The Power Of Words

Do not be deceived: “evil company corrupts good habits.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

No body can estimate the power of words once they are spoken. And the bad news is that once they are spoken you cannot take them back. It was through words that sin came into the world. Satan did not force Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, he just spoke to her and Eve agreed with his suggestion, something which was against the law of God. We are witnesses of how the world is destroyed by sin, but when you trace back you find that it all started with words!

The words we are speaking have a great effect to our hearers and to our own selves.  This effect may be good or bad depending on the nature of the words spoken. The kind of words one is speaking is a reflection of who he/she is. Of Jesus the Bible says, “for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” Matthew 7:29. There was a difference between Jesus and other teachers who used to teach them. He spoke as one with authority, uttering the words which pierced their inner motives. “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34. If someone speaks evil things then we surely know that it is the heart which is evil, the mouth just speaks what is in the heart.

“I feel alarmed as I witness everywhere the frivolity of young men and young women who profess to believe the truth. God does not seem to be in their thoughts. Their minds are filled with nonsense. Their conversation is only empty, vain talk.” The voice in speech and song page 419. The words we are listening have a great role in shaping our thoughts. We are what we feed our minds. If we feed our minds with the word of God, we will be men and women of understanding because the word of God contains all wisdom than all other books combined. We must cultivate our minds to love the word of God. We should set aside ample time for searching the scriptures and for prayers. But the situation is different in our society. Young men and women have lost taste for the word of God. We have no appetite for the Bible. Instead, we love stories which actually do not benefit anybody. “young men who habitually mingle in the little groups gathered in stores or on the street, ever engaging in discussion or gossip, will never grow to the proportions of men of understanding.” Testimony for the church vol 4 page 413.

If you come across a group of youngsters and have time to listen to what they are discussing you will pity them. They talk about sports, contending about which team is best or which prayer is the best. They talk about the latest movie, the latest album by a famous singer, the latest fashion of clothes. They also talk about love; somebody is dating someone or so and so have broken their engagement. These and other sorts of nonsense form a largest part of their conversation be it in the church or anywhere. 

“you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Exodus 20:16. This generation has grown careless regarding moral principles. People are not afraid of speaking lies. They tell lies everywhere. Others tell lies in the name of jokes, but the Bible is clear; “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement.” Matthew 12:36. “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No’. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37. The Bible is against any form of cheating. God requires us to be faithful in everything we do including our words. Our mouths must be trained to always speak what is true!

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful; all things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify.” 1 Corinthians 10:23. We may be speaking and listening things which are not harmful but it does not end there. Are they edifying? We are not supposed to use our time in trivial conversation. We must aim higher. “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” Colossians 3:2. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15,16. We have a very limited time on this earth. That being the case then it would be insanity to use this limited time in discussing things which are common, not edifying. Many decades ago there was a barrier in communication. People faced great difficulty in exchanging information. But today that is no longer a problem. There are no barriers to communication. The problem today is that people do not know what to communicate and what not to communicate. What we call news does not qualify to be news. We spend hours on social networks reading nonsense. But we should remember that in the end we shall give account of how we have spent this precious time given us by God.

“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” James 3:2. We need to be smart. Solomon says, “.. a time to keep silence, a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:7. It is not enough to speak right things; we should be keen to know when to speak and when to hold our peace. Remember, the more you speak the more you are likely to speak something foolish, so know when to stop!