It can be so easy to forget the power of words in our world. So it’s very important that we weigh the words that we think, speak and write – because the weight of those words can change the world of others – even our world at large.
Hebrews 11:3a (CEV): “Because of our faith, we know that the world was made at God’s command.” How is a command given? – it’s generally spoken. In Genesis 1, depending on the translation you read, the first words in vss. 3, 6, 9, 11, 14 & 20 are “Then God commanded…”; or, “God spoke…”; or, “Then God said…”. Those are the most powerful words ever spoken – the result was the creation of this world & all that is in it. THAT is the ultimate word power! Our words can never hold that amount of power; but, once spoken or written they can have a lot of impact in situations & on people. We have to be constantly aware of how words can stir up many results.
One result of words can cause “destruction” – like the ruination of a person’s self-image, their reputation and/or their livelihood; businesses can be brought down & bankrupted; and so much more. We hear stories about how children are told they’re stupid or how they’ll never amount to anything. When fed a steady diet of those destructive words they’ll likely come to pass unless someone speaks impactful positive words of life to them at some point. Think about the stories we hear about people being accused of criminal behavior – many times they’re arrested, tried, found guilty, imprisoned only to later find out that the charges against them were all lies. I’m sure you’ll remember a couple of stories the past few years when certain celebrities claimed they’d had things happen to them, putting the blame on a particular group, in an attempt to make them look like horrible people – only to be proven lies. But once words are put out there, even if proven false, there will always be those that will choose to believe them anyway. Words are powerful.
Obviously, another result of words can be positive – they can help encourage a person; or, build up a person resulting in them being elevated, honored, promoted. There are times that people that are more reserved that just quietly do an excellent job as a team player may get promoted ahead of more “robust” personalities because someone notices the quality of their work and speaks well of them to their manager. Think about how parents or teachers speak positive things into the lives of children then see them excel in life as a result. I read a story about a woman that was terribly depressed & one day came across the TV show Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. She was so impressed with his soft-spoken, gentle nature that she wrote him a letter expressing how hopeless she felt. A week later she received a hand-written letter of encouragement from him & it changed her life. How different would her life have been if he’d ignored her letter or tried to give her words of advice that just made her feel worse? Then very importantly there’s God’s Words of hope & salvation that change lives every day. Words are powerful.
As Christians, we need to be acutely aware that we are not immune to the need for using caution with our words. After all, we are only human & just as likely as anyone else to build up or to tear down people or “create situations” with our words. Pastors, teachers & church leaders, as well as entire churches can be brought down with careless words – whether spoken with intent or just carelessly. I remember when I was a young teenager growing up in a small West Texas town, we had a new pastor come to our church. He was younger – about the same age as many of the men in our community (like my own Dad.) He was such a good preacher that even we young people started sitting up & listening instead of writing notes & whispering during the sermons. Our church began growing & doing really well under his leadership. One particular Palm Sunday his sermon was so impactful that about 6 men (including my Dad) as well as several other people went forward to pray for salvation & to be baptized. But…unfortunately, as we later learned, our pastor’s wife didn’t really want to be a pastor’s wife & she herself started a rumor (which was found to be untrue) about her own husband – pure unfounded gossip. They ended up getting a divorce as a result & it ended up causing him to lose his position as a pastor in our denomination. This caused a lot of issues for our church. Unfortunately, it happens far too often that church leaders & churches are destroyed with careless words. Words are powerful.
We need to use extreme caution when it comes to words – never repeating things that we aren’t 100% certain are true. It can be so easy when we are told something – especially when it aligns with our own personal beliefs – to want to repeat it. We want to believe it, assume it’s true and if from a source that we believe is reliable, it makes it that much easier to repeat. This can be risky if we’re repeating the words to try to influence others’ opinions. We should keep in mind that even “reliable sources” can speak untruths OR twist the truth so that the meaning is changed (intentionally or unintentionally.) If we then repeat what they’ve relayed to us, we’ve fallen into a trap of sharing erroneous words. Those words can create a lot of negative results in many different ways. Words are powerful.
Ephesians 4:29 (ERV): “When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you.”
Importantly, we need to remember that we will be held accountable for all our words – and that’s a daunting thought. Jesus speaking said this: “‘You have minds like a snake pit! How do you suppose what you say is worth anything when you are so foul-minded? It’s your heart, not the dictionary, that gives meaning to your words. A good person produces good deeds and words season after season. An evil person is a blight on the orchard. Let me tell you something: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of Reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation.’” (Matthew 12:34-37 MSG)
Written by Karran Martin – September 27, 2024
[All bold emphasis is mine]
Karran's Korner 