“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.” (Matthew 12:36 NLT)
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 8:21 NKJV)
“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and 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 NKJV)
I am fully convinced that spoken words are the most powerful force that God has created in this universe. The power of spoken words can be seen from cover to cover in the Bible. In Genesis 1 it says 10 times “and God said.” When God spoke things appeared. In Revelation we are told that the way that believers overcome the enemy is by “the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” Throughout His ministry Jesus taught, and demonstrated, the power of spoken words. He charged us to do the things that He did (this includes speaking).
Spoken words have a huge impact on our emotional well being. As parents, the words that we speak to our children have a profound effect. When we encourage, praise, and compliment them for things done well, they grow up to be confident, self assured adults. When we tear them down with critical words of disapproval it crushes their spirit and stunts their emotional growth. The same is true of teachers, coaches, and other adults who are influential in their lives. The words that we speak are more powerful than we realize.
Our spoken words are also designed to carry spiritual power. Faith filled words release the power of God in our lives and create the environment in which our lives are able to flourish. Fear filled words open the door to the enemy and bring calamity into our lives. I believe it is because of the creative power of spoken words that we are told we will give account for every idle (empty, careless, useless, thoughtless, worthless) word that we speak. Makes me think twice before I open my mouth.
I would encourage each of us to take time to give more study to just how important spoken words are. Then we will realize the significance of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 6: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words have power to kill me.”