if you’re willing to even press pause, or after the end of this show, say, “God, I’m sorry. Lord, I’m sorry. I’ve been stupid. I’ve said foolish things. I’ve spoken death. I’ve meditated on the wrong stuff. Lord, I repent. I want to repent, help me change.” And if you have a heart that is that sensitive to the Lord, to say something like that and mean it, God will help you.
Mama Z: And if you don’t, then pray that God will increase your sensitivity to know what quenches the spirit.
Dr. Z: Amen.
Mama Z: And remember, it says that God will perfect those things that concern us, but I think our prayer also needs to be, “Please perfect in me, God, what concerns You.”
Dr. Z: Amen.
Mama Z: That’s the truth.
Dr. Z: So, we reap what we sow, and that’s why this is so important. And from the title of this podcast, we got that from a Bible verse, Proverbs 18. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.”
Mama Z: And the King James Version is, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it, eat the fruit thereof.” And I think that’s a shorter version of it, but it gets the point out, besides the thee’s and the thou’s.
Dr. Z: Jesus says it this way in Matthew 15: “It is not what goes into the mouth of a man...” or a woman, “that defiles and dishonors him, but what comes out of the mouth, that defiles and dishonors him.” That’s really a striking picture for us today, with all of this genetically modified food…
Mama Z: Yeah, I was just going to say, that’s…
Dr. Z: Talking about pesticides. Toxic stuff.
Mama Z: Even when you go to a colon therapy session, they will tell you how things are going by what they see coming out of you. I mean, you can see what’s going in does come out, and it does make a difference.
Dr. Z: But that’s in context of unclean meat, like pork, back in the Bible, and all of the things that they didn’t do because of their religious laws. Like they were so concerned about defiling themselves with meat sacrificed to idols and other things that would be, again, “defiling”. But Jesus said that’s not really what defiles you. What defiles you is what you say. And so, think about that because Proverbs 10 puts it in another light. “Out the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
You see a theme here? We’re talking life. We’re talking blessing. We’re talking fruit comparative to violence, defiling, defamation, dishonoring people, death, all from what we say.
[46:30 – 55:33] Do You Use Your Mouth to Tear Others Down?
Dr. Z: Evil words destroy one’s friends. Proverbs 11:9 says, “Wise discernment rescues. Evil words destroys a friend.” Let’s talk a minute about that one. Do you have a friend who all they do is talk bad about people, maybe other friends?
Mama Z: Have you ever heard the saying, “Average people talk about people. Normal people talk about things, but great people talk about ideas?” It’s kind of that philosophy.
Dr. Z: It is. And what happens is, there’s a very practical piece to this. This is why we’re not supposed to gossip.
Mama Z: Yes. Make sure you are a no-drama mama.
Dr. Z: And you know what? The thing is, is like, “Look, I don’t want this.” You have every right in the world to cut someone off right in the middle, right in the middle of them saying something they shouldn’t be saying. Be like, “You know what? I don’t want to hear this. This is none of my business. I don’t want to hear this. This is not for my ears.” And you know what? If someone gets really negative, and someone’s like talking bad about so and so, or doing this or the neighbors, the next thing I’m like, “You need to choose a different friend.”
Mama Z: And you know what? If you get rid of people in your life that are negative or weed them out, God will always fill that space with somebody else, somebody more positive.
Dr. Z: That’s something you taught me. I never thought of it this way until you mentioned it, like, “Don’t you think they’re going to be saying something bad about you?” If they’re saying bad everything about everybody else, what do you think they’re saying about you, behind your back?
Mama Z: And don’t even allow that because people are going to talk and people are going to like you and people aren’t. And you just have to be okay with that because you’re not going to please all the people in the entire world. And you don’t have to be a people pleaser. You’re there to be a pleaser of God.
Dr. Z: Yeah, because there’s definitely life in the power of the tongue. And if you’re going to allow someone to speak that into your life, into your mind, and into your soul and spirit, you’ll never be able to look at people the same way. You’re going to be tainted with all the gossip, with all the bad things.
Mama Z: You have to call it out and say, “Nope, can’t do that.”
Dr. Z: Say no. Say, “That’s not for me to hear.” And the thing is, what if it’s your mom? What if it’s your boss? I get it. Like, this is real life, that’s where you put a border, a boundary and you’re like, “Okay, I will only spend time with these people under certain settings.” I’m talking like your close friends, someone you’re going to have coffee with, that’s not the close friend you have coffee with. However, there’s a difference between someone doing it once or twice because they’re hurt because we all make mistakes, right?
Mama Z: And some people, that’s their form of venting, so to speak, and you can use that as a ministry experience.
Dr. Z: You can help them through that. But I’m talking about that there are people and you know who it is, everything.
Mama Z: They’re like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to tell you about what so and so did,” and you just have to take yourself out of that altogether. It is not beneficial.
Dr. Z: Yes. And I was just talking to a friend of mine about a colleague that we know that thrives on that type of energy, and it’s a very negative energy. And there’s actually several people in our networking group that we’re part of that we’ve seen them do wrong things…
Mama Z: And you know, when that’s the case…
Dr. Z: And what do you do?
Mama Z: … it’s because somebody is very unhappy in their own life. And remember, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So, when you spew yucky stuff like that, then you know that somebody’s not happy with their own life. And you need to take a benchmark of your own life and see where it’s at, and make positive changes. And so just remove yourself from that other stuff and don’t allow yourself to get sucked into it.
Dr. Z: Yeah. And the thing is, folks, the reason this is so important, is because this is a reflection of the heart. Because I could relate to a lot of this because I was raised in a very negative home. And I was raised in an environment that the family, like extended family, it wasn’t very uplifting. It wasn’t positive. It was just, let’s talk bad about people and criticize. Let’s judge. Let’s condemn. It was very much not life giving on any level. Like family functions, I can’t think of any good conversations I’ve ever had, during a big family function. It’s just, that was the way that I was raised. And so God has had to break me of that. And by His grace, you’ve been somewhat patient during this season.
Mama Z: Oh, I have been patient.
Dr. Z: Right. You’ve been long suffered.
Mama Z: Yep. And God knows all the things we’ve talked about.
Dr. Z: But these things need to be broken.
Mama Z: If you have a problem with your spouse… I’ll never forget what one of my favorite mothers in the faith said, “You know, I kept talking to him about it, all the time, about the things that needed to change, when God told me, you need to be talking to Me about the changes that need to be made, because guess what? He talks to Me too.” And that’s important. I remember growing up, and it was tit for tat all the time, with three girls. And I remember that my dad announced that, “Next year is going to be self-esteem year. And so we’re only going to say positive things.”
So on the calendar, it said, “January is self-esteem month.” And then it said, “February is self-esteem month.” Then there were like different things that they would write. “We only say positive about each other,” and like different things. So I think when it came down to it, because then the next year was something similar, so then I think one of my sisters wrote on there, “Self-esteem decade,” or something like that, as it kept going. But it got us in the habit of that because they would say, “Hey, remember the board? Remember the board.”
Dr. Z: It’s in print. It’s written. It shall be done.
Mama Z: Self-esteem month.
Dr. Z: So, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but hard words stir up anger.” That’s from Proverbs 15:1. How do you respond to people? And this is something that I’ve had to learn a lot. Like last night, you came home late, you’re stressed out, things aren’t going the way that you want them to in certain areas of your life, and if you noticed, I didn’t push. I didn’t talk, I kind of just let you go. Like, there’s something that we needed to do, we needed to talk about, and I realized that a gentle answer could turn that away.
And I came up to you this morning, I’m like, “Hey, how are you? How was your thing?” I’m not going to mention your thing, but I said, “How was your thing?” and I give you a hug. See, the thing is, I consciously thought, “I’m not going to use hard words, because I know what it’s going to do. It’s going to trigger.” And when someone’s vulnerable, they’re weak. And we’re all weak at times.
Mama Z: And I said to you, “I don’t want to talk about it right now. But I know it’s going to turn out fine. It’s going to turn out great.”
Dr. Z: Yeah, and I didn’t push it. So that’s the thing, gentle words. Proverbs 16 says, “Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” I mean, Proverbs 18 says, “A person’s words can be life giving water. Words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a babbling brook.” See, this is when you have the chance to speak that word of wisdom, that word of knowledge, that word of encouragement, that word of love, never in a condemning way, never in a criticizing way. Of course, this is in the Spirit of God. I mean, you can’t do this when you’re in the flesh.
And we know what the works of the flesh are, right? Let’s open up the book of Galatians. I mean, anger and wrath and malice, and all the different dissensions and envy and the like, all these things. When you’re in the flesh, I mean, you’re going right back to Adam and Eve in the Garden, when Adam took that bite. I mean, God has taken all these years to free us from that, to get us into the Spirit. And I’ve had this happen, I’ve been the benefactor of this so many times, having a loved one, someone who loves me in Christ. And it’s typically not like a blood relative, it’s like a brother or sister in Christ.
Enoch has done this many times, my mentor, over the years. And just someone to give you that beautiful, kind word that ends up being so life giving. It is as refreshing as a babbling brook, someone, in the spirit of love. And that’s one thing about Enoch, about serious stuff, he never likes talking on the phone. He always likes talking in person so he can see the eyes. And then you see the compassion and the love, and then that just makes you melt. That’s loving, and that’s coming from the words of speech. And hopefully, by God’s grace, you have someone like that in your life who could speak.
Proverbs 18 also says, “Words satisfy the soul as food satisfies the stomach. The right words on a person’s lips bring satisfaction.” So why don’t we pray right now?
[55:34 – 59:34] A Word of Prayer and More on Your Confession
God, help us have the right words on our lips. Lord, help us satisfy the souls of everyone who listens to us. And help us Lord when we’re frustrated, or angry, or in any situation that we get out of the flesh and into the spirit quickly. And help us Lord, when we’re weak, that we keep our mouths shut. Help us not say things that we’ll regret, in the name of Jesus.
Mama Z: Amen.
Dr. Z: “Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe,” Proverbs 25:18. Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe, wounding them with a sword, or shooting them with a sharp arrow. So, what are the words that you’re saying to yourself right now? Are you speaking lies about yourself? Anything negative, anything that isn’t abundant life giving and encouraging is a lie from the pit of hell.
I mentioned this earlier before the break, but it warrants repeating. If you look at yourself and say, even verbally, “I’m ugly. I’m fat. I’m stupid. I’m never going to get this. I’m never going to get that. I can’t do this. I can’t do that,” you are telling a lie to yourself. Because we know the promises of God are yes and amen, in Christ Jesus. And you are made in God’s image, you are beautiful. You’re beautiful, inside and out. God loves you. He’s given you gifts and talents that are exceedingly beyond anything you could ever ask or imagine.
Yeah, you might not be a straight A student. But you know what? You’re probably really awesome at some really cool things that other people aren’t really awesome at. Do you truly appreciate you for who you are as a gift to humanity? If not and you’re saying things and even thinking things about yourself, that’s essentially a slap in the face of God who made you who loves you, who knows the very hairs on your head, who counts them all, and who bottles your tears.
And it’s as harmful to yourself as slicing yourself with a knife. And we have seen this time and time again. And this is very scientific, for those of you evidence-based folks, that this will manifest into significant depression and obesity, heart disease, and cancer. And like our dear friend, Dr. Tony Jimenez, from the Hope4Cancer Clinic says, “Cancer, at its root, is an emotional disorder.”
Mama Z: So true.
Dr. Z: Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And we hope and pray that you take this extremely seriously, that you take this to heart. That you join me, and I have and I will continue by God’s grace, repent, and ask God to continue. To say, “Lord, I messed up. Help me,” and pursue to really get a grip of what comes out of your mouth.
Mama Z: I agree.
Dr. Z: What else have you got?
Mama Z: Well, I think it’s important that when you have seen, or God’s opened your eyes to this, and it may not be today, but it may be revealed to you through the Spirit over the next few days or weeks, but when you’re enlightened to it, it’s important to make that change and not go back. It’s important to commit to being positive, even in bad situations. And allowing the opportunity for God to move. And you’ll see God do miracles.
[59:35 -1:00:48] Natural Living Tip: Get a Tangible Reminder
Mama Z: And to wrap up today’s show, we have a natural living tip for you.
So to give you a physical reminder, to speak good things, and to speak life and to think life, put something in your pocket, something that you could hold on to, whether it’s in your purse, or your car, or whatever it might be. It could be a heart shaped stone, I’ve seen those. Something in your pocket that reminds you that when you touch it, you feel it, it’ll remind you to be positive. It will remind you to, quite frankly, keep your mouth shut when you’re angry so you don’t say anything that you’re going to regret, something that you can go to as a physical imprint, to say, “You know what? Hold on, think twice before you say that.”
And especially, if it is in the shape of a heart, a heart shaped stone. May this be a reminder to be in the spirit of love because we know that life and death are in the power of the tongue. And we know that if we speak life and believe life, we will share that with everyone around us.
Mama Z: Faith works by love and love never fails.
[1:00:49 – 1:01:34] Sponsor Spotlight: Thrive Market
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[1:01:35 – end] Episode WrapUp
Dr. Z: Well, everybody, thank you for listening today. We hope you enjoyed the show. And as a reminder, you can find all the Natural Living Family podcast episodes, show notes, and transcripts on NaturalLivingFamilyPodcast.com. And while on our website, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly podcast newsletter, which includes a personal invite to join our private Facebook groups. You can connect with Mama Z and I, one on one, and meet now more than 5,000 Natural Living lovers just like you. And please don’t forget, subscribe for our podcast and leave a review. We love reading what you have to say about our show.
Well, as always, this is Dr. Z.
Mama Z: And Mama Z.
Dr. Z: And our hope and prayer is that you and your family truly experience abundant life.
Mama Z: God bless.
Dr. Z: Bye-bye.
Mama Z: Bye-bye.