All creation came into existence by the spoken Word of God. The heavens were ordained by Him, the starry host of them supported by the Word of His Power. It should therefore not be surprising that, even as created beings, our words hold great power and are often instrumental in shaping our own destiny and the destiny of others. Being made in the image of the Creator God, our words and thoughts are powerful and innovative, being surpassed only by God Himself (Is 55:9).
Indeed, the Bible reveals that life and death lie dormant in the power of the tongue and our words, once spoken, sow either life or death to ourselves and others to whom we speak. The power of choice is expressed and ratified through the use of speech and words once spoken cannot be retracted. The memory of them and the feelings and emotions they first induced live on long after the fact.
Our words have the power to unite or divide people, make them whole or eternally shatter their fragile lives. There are many who wander through life in confusion, choosing not to believe in God because of the careless words of others spoken in ignorance or arrogance. Negative words create negative energies which engender a spirit of discord and rebellion which are tools in the hands of satan, the master deceiver. He would have us believe that we are nothing, yet the Word of God says that we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us and died to save us. Sometimes we make the mistake of listening to him and even talking like him!
How often have you found yourself involved in idle gossip or putting others down? Have you ever given someone a tongue lashing only to regret it later, wishing you could take back some of the nasty things you said in the heat of the moment? I think we can all safely say that none of us are innocent in this matter, so it would be good to look at some ways of reducing the damage we inflict on ourselves and others through our callous words, often spoken without much thought.
The book of Proverbs shares some wise counsel revealing that the words of a fool are many, but the wise man is usually a man of a few words but of great power. A good practice to live by is to think before speaking and if you have nothing good to say, to rather remain silent and keep your peace. Do not speak riotous words, swear or engage in speech that would offend or provoke others to wrath. Let the beauty of the patience of Christ be observed in your speech and actions so that all the world may know that you are His disciple. Speak words of wisdom to the erring, comfort to those in despair and inspiration to the demotivated. Be a champion of those in need of defense. Always speak words of Truth in a spirit of love, even when correcting others. Let your thoughts and heart be brought captive to Christ in all purity for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. The Lord lays before us life and death (Deut 30:19). Choose life for only then can you speak words of life to others who need to hear them. Share your testimony with others and before you speak, ask yourself: Is what I am about to say something that Jesus would say? If not, don’t say it! Years of faithful witnessing can be destroyed by one callous word.
"...If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body."-James 3:2
"And God SAID: "Let there be light," and there was light. -Gen 1:3
Scripture references: James 3; Gen 1; Phil 4:8; Col 3:2
