The Power of Words

"For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says." - Mark 11:23 KJV

I have always loved the power of words, and been enamored by beautiful quotes, lines from literature, quotes from movies, and most recently the beauty in bible verses. Words are powerful and the affect they have on each of us reaches much deeper than we realize. Maya Angelou believed that one day we would be able to measure the power of words, and thought them to be real things that seep into our walls and finally into us. The words we speak to others and to ourselves have a lasting effect. I am reminded of the old phrase, “you may forget what someone said, but you will never forget how they made you feel.”

It bothers me when people play off words as if they don’t have a deeper meaning. The Bible says that “life and death lies in the power of the tongue.” Life and death lies in the power of language . . . our words and thoughts (both spoken and unspoken). You are either speaking life with your words, or death. I choose to speak life and weigh my words carefully.

The Bible also says that in the beginning was the word, and the word was God, and the word was with God. Before the foundation of the world, the word existed . . . God’s word. He said, “Let there be,” and it was. God gave us the power of language so we could communicate with each other, and most importantly with Him. Words give us the ability to speak to God, and therefore there must be power in them. Today I’m focusing on the power of words that affect us inwardly and how that translates to what we do outwardly.

I am a huge proponent of being cautious on who you allow to speak into your life. Many times people speak to you based off their perception, rather than God’s perception of you. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. If a person’s words do not align with what you know to be God’s will or truth concerning your life, then disregard it. Don’t even allow it to seep into your consciousness, because you may start to believe it, and that belief can take you off the course of God’s will for your life. Even though the words others speak to us may carry a certain level of weight, the true power of words lie in what you say to yourself.

I urge you to speak kindly to yourself. I don’t know about you, but some humans (including me) can say things about ourselves that we would never say to another person out of fear we would hurt them. Remember, life and death lie in the power of your tongue. Speak life. If you don’t speak kindly to yourself, then start. Pray that God gives you the words to say, and that you begin to see yourself the way He sees you. I guarantee that the words He gives you will be gentle, kind, and most of all true.

We also must be mindful of the words we choose to speak to others, because once spoken they can never be taken back. We can try to apologize, and it may be accepted, but the fact the words were spoken will always linger in the background. Do not speak down to others. Speak life into them. I never want to plant seeds of negativity in someone else’s mind. I want to speak life into them. Your words are powerful.

God has given each of us the power to command mountains in our lives to be moved, but to do that we must have strong faith and believe God will do it. This year, you may find it hard to maintain faith. This has been an unprecedented year that continues to throw hurdles we must overcome. It is easy to succumb to the feeling of hopelessness, but as Christians we must tap into the faith deep within us. We have to speak against what we see, and believe that God will bring us through.

I am coming to understand that we must seek after the living word. God left us a book whose words speak life into our situations. God speaks to us through His scriptures, and when allow them to seep into our walls we begin to operate according to the living word. It begins to speak against the negative things people try to speak into our lives, and even the things we speak to ourselves. We have to understand the power of words, and stop using them so trivially. Words matter and they have deep meanings whether we realize that or not.

Let God flow through your speech and be the measuring stick that determines whether or not the words should be spoken. Speak life.

I hope you all have a blessed week!

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