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The Power of Our Words

Words are powerful things

… no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. JAMES 3:8-10 ESV

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. PROVERBS 16:24 ESV

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. EPHESIANS 4:29 NLT

Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. JOHN 15:3 ESV

But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. MATTHEW 5:22 NLT

As a Christian, I can:

Learn to speak carefully

Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. JAMES 1:19 NLT

Learn to speak the truth lovingly

Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, EPHESIANS 4:15 NLT

Ask God that I might be able to speak prophetically

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 1 THESSALONIANS 5:19-21 NLT

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord’s battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples. I threw them out and handed them over to Satan so they might learn not to blaspheme God. 1 TIMOTHY 1:18-20 NLT

We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week. These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go on to Jerusalem. ACTS 21:4 NLT

Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 1 TIMOTHY 4:14 ESV

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you 1 TIMOTHY 1:18 ESV

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. PROVERBS 22:6 ESV

It is easier to build up a young child than repair a broken adult.

Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint PROVERBS 29:18 ESV

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Take a few minutes to slow down, releasing any burdens from the day. Consider taking a few slow, deep breaths, giving any stressors and anxieties to God. As you consider the power of words, allow the words of God to wash over you: I have knit you together in your mother’s womb. You are loved, so much so that I even gave my son’s life for you. As you consider the ripple effect of God’s words throughout humanity, how does your use of words affect others? To what degree are you slow to speak, quick to listen and slow to anger? How can you use your words to build others up, even to the point of helping launch their ministry? Thank God for his investment into your life, and ask him for opportunities to speak words of life into others this week. Write down your thoughts in the space below, sharing with your group if you feel comfortable.

Discussion Questions

  1. PERSONAL REFLECTION: Begin group time by completing the Personal Reflection Guide, (link found on the top of sermon notes). Use this time to process your own level of faith in God and his promises. (Tip: playing some soft background music is helpful here!)
  2. REAL WITH SELF: Our words matter and have the power to create lasting memories. Can you remember a time when someone tore you down with their words? How about a time someone built you up?
  3. REAL WITH SELF: How can you build the life you want instead of escaping the life you have? What parts of your life are you the most inclined to try and escape from?
  4. REAL WITH GOD: Has anyone ever spoken a prophetic word over your life? What was that experience like for you? What if God wanted to use you to be his voice for someone else?
  5. REAL WITH OTHERS: How can you be more loving in our approach to those who don’t see the world the same way you do?
  6. TAKE ACTION: How can you use your gifts to bless others and invest in the next generation, teaching them right from wrong? What would it look like for you to personally come alongside our younger generations to help guide them?