Our words!

Death and life are in the power of the tongue….Proverbs 18:21

Wow! Yesterday we talked about The Word. How powerful God's Word is and how the Bible is His Word. Did you realize that it was through Words that God created the heavens and the earth? Literally He spoke and “poof” - life comes into existence! Talk about a big bang! Not in the way an evolutionist would like you to believe, but I’m a Word! God said it and so it was! 

You know what else God said? “Let man be created in our own image. And so He created them, male and female He created them.” Everything else was spoken - light, sun, moon, stars, earth, land, etc. But man and woman were created! He took time with us because we were made to be like Him! Can you believe that! That is not just our physical appearance - we were created body, soul and spirit!

So now, when we read this verse, “death and life are in the power of the tongue”, we must understand that, just as God’s Words have power, so do ours!!! We have the power of life or death in what we say! Can you believe that? I am humbled by this truth and I think about the things I casually say to myself, my family, my friends and even those I don’t know. 

Have you ever thought about the fact that you can change the whole course of a person's life by the words you say? James reminds us that a large ship can be moved by a small rudder and our tongue is just like that! A small rudder, hidden under the water. Out of sight and out of mind, but that is where the power is! That small piece of the ship controls the course of that mighty vessel! The tongue is the same way! Hidden in the mouth. Out of sight(most of the time)! But it will direct your course and can change the course of others as well! 

Take care of what you say! Every time I think of the power of the tongue I am reminded of something my brother told me many years ago before he died. See, my brother struggled with alcohol. He was addicted and it is what eventually took his life. One time when we were talking about life he told me something that our step dad told him as a young child. As a young boy, my brother was told that he had an addictive personality. That if he ever started drinking, that he wouldn’t be able to stop. As a 30 year old man my brother held onto these words that were spoken to him as a child. 

Now, I am not saying that it was my step dad's fault that my brother was an alcoholic. We all have choices to make, and we will be held responsible for those choices. But we also have the opportunity to influence the choices people make. How do you want to influence? Through life or death?

There is an old expression that says, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Ha!! This couldn’t be farther from the truth! Physical wounds heal so much faster than emotional wounds. Why do you think people get stuck in the social media trap and live to ‘please’ everyone out there? They want to get a few likes to combat what the world has been telling them all their life! But that is not the answer!

The answer is God’s Word! We talked about the power of it yesterday, but didn’t go too much into what it says about us! We are the head and not the tail! We are the children of God! We are redeemed, bought with the blood of Christ! And the list goes on! 

So what does this mean for us? So many things, but right now we are talking about our words. As I go about my life, I need to be conscious of what I am saying. One word I speak could change the course of mine or someone else’s life! So what am I speaking? Am I speaking the Word? That is the source of life! If I am not speaking the Word, I am missing the mark! 

Ask yourself, what am I bringing to those around me? Do I bring life or death? And then, to take a step further, how can I bring life more often through the things I say? Be thoughtful, because your words will affect people around you! What effect are you having?