The Power of Words

Words have power! Did you know that? If you are a living, breathing human being, then I’m sure you know what I mean. In the Bible in the third chapter of James, the writer compares the tongue to a flame of fire. Now, why would he compare that tiny organ, which God so carefully placed inside your mouth to assist with eating and speaking, to fire? James 3:6 (New Living Translation) says, “And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set on fire by hell itself.” Although very small, the human tongue is capable of doing considerable damage, even total destruction, because words have POWER! That’s the way God designed it! In Genesis 1, the sun, moon, stars, sky, ocean, grass, trees, flowers, and animals were all formed by God simply speaking WORDS. As humans created in God’s image and likeness, our words are also designed to carry weight.

People either achieve greatness or fail to ever achieve because of words. Some children excel in school, and then later flunk out in their teens because of words. Many choose to live their lives to the fullest, while some see suicide as their only option because of WORDS! “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” is a quote I heard often and even repeated as a child. Although I understand the message the originator was trying to convey, simply reciting the catchy phrase didn’t prevent the pain that certain words caused. I share in my blog post “Why Can’t I Be Beautiful?” about how certain words caused me to feel ugly as a teenager. The boy who was guilty of hurting me didn’t throw sticks and stones to break my bones or even punch me in the face with his fist. I remained physically intact, but mentally and emotionally I was a mess. Nevertheless, I thank God for His everlasting love which holds me and keeps me safe! My loving Father directed me to His Word and taught me how to cast down the words of hate and embrace His words of LOVE! I discovered that, although the young man’s words were powerful, God’s Word and the words of LIFE I choose to speak will overpower and annihilate the lies of my enemies!

James 3 shows me that, although the tongue is capable of causing great harm, it can be tamed. Therefore, as a child of God, I must tame my tongue daily. I am to be a witness for Jesus Christ, not just when I share the Gospel, but by displaying God’s love and righteousness. People watch what I do and listen to what I say.  James 3:9 (New International Version) says, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.” I must control my tongue daily so that I don’t damage someone’s heart. God is holding me responsible!

I pray that more of our children learn the Word of God and are surrounded by adults who model good behavior and speech. I pray that we adults always make quality time for our children engaging them in productive conversations. Such moments are crucial because that’s when we’re able to speak words of life to counteract what they hear outside of the home. It can be a matter of life or death!  God and His Word definitely saved mine!

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