CHECK YOUR WORD POWER

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit .”—Proverbs 18:21

 

A friend of mine related the following story to me.

A few years ago, I came upon the scene of an accident.  A car had gone out of control and cut off a power pole.  The high-line wire was hanging about three feet above the ground.  Many people had stopped and gotten out of their cars, they were standing no more than three feet way from that live wire.  They were thinking that it was insulated or that the power had been cut off.  But, this was not true the wire was “live” with over 17,000 volts of electricity running through it.  I watched from my car, a safe distance away, as the ambulance attendants carried the woman on a stretcher up the highway embankment.  As they crawled under the power-line, one of them got too close and the electrical current arced to his body like a lightening bolt.  He died instantly and the other attendant was critically injured. 

The ambulance attendant violated the natural law that governs electricity.  No doubt, he did it in ignorance; yet is was fatal.  Lack of knowledge did not stop the electrical force it continued to work.  It was the same force that cooked his meals, heated his house, and washed his clothes.  It was created to work for him to make his life more enjoyable.  The very reason for its existence was to supply his needs.  And yet, this same power used for good was the cause of this man’s unfortunate death.  Every year millions of lives are affected in a similar way, not by downed utility poles, but by words. 

Remember the familiar saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me?”  These words spoken out of ignorance do not agree with what the Bible says.  Jesus said in Matthew 12:35, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.”  Words spoken can hurt, cut, create stress, tension, anger, frustration, a sense of hopelessness, helplessness, or even kill.  On the other hand, words can create peace, joy, happiness, satisfaction, contentment, and heal. 

The Bible records how much emphasis Jesus placed on the importance of words.  In Matthew 4:1-11, Jesus faced temptation by the devil.  Every time that Satan wanted Jesus to do something contrary to God’s word, He would respond with God’s word, “It is written.”  In another place, Jesus taught that words are like seeds, in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:14-20).

Peter Daniel’s, an Australian multimillionaire, related that during his early elementary school years that his teacher would call him a dumbie, and that he would never be able to learn.  He suffered terrible abuse because no matter how hard he tried to learn to read; he could not.  He finally gave up and quit school before the age of 13.  Later in life in his mid-to-late twenties, he attended a Billy Graham crusade and became born-again.  He heard the Rev. Billy Graham say that God would help him live a good life and help him provide for his family.  Peter was a common brick layer without any education, and without any hope of advancing and making a better life for himself and his family.  He tried so hard to read the Bible everyday like the Rev. Graham had instructed the new converts to do, but was unable to.  He bought a dictionary and found a retired school teacher who would work with him every day.  He sacrificed much to learn to read, but learn he did.  He wore out three dictionaries, but now he owns several corporations all over the world and is worth millions.  All because someone came and spoke kind words of encouragement to him, and he took it personally that he was not stupid.

Words are like electricity that can be captured, harness, and channeled into creative productivity for yourself and for the good of others, or they can be used to cause destruction.  Choose today to use your words to create good for yourself and for others.

Prayer—Father I ask you to forgive me for the times that I have spoken words of destruction.  I purpose in my heart to speak words that are wholesome, good and prosperpous for myself, my family and others, in Jesus Name. Amen.