“Words are powerful.” I’m sure you have heard this before; believers and non-believers alike seem to understand the power behind our words. But the question is, who is our source? What’s in our hearts when we speak?
Think about when you receive a compliment; I’m sure your whole day is made, and you may even feel a little bit more confident. But what if the words that you hear are violent or even degrading? I’m sure the way you feel changes, right? That’s because words can lift you up or tear you down.
Like the Word says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Provers 18:21, NIV)
There are many verses in the Bible that will show you that words are powerful. Like when Jesus speaks to the storm and the storm dies down. Or when He says take up your bed and walk. In both instances, He spoke and it was done. But it wasn’t until the other day that I was reading John 1 that I got a revelation of why they are so powerful and why we should be careful of the words we speak.
I love how chapter 1 starts! Chills run all over my body just by reading the first verses, and it’s because I find it so powerful and true!
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
The Word was God! The Word IS God. Let that sink in.
Jesus was with God in the beginning. And how did everything start? By a word from God! He spoke and there was light; the world was shaped and everything in it. The world would say that it was the big bang! But we know that it was God Himself!
That’s why His word says that in Him we live and have our being! Everything came to be with His word.
That’s why our words are so powerful.
What is the source of your words?
As human beings, our emotions can take control of us. And that may affect the words we speak and how we speak, but I’ve come to learn with Jesus that I should not let my emotions rule over my life. So, should my emotions be the source of my words? I believe that the source goes deeper than that.
Our emotions are affected by what we hear, what we experience, and what we see, so I believe that is a huge influence over our thoughts, hence affecting the way we speak to others and to ourselves.
Being in the world, but not of it, there are so many things that vie for our attention: work, hobbies, gatherings, TV, music, people, and the list goes on. But there’s always ONE that should remain at the forefront of our minds… Yes, you guessed that right! I’m talking about Jesus!
It’s so important to spend alone time with Him, and even as important to bring Him into our day-to-day life. Why? Because the more we do it, the more our mind begins to shift and resemble His!
When our mind is renewed, then our thoughts change. Suddenly, the words we speak change. This is why reading the Word of God plays an important role in our lives as believers.
His word is alive and sharper than a two-edged sword. It even penetrates through bone and marrow. (Hebrews 4:12) That means that His word brings healing to our bodies, to our souls and to our minds! His word is the TRUE SOURCE of power!
And as I mentioned in the beginning, HE IS THE WORD! So, He is the true source; the source that brings life.
Of course, there are other things that can become a source too when we don’t fill ourselves with the life-giving word of God; these things end up taking up space and creating thoughts and speech in us that don’t align with God’s true purposes for our lives.
I’ve realized that there’s certain music I cannot listen to anymore because I’ve grown in my walk with Jesus; there’s no room for them anymore.
There are shows that I cannot watch or should not watch anymore because they feed a different speech in me, and these words are more harmful than good. So, pay attention to what you watch, listen to and surround yourself with.
There’s only ONE truth that we should constantly seek, and His name is Jesus.
What should I say?
I’m not here to tell you what you should say or not say; as believers, we have the Holy Spirit who convicts us and gives us the words to speak when we don’t know what to say. But I’m here to let you know that your words carry the power of your Creator!
Our words are so connected with Jesus that when we praise His name, He inhabits our praises! His Spirit can instantly fill the room when we pray and praise Him. It’s so wonderful!
When we realize this, when we have this in the forefront of our mind, then our actions and speech will align with His; we will start speaking truth; we will start speaking life to others and to ourselves.
There will be moments where we will be tempted to react negatively and want to curse people out or even yell and hurt people because that’s the way they made us feel, but know that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities; that is, the war is not with other people, the war is with the spiritual realm. My point in mentioning this is that our words carry the power of Jesus to defeat the enemy in our prayers in His name. So, let’s not use our words against each other, but for each other and to lift each other up.
How do I change my speech?
We don’t just wake up one day and decide, I’m going to stop cursing, or I’m going to stop talking negatively and it suddenly happens. So if you’re still in the process like me, I would like to share some keys that I’d like to apply with you to changing your speech:
- Surrender to Jesus. Give this area to God and He will be able to act on it and heal what needs to be healed. When we surrender to Jesus, we will see Him shining in and through us more.
- Read the Bible! This is so important because we are washed by His word. And ask the Holy Spirit for fresh revelation every day.
- Be attentive to what you watch and listen to. I understand that there might be times where you might not be able to control fully what you hear, but be led by the Spirit and guard your heart in prayer.
