The Power of the Spoken Word

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

 

The Finished Work of the Cross

Just before his death on the cross, Jesus uttered three significant words. These are recorded for us in John’s gospel (Jn 19:30) as: “It is finished.” The work of redemption had been completed, and the penalty had been paid. Salvation was freely available from that moment to anyone who would believe in the righteous Son of God.

However, the process was not an easy one. Jesus did not HAVE to leave the glories of Heaven to come to earth to be rejected and reviled by humankind, who He sought only to save. He could have left us to perish in paying the due penalty for our sins, through eternal death. However, He had made up His mind voluntarily that He would save us. He had the power to lay down His life and to take it up again; He chose of His accord to assert this power for our benefit (Jn 10:17-18).

 He could have decided to leave the work of atonement undone at any point in time prior to His crucifixion. At his arrest, He could have summoned ten thousand angels to rescue Him (Matt 26:63). However, our Saviour decided to go all the way for us. Even when His physical strength was all but exhausted, He hung on because He knew that it meant the difference between life and death for us.

In the same manner, we are called to be soldiers of the cross. Our mission is to spread the gospel to all nations preparatory to the return of our Lord in the clouds of glory. Sometimes, we feel that no one notices the work we do and conversions are few. However, we are not to give up in well-doing though we may be weary, for in due time we will receive the reward of a good and faithful servant if we do not lose heart (Gal 6:9).

Those who are involved in the work of teaching and church leadership are called to a higher responsibility and standard

(Jer 23:1-2). They must answer for leading astray those under their care, or for leaving the work concerning them unfinished. We should endeavour to leave no stone unturned in seeking the salvation of the lost, and in helping those privileged to be in His presence to remain there. We should work even harder, considering that there are many false teachers, who like ravenous wolves, disguise themselves as shepherds of the flock of God (Matt 7:15, Acts 20:29). Let not the blood of the uninformed be on our heads, but rather let us be faithful watchmen in warning others of the soon return of our Lord (Ezek 33:6, Ezek 3:20).

Let us finish the work we have been called to do, just as the Saviour’s meat and drink was to do His Father’s will and to finish His work (Jn 4:34). He finished the work He was called to accomplish on our behalf. Let us with like passion, finish the work that we have started! He has promised to be faithful to us in bringing the good work He has started in our lives to a grand completion. It is time for the great church of God to awake from our slumber and to work the works of Him who has commissioned us, for night will soon fall when no man may work (Jn 9:4).

Life and Death (Part 1)

“Do not go gentle into that good night…but rage, rage against the dying of the light…” Those were the words of a poet a long time ago. He wrote that death is something to be fought with every ounce of strength we have. Although the fear of death is not a healthy approach to life, neither is living with a death wish.

Life is difficult, and somewhere in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle of living we have forgotten the sanctity and sacredness of life. Life is a gift given by God and not something that we are entitled to. Life is God’s breath in us from the time He stooped down and breathed it into the lifeless form of Adam in Eden.

We have lost the will to live and as a result, many people commit suicide in an effort to take the easy way out. Some do it because of the uncaring actions and hurtful words of kinsfolk, while others simply believe that their contribution to the world is insignificant at best.

The Bible teaches much about life and death. Deut 30:19 says life is a choice. Life is God’s gift, but we choose whether we want to live or not and to some extent, what type of life we have. Proverbs 18:21 says death and life are in the power of the tongue. It is therefore important to speak words of life into someone’s soul and not words that kill their self-esteem, erode their emotional worth and make them forget that they are a son or daughter of the Most High God.

The book of Job teaches us that although we face diverse challenges in life, God is still in control and He still holds our lives in His hand. He even controls the reach and power of satan so that we are not destroyed by him (Job 1:12, Job 2:6).

Sometimes it is not the final act of suicide that kills a person, but the process of worry and stress which gradually erodes a person’s life force. Jesus said that we should not worry about tomorrow, for today has enough has problems in itself to deal with (Matt 6:34).  Worrying will not make tomorrow any easier to deal with, neither will it add one day to your lifespan. This does not mean that one should not plan ahead and prepare for life; by all means be prudent and prepare, but don’t let worry kill you.  God has promised that His grace is sufficient for us and His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:9).  Rest assured that God is not constrained to time and He knows your tomorrow and He walks with you.

When Jesus died, He didn’t just take away my sins. He gave me a reason to live. I can face tomorrow because even if no one else cares, I know He cares and He loves me and that’s more than enough. Life is difficult, but life without God is even worse. The righteous man falls seven times, but he gets up in the strength of God every time! (Prov 24:16) We have Christ now and we will be with Him forever in His new Kingdom (1 Cor 15:19, Rev 21). That’s reason enough to want to live!