This is a question that I am asking myself right now. Am I saying things that are bringing me down or lifting me up? Are my words filled with grace and love? Am I saying things that align with the word of God? Words are not simply utterances thrown into the air, but they are very powerful tools and have a great significance. There are many scriptures in the Bible that teach on the importance of words.
Hebrews 11:3
By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.
Right from the beginning we can see that God spoke things into being in order for them to be created. He said let there be light and there was light. From this we can ascertain that words have the ability to create.
Proverbs 18:21 says that what we say can preserve life or can also destroy it, and it then goes on to say that we should accept the consequences of the words that we speak.
There are some things that people have said to me throughout my life that I have never forgotten. Not because they were nice things; as a matter of fact I believe hurtful words often stay with a person and can have a negative impact on them.
A child is told by a close relative, ‘you are not smart enough for this or that,’ or ‘you are not good enough for this.’ These words stay with that child and then affect their perception of themselves. In a more extreme case, Imagine a person who is about to commit suicide, it will take some heartfelt words to convince them that this is not the way to go.
Ephesians 4:29
Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.
It’s ironic that words can be used to encourage and at the same time discourage and hurt people. Have you ever noticed how quickly words can affect your mood or even your spirit. Someone can pay you a compliment saying, ‘I loved the speech you gave tonight,’ and suddenly we feel good, another person might say, ‘I didn’t really enjoy your speech tonight.’ As high as your self-esteem is, it’s likely that such a statement will have an effect on any person, to different degrees.
The first part of James chapter 3 focuses on painting a picture of just how powerful words are. In verse 2 it says: All of us often make mistakes. But if a person never makes a mistake in what he says, he is perfect and is also able to control his whole being. Did you know that you can use your words to lift yourself up? You can encourage yourself in the word of God. You can say I am blessed today. You can say I am covered, nothing can separate me from the Love of God. I strongly believe that words can affect your emotions and feelings, therefore it’s important to speak the right things. This is a challenge for me, as sometimes you just want to give in to the situation, to negativity, worry and more. But this is where you need to speak life, encourage yourself and decree the word.
I will leave you with the story of David. The Amalekites had burnt down Ziklag and had taken captive all the women and children. Their first reaction was to weep, in fact they wept until they couldn’t weep anymore. But in verse 6 David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Hereafter he was able to enquire of the Lord and in the end they pursued and recovered all that was lost. In this situation encouraging himself made all the difference.
1 Samuel 30:6
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
I encourage you to think carefully about the words you say, use your words to build up, speak faith, make word-based declarations and encourage yourself in the Lord.
Guest Contributor – Alessandra Oyeloba
