Gray Areas

Words.

 

Words can start a riot or put a child to sleep.  Send people marching facing the possibility of death or inspire us that we meditate on their words hundreds of years later.  Words are a dynamic force.

 

What we say and how we say it can make a difference in the world

 

James 1: 26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

 

1 Peter 3: 10 For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech

 

There are over 100 Bible verses about the power of words.

 

WARNING so much teaching about words that is not really bible based.  Read so much where they take one verse (Power of death and life in our words Proverbs 18: 21) and soon they are talking about opening portals over your city where the glory of God can come through.  Take a bible verse and run with it you can open yourself up to anything.

 

  1. Power in words.

 

  1. Blessings spoken coming true in Bible
  2. Jesus cursed a fig tree and it died. (Mark 11)
  3. Jesus spoke to things that could not hear and they responded (stormy sea Matthew 8, dead son Luke 7)
  4. People amazed at his words of grace (Luke 4: 22)
  5. Paul spoke to a person and they went blind (Acts 13: 11)
  6. Saved through our words (Romans 10: 9, 10)

 

2. Obey what we know

 

Ephesians 4: 29 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.

 

By the words we say we can either escalate or diffuse a situation

 

Proverbs 15: 1 a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

 

  1. We can make others put up defenses
  2. Stir them up to strike back at us.

 

Matthew 12: 36, 37 Give account of our words because they reveal the heart.

Idle = does nothing that ministers grace or instruction to others.

 

Why it is so important in God’s eyes.  Our heart is revealed through the words that we say.

3. Changing the way we talk

 

Joyce Myers “Change your words change your life”

 

  1. Let God change us.  Not swearing is not going to get us to heaven.
  2. Listen more. James 1: 19 My dear brothers take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
  3. Control your anger Ephesians 4: 27 anger gives the devil a foothold
    1. learn to walk away for a timeout when the temperature is rising.
    2. Deal with the problems rather than the other person
  4. Pick your words carefully
    1. Gettysburg Address 266 words Lord’s Prayer 56 words, Ten Commandments 297, Declaration of Independence 300 a recent government order setting the price of cabbage 26, 911.
  5. Let it go.
    1. Keep mentally and verbally going over situations they can give us a heavy spirit.

 

4. Don’t deny reality, but keep your focus

 

Spies in the land, Strong cities, big wall, tall people, but our God is huge, Instead they said, we are like grasshoppers int heir sight

 

We can start a day saying “I Dread this day or God I need your help to keep my focus.”