"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21 (NIV).

It seems like a simple concept, to control the words that come out of your mouth knowing the affect they will have on the person you are speaking them to.

It's hard.

The pastor of the church we attend, Pastor Tim, preaches this concept often, "Life and death are in the power of the tongue." The concept in itself has taken on several different messages on several different Sundays. Despite the message, it's something that I have to work at very hard.

One message has been that positive speech changes the world. If you speak positively, positive things will happen. If you speak negatively, you will continue to live negatively. This is more than finding the silver lining of the dark cloud. It's really a decision to live your live in a positive manner. Yes, bad things may happen. But you find the positive side to it, you look to the Lord for strength and you learn from the experience. There is a reason that particular circumstance has happened to you. Perhaps it will help you minister to someone else, or take you to a new step in your life.

Another message has been that positive and negative speech affects those around you, which affects those around them, so on and so forth. In short, attitudes are contagious. Do you want to sow seeds for positive fruit or negative or "bad" fruit? You will inevitably reap what you sow. If you are always negative towards other people, don't be surprised that negativity surrounds you.

Yet another message was preached just last Sunday and I found this most interesting. You and I, common people, can command angels with the power of our words. I had never thought about it this way before. Hebrews 1:14 says, "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (NIV). Pastor Tim explained how when we speak positively in the name of Jesus, angels "hearken" or harken" or listen with the intent to put forth action, to the positive things we say. But if we speak negatively, the angels cast out of Heaven with satan harken to work that negativity into the world. This concept brings life and death in the power of the tongue to a whole new meaning to me. It makes sense. Angels do the work of Heaven and if we live and speak like Heaven, there is no room for hell's influence.

All of these messages reinforce what my mother has told me all these years, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all." Unless we really spend time in the Word, I don't imagine we know what damage we can cause with gossip, a snappy reply or a rude comment. Instead, spin something positive into someone's life.