THE POWER OF WORDS
THE POWER OF WORDS
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” How many of you believe that? Those words are ontrary to scripture.
There is great power in words. They are greater than brute force with the exception that they can’t directly take another person’s life, though they can order it done. One can be a paraplegic and still have great power with the words he or she speaks.
A king of Heracleopolis said to his son, who was his successor: Be skillful in speech, that you may be strong…Words are braver than all fighting.” He said this in 2040 B.C., over 4,000 years ago.
Keith Green’s lists the different kinds of tongues, good and bad, in one of his pamphlets:
Psalm 5:9 – a flattering tongue
Psalm 12:3, 73:9 – a proud tongue
Psalm 109:2, Prov. 6:17) – a lying tongue
Psalm 120:2 – a deceitful tongue
Psalm 109:2, Prov. 6:17) – a lying tongue
Psalm 120:2 – a deceitful tongue
Psalm 139:20b -
Prov 10:31, 17:20 – a perverted tongue
Prov. 15:4 – a soothing tongue
Prov. 12:18 – a healing tongue
Prov 17:4 – a destructive tongue
Ps. 10:7 – a mischievous & wicked tongue
Prov. 25:15 - a soft tongue
Prov. 25:23 – a backbiting tongue
James says the tongue is untamable, a restless evil full of deadly poison, used both to bless God and curse men. He also says that a man who doesn’t stumble in what he says is a perfect man. (James 3:2-10) Turn to James 4:11 & 1:26 also.
2 Cor. 12:20 - “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.” Did you notice how most, if not all, of these vices spawn from words.
MISUSE OF THE TONGUE:
The first one listed is “Gossiping.” That’s another lesson in and of itself. I tore a clip out of our newsletter when Mike Hoke was here that goes like this:
Mrs. Brown: “She told me that you told her the secret that I told you not to tell her!”
Mrs. Blue: “That mean thing! I told her not to tell you I told her.”
Mrs. Brown: “Well, don’t tell her that I told you she told me.”
We’ve all done this, haven’t we? Probably more so when we were young. By now we’ve learned the hard way the damage that gossip does, and we don’t like to be on the receiving end of it.
I Peter 2:1 - Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
James 3:2-10
James 4:11-12 - Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?
Matt. 12:36-37 – our own words snare us
Prov. 6:2 – Ensnared by vows & promises spoken but not kept
Matt. 12:34-37 – by your words you will be justified and condemned
A verse I kept on my refrigerator for years was this one:
Psa 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
One that keeps me from speaking so impulsively is this one:
Prov 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
As a writer, I want to look at the who, what, when, why, where and how we should speak, as Christians:
To whom: Ezek 33:8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. Ezek 33:9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.
Why - Titus 2:7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness Titus 2:8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
How (& Why) - Col 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Prov 10:31, 17:20 – a perverted tongue
Prov. 15:4 – a soothing tongue
Prov. 12:18 – a healing tongue
Prov 17:4 – a destructive tongue
Ps. 10:7 – a mischievous & wicked tongue
Prov. 25:15 - a soft tongue
Prov. 25:23 – a backbiting tongue
James says the tongue is untamable, a restless evil full of deadly poison, used both to bless God and curse men. He also says that a man who doesn’t stumble in what he says is a perfect man. (James 3:2-10) Turn to James 4:11 & 1:26 also.
2 Cor. 12:20 - “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.” Did you notice how most, if not all, of these vices spawn from words.
MISUSE OF THE TONGUE:
The first one listed is “Gossiping.” That’s another lesson in and of itself. I tore a clip out of our newsletter when Mike Hoke was here that goes like this:
Mrs. Brown: “She told me that you told her the secret that I told you not to tell her!”
Mrs. Blue: “That mean thing! I told her not to tell you I told her.”
Mrs. Brown: “Well, don’t tell her that I told you she told me.”
We’ve all done this, haven’t we? Probably more so when we were young. By now we’ve learned the hard way the damage that gossip does, and we don’t like to be on the receiving end of it.
I Peter 2:1 - Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
James 3:2-10
James 4:11-12 - Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you--who are you to judge your neighbor?
Matt. 12:36-37 – our own words snare us
Prov. 6:2 – Ensnared by vows & promises spoken but not kept
Matt. 12:34-37 – by your words you will be justified and condemned
A verse I kept on my refrigerator for years was this one:
Psa 141:3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
One that keeps me from speaking so impulsively is this one:
Prov 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
As a writer, I want to look at the who, what, when, why, where and how we should speak, as Christians:
To whom: Ezek 33:8 When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. Ezek 33:9 But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.
Why - Titus 2:7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness Titus 2:8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
How (& Why) - Col 4:6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
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