Before I get into today’s Bible study I want to invite you to join us for a word from the Word! We’re are preparing to take a journey through the power-packed Pauline epistle of Philippians begininng January 24th and I’d love to walk with you in the Word! Click here to subscribe by email or click one of the links on the right hand side to subscribe through your Google Feeder or through Facebook’s Networkedblog. Be sure to subscribe before we get started in our study of Philippians!
I love knowing we’re in the Word together and if you’ve already joined us, I want you to know, sweet friend, I’m so glad you’ve joined me again for the second lesson in our study about Words. After Monday’s lesson, I realized I needed to think about what I was putting in my coffer. What about you?
Today we’re going to see what the Bible says about the power of our words.
Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” and in the NLT, James 3:6 says, ” And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.”
The words we say are packed with power; they can speak death into a person’s life; they’re like a flame of fire; they can corrupt our entire body OR they can speak life into someone’s life. The sobering truth is, as Christians, the choice is ours.
Today, we have the opportunity to face the new year with more determination than ever to choose life – not just for yourself, but for those in your sphere of influence – the ones you have the opportunity to speak to.
I recently was at the grocery store when I heard a mother cussing at her little boy, telling him to shut up and snatching him by the arm. He just asked her if he could sit in the cart. An innocent question, but I think I could see the flames of fire coming out of her mouth as she spoke death to her own son. Every time she chided that child you could almost see a little piece of his heart shriveling up.
Maybe you’ve been the recipient of death words and know how they can crush your spirit, derail your dreams, skew your self-image and hurt your heart. Maybe you don’t see yourself as you really are because you believed it when someone else told you you were someone or something you really aren’t.
Oh, sweet friends, I wish I could hug every one of you reading this right now, because I know what it’s like to find youryself somewhere in the middle of believing you are who and what others have said about you or trusting you are exactly who Christ has created you to be. The place where you try to believe with your heart what you know with your head to be true because Jesus said it was true. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Can I just stop to say the way to find healing for the heart that has been hurt by the callous, the critical and the cruel is to immerse yourself in the Word of the Living God. There you will find the truth about who you are as you allow Scripture to speak life to your life. I’m not sure why we would believe anyone else when the God who spoke life into this dark and empty world is the same God who tells us we were created in His image – fearfully and wonderfully made – that we are perfect in His sight – complete in Him. We are the objects of His affection, the apple of His eye and inscribed upon the palm of His hands. It doesn’t get any better than that! Don’t you dare believe you are anything less than our Savior died to make you!
Unfortunately, the flipside is also true. We’ve all been guilty of slicing and dicing people with our tongues. We’ve all said things we shouldn’t. Whether out of anger, arrogance or ignorance, we’ve all cut others with our sharp tongues. Intentionally or not, it doesn’t change the fact that we have wounded others with our words.
In today’s Bible study, we’re going to evaluate a few Scriptures and see what they say about our words so that we can win the war of loose lips, defeat the need to say more than we should and to help us keep our words in check.
Below are our passages for the day along with some questions and some tips to helps us think before we speak, choose words that will speak life into the lives of others and silence the voices that whisper from our painful past.
In Luke 12:3, the Bible says:
“Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.”
1. What will be proclaimed on the housetops?
2. Ask yourself if you want what you say today to be proclaimed on the housetops. If you can’t say “yes” then don’t say it.
Ephesians 4:29 tells us:
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
3. What do you think “corrupt” means?
4. How much “corrupt” communication is permitted to pass through your lips?
5. What IS to come forth from your mouth and what purpose should your words have?
Ephesains 5:4 in the Amplified says:
“Let there be no filthiness (obscenity, indecency) nor foolish and sinful (silly and corrupt) talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting or becoming; but instead voice your thankfulness [to God].”
6. Based on Ephesians 5:4, list what is not to be coming out of our mouths.
7. Do you allow those types of words to come out of your mouth?
8. How do you think a voice of thankfulness will change your word choices and help you monitor what you say?
There are a host of other verses that deal with the issue of our words. The words we speak are powerful. They have the ability to speak life or death into another persons life.
If you’ve ever been hurt by hurtful words, you know how it feels. You may not be able to control what others say, but you have the power, through the Spirit of the Living God, to overcome an unbridled tongue. But as we studied Monday, it begins with filling our coffers with good stuff.
Today, I pray you will evaluate your word choices to your husband, your children, your family member, your friends and your coworkers. Are you speaking life into theirs or are you wounding them with your words? Are you stirring the pot and causing division or are you speaking peaceful words of encouragement and forgiveness?
Oh, be careful little mouth what you say. Oh, be careful little mouth what you say. For the Father up above is looking down with love, so be careful little mouth what you say!
“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3
“We have heard with our ears, O God,
Our fathers have told us,
The deeds You did in their days,
In days of old:” Psalms 44:1
Don’t miss Friday’s final lesson on “Words”. We’ll be talking about the Power of God’s Word and how it is relevant for every era and every circumstance. Remember, if you haven’t subscribed yet, please be sure to do so. We’re looking at John 15 next week and then we’re gonna dive into Philippians together. So grab a girlfriend and lets study the Word together!
Oh, Stephanie! I love this. My #1 soapbox topic is our words. It is so important we learn that what we speak has power…to build up or tear down. I have tried desperately to watch what I say. Thank you for this awesome reminder!
Lynn ~ You and I are on the same soapbox! I love you, sweet friend!
Hi! Loved this study. I am learning about the power of words,and have recently learned that corrupt speech, or an “evil report” is ANYTHING contrary to GOD’S WORD. His desire is for us is health, prosperity and salvation, so anything we say about ourselves that is not in alignment with His express will for us is “corrupt” speech. 🙂 Thanks again..and may you be in health and prosper, even as your soul prospers, my friend! 🙂 Gwyn