Today we begin a new series called “The Power of Words.”

Marketers and politicians probably understand the power of words better than anyone else. They spend countless hours trying to come up with a perfect slogan that will stick in people’s heads.

Make America Great Again is just four simple words, but it became an entire movement.

Just Do It – Just hearing those words, do you see an emblem in your mind? Yes; the Nike swoosh.

In both cases, simple words are put together to create something much bigger than the words themselves.

This is a subject I should be an expert in. After all, I speak for a living. Even before I got paid to talk, I talked . . . and talked . . . and talked. I’ve said a lot of words in my life, and occasionally, those words have landed me in hot water! I’ve said too much. I’ve said unkind things that got back to the person I was talking about. I’ve been misunderstood, taken out of context, and understood perfectly at times when I said things I should not have said. I’m sure I’m not alone. Our mouths can get us in trouble.

People may say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Nothing could be further from the truth! Perhaps you remember times when another person’s careless words brought you a life of pain. Maybe you still recall exactly what was said even though it’s been years or decades since those words were spoken.

At the same time, a perfectly spoken word of encouragement or challenge has perhaps changed your trajectory: a teacher who spoke of your potential, or a parent who sat you down when you were going the wrong way and had a serious heart-to-heart conversation with you.

Here’s the thing – because the average person speaks 16,000 words a day, we probably don’t give too much thought to every word that comes out of our mouths. However, there are some words that will change your life or someone else’s life forever.

AND, the Bible tells us every word matters:

Take a moment to let that soak in. You and I will each have to give an account for every word spoken. I don’t like that much at all. For some of us, our words will bring us to salvation; but for others, they will lead to your condemnation. In this case, the most powerful words ever to be spoken are “Jesus, forgive me. I want to follow you for my whole life.” Those are the words that will acquit.

This is why we are launching into this series, The Power of Words. We need to recognize the power our words have and learn how we can use that power for good.

Before we examine ourselves, we need to see the pattern God first set for us. He is the One who established the power of a word.

Our Bibles begin with the creation of the world – not through a mighty act or the shaking of a staff, but through a word. Genesis chapter 1 is filled with “And God said. . . .” He spoke, creating into existence. His words had the power to create life.

When you look at the first chapter of John (one of the Gospels with an unusual beginning) you see that John begins by saying:

Here we see that John is calling Jesus “The Word,” and he is describing how Jesus, as The Word, was present at the creation of the world. As Jesus began His ministry, He said that He came to preach. He came to speak the life-giving message of the coming Kingdom of God. Throughout Jesus’s ministry, we see how most of His miracles are carried out simply through words spoken.

“Get up, take your mat and go home,” and the lame man stood and walked away praising God.

“Be still,” and the raging sea waters calmed.

“Lazarus, come forth,” and the dead man came out of the tomb.

All through scripture, we see that God’s words carry immense power. They are more than a means of communication. They bring life, and they change lives.

We must understand that our words have the same power. Maybe we can’t simply speak to a storm to calm it, but our words can still be for good or bad. They can build up or tear down, encourage or criticize, forgive or judge, heal or gossip.

Proverbs 18:21 says it most clearly: The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Life or death. Those couldn’t be further apart. Unfortunately, if you are not careful and intentional, you are much more likely to be speaking words of death than you would ever want.

It takes intentionality to speak words of life. We all want that. We want to be a blessing to others, but we have to consider our words more carefully if that is to be what comes out of our mouths. Sometimes it’s too easy – or too tempting – to speak a criticism or a judgment about someone who has just hurt or angered you.

What comes out of your mouth is going to be the fruit you yourselves eat. If you speak life, then that is more likely to come back your way; and if your mouth is constantly tearing others down, you will likely have to eat the fruit (experience the consequences) of those words.

Tied to this idea of life, Proverbs 10:11 says: The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. Imagine a giant fountain in the middle of a city park on a hot day – bubbling over. Such a cooling, peaceful blessing when you’re hot and overwhelmed with crying kids because you thought a picnic on the hottest day of the year was a good idea.

I’ve been on the receiving end of those words of life before, and they were amazing to hear:

In those moments, my life trajectory was changed by the life-giving words of the righteous. I experienced the fountain of life, and it made all the difference in the world. I wouldn’t be where I am without these experiences.

Yet at other times, I have experienced the opposite of that life. I’ve caught the arrows that bring death and destruction.

Worse than the words pointed at me are the fires I have set with my own words. I once made my own child cry because I was laughing at his British accent. For those who don’t know, our oldest was adopted from Africa as a teen, and somewhere along his path he learned English with an accent. I wasn’t trying to be mean, but a careless word brought a deep wound to my son, and I found him crying in his bed.

James, the brother of Jesus and pastor of the church in Jerusalem, wrote one of the earliest books of the New Testament. He must have seen how big an issue an uncontrolled tongue was becoming in his church because he spent a considerable amount of time talking about how destructive uncontrolled words can be.

Here we see the tongue – a representation of our words – compared in two analogies:

While the righteous speak words that are a fountain of life, foolish words are fire and poison that bring Destruction and Death.

So far I doubt I have said anything that surprises any of you. You all know how words can be a blessing or a curse. However, because they are constantly coming out of our mouths, we don’t give much time to analyzing how we are using our words and how they are affecting others. That’s what I want you to do this week.

Here’s the thing –

Your words matter! They can bring incredible pain and destruction; and yet, you have the opportunity to speak wonderful words of life to people who are parched and thirsty for the life-giving words God wants to speak through you.

You can make a major difference in someone’s life this week. It takes intentionality. It’s a choice. Choose to use the power of your words for good.

You can encourage someone who is down and out and feeling hopeless.You can challenge someone you see great potential in to reach for higher goals.You can share the most important words there are – the life-saving message of Jesus – with someone who is far from God.

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