power in our words...???
a few weeks ago I was being taken to the airport by some good friends of mine., while driving we were cut off by another driver and my friends began to speak badly of his driving, calling him a jerk. I was sitting there silently at first but after a few moments couldn’t keep my thoughts to myself any longer. so i presented this thought::
James 3.10 says that from the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers this not ought be so. (curse = GK 2671; Katara; an execration, imprecation, curse; in simple terms to feel or express great loathing for someone)
I asked; how could we curse this man because he has done something that we don’t necessarily think he should have done???
my friends took a moment to ponder my thought and responded asking; does this really apply to our situation b/c this man cannot even hear what we are saying?? Essentially I understood that they didn’t think it applied because said man was not in our vicinity and could not actually hear the words that were being said about him. I then shared this story
|| a few years ago I was in a parking lot looking for parking, a lady “stole our spot’ and my friends whom I was with began to speak out against this lady. We had just come from a conference and I reminded them of a simple principal we had come away with and said:: “we speak BLESSINGS people not curses!!” as soon as I said this they repented and almost immediately a spot opened up for us and we drove right in. To some of you, you may roll your eyes, or think it a coincidence about the parking spot but a friend who was in the car that day has since told me she thinks of that time often. She realised that when we release blessing God honours that. || My friends on the way to the airport that day still weren’t convinced so we agreed to disagree.…yet something still didn’t sit well in my spirit.
Fast forward to today. I have found myself Over the past few weeks since this happened weighing on heart. I have felt the Lord continuously bring it up to me to ponder and meditate on. I shared this story with three friends of mine in the past few days, each time I have told this story and asked their opinions I have been met with the exact same response:: conviction. Each person I have asked has not responded to the question - when we curse people from afar do our curses fall on deaf ears, do they make an negative impact on their lives, or does nothing happen at all?
I began to wonder if my friends were correct? Does it really matter if I speak out badly (negatively/cursing) against someone when they can’t even hear me in the first place? Yes it does matter. First the people I am around will hear this anger and negativity and inevitably it will change the mood/atmosphere in and around us (something else to sit on for a moment) but what really got me thinking was this::
As I was processing through this, prayer came to my mind…does prayer only work and change things when I am with the person (right in that moment) as I am praying for them? Are my prayers effective when the person I am praying for is half way around the world and they don’t even know? Absolutely they are effective!! Psalm 5.3 tells us that God hears our prayers, He hears and He moves accordingly.
We can see in Ephesians 6 that we are in a spiritual battle, does that mean that there are good spirits as well as bad spirits around us? I think so!! Wouldn’t you then think that just as we release blessings over people with hope that our words come alive in that persons life to release that blessing over them?? Wouldn’t the same be true of us speaking a curse over someone?? Let’s think about voodoo priests for a moment, they use voodoo dolls to cast spells on people and it has been proven that their spells are effective. Their curses physically, emotionally and spiritually cripple people. Shouldn’t the same be true for us and our own words??
This leads us to the power of our words::
God (who’s image we were made in) spoke and the entire earth came in to being. THAT is powerful! Our words have power AND authority!! How many times did Jesus say be healed and people were healed, sometimes when Jesus wasn’t even with the person…or how Paul commanded a spirit out of a young girl and she was delivered. I think that these examples show that there IS so much power in our words.
The scriptures tell us to be in the world but not of it. So as believers if we are surrounded by a society who is so quick to speak harshly and negatively about everything and everyone around them how much more should we try to do the exact opposite? How much more should we be releasing blessing and speaking life or in reality releasing LOVE into each and every circumstance and life that we come in to contact with?? I think we have the capability to see the world change with our words and with our love. I want to encourage us that as we obey the great commandment to love others as ourselves specifically in the use of our words we have the power to change the world!!
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Hi Lori! I remember us talking about this stuff last year. So easy to talk down others, at least I have been seeing this in my own life, how it comes from my own insecurity and need to lift myself up by bringing others down. Painful discovery.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect is not only what we are doing to that other person, but also what we are doing to ourselves by speaking against other people, we remove ourselves from the likeness of Him whom we were created to be like, and in so doing, bringing dishonor over our Father.
Important topic sister, thanks for the reminder!
Eyvind
Thanks Eyvind! I think we have so much more power and authority than we really even realise, our words play such a huge part in that! Thanks for your encouragement!
ReplyDeleteLori! This is so good and definitely something our culture so desperately needs to hear. We live in a culture where "comedy" is considered saying the most vulgar, repulsive things possible (Superbad, Hangover, etc). If the same spirit that is God when He spoke the earth into existencd lives in us, we carry that same power of influence so we really need to watch our words. Love this! You're awesome! Don't ever doubt your convictions! Love you sis!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Lor! I immediately thought of prayer as I was reading through. We speak to the heavenlies and our words go forth. God's word goes out and accomplishes everything it was sent to do. We are like Dad!!! So thanks for the reminder to "Be careful little lips what you say, Be careful little lips what you say, For the Father up above looks down with tender love, so be careful little lips what you say!" (Even if no one else is listening :) ) Peace & Love, Mo <><
ReplyDeletethanks for the feedback Mo & Sejin!! I def think it is something we really need to think more about and consider as we go through our daily lives. We are powerhouses created in the image of our great Creator! We need to know the authority we walk in!!
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