Words - The power of Speech.

To start with, here are some verses to give this topic come context: 

Wise words satisfy like a good meal;

the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life;

those who love to talk will reap the consequences. (Proverbs 18:20, 21 NLT)

 

Wise words are like deep waters;

wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook. (Proverbs 18:4 NLT)

Some people make cutting remarks,

but the words of the wise bring healing. (Proverbs 12:18 NLT)

The lips of the godly speak helpful words,

but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words. (Proverbs 10:32 NLT)

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:3 NLT)

In the beginning the Word already existed.

The Word was with God,

and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him,

and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created,

and his life brought light to everyone. (John 1:1-4 NLT)

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:9, 10 NIV)

"Curse" - noun

1. the expression of a wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall a person, group, etc.

 

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14 NLT)

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,

‘People do not live by bread alone,

but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NLT)

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD.
      “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
   ⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
      so my ways are higher than your ways
      and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.    ¹⁰ “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
      and stay on the ground to water the earth.
   They cause the grain to grow,
      producing seed for the farmer
      and bread for the hungry.
   ¹¹ It is the same with my word.
      I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
   It will accomplish all I want it to,
      and it will prosper everywhere I send it. 

Isaiah 55

 

Introduction:

Guys, i have been thinking for some time about creation and intelligent design and evolution etc. One of the fascinating aspects to life and earth is the way we communicate is with speech. Sound, language, grammar, phonetics, structure, letters, sentencing.... it goes on. 

The fact that I am able to write down letters to form words and sentences and you are able to read it, digest it and comprehend meaning and purpose that has an impact, a change, a difference in your emotions, thinking, demeanor, perspective, is astounding. 

As my former boss counseled me once, he said, the tools of a Salesman are words, and we have to be experts at crafting them.  

I have been meditating on this for some weeks now, that isn't it fascinating that we have 2 ears, a mouth, a tongue, a voice-box, a throat, we have tone, we have a brain that can decipher sounds via our amazing eardrum, and then comprehend those sounds into language and format it so the sounds have meaning and purpose and function. 

Then we take those sounds and make words from them that have meaning, we are able to write it down in a format that can be reproduced and comprehended. That we take pleasure and comfort in the way certain sounds are collected together and words combined, that it gives us pain or great comfort and feelings of elation. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" - we read it and it brings comfort to our soul.

Martin Luther King, decries his "dream" speech and an emotional reaction rises up inside of us, and we react by wanting to yell "yeah!"

Julia Gillard states "There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead", and we cringe and feel a sense of being deceived.

Why is this?  Have we ever considered the package of power that is in the word? By that I mean speech, words, language etc. 

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". 

Gents, there are really 3 things that I want to draw out of this topic that will radically change our world: 

1. Words don't just communicate, they create: What was the result of God's first words? creation. 

What happens when Moses, Abraham, David, Jesus spoke something to existence: it was created - be it water from a rock, parting the Red Sea, water made into wine, bread multiplied.

My contention is that words do not just communicate a message to someone else, but they have the power to create something, it is in that communication that it tells that thing to be created. 

Which leads to the next point

2. Words declare the authority over a person, place or thing.  What was the result of Jesus words over the fig tree when he cursed it, it was destroyed.   How many commandments did Jesus give us?  'If you say to this mountain be though removed and not doubt in his heart, it will be done for him"

The Bible is littered with declarations of authority over a person, place or thing, and when I talk of a person, I also mean a spirit person like a demon. 

3. Words change the environment because of point 1 & 2.   If I am always inward looking, a victim mentality, sad, negative, looking for faults, then I would contest that words are creating that environment. 

You see, you can pay large sums of money to get life coaching to tell you to think happy positive thoughts, and to speak positive things "I am  winner" "I am a conqueror" "I am a champion". Which are good starting points and will go some way to help, no doubt. 

BUT! And a big but, words that come from God, have the ULTIMATE authority and when declared with FAITH, conquer all things. 

No longer am I reciting memory verses, and remembering what God says, but now I am declaring his Word, because it IS the power and authority over all things on earth .... 'your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. 

God's strategy is salvation via the church, the co-laboring of his desire for man, via the execution of the church - the execution of the church's role is to declare the Master's word on earth (as it is in heaven). Think about it. 

Application to today: 

- speak His word, declare it into every situation, every circumstance

- speak His word, declare it into every situation, every circumstance

- speak His word, declare it into every situation, every circumstance

 

yes it did write it 3 times. Let's not over theorize this, or over analyse it, because otherwise we give ourselves an out, "yes God is random, His word works some of the time and not others..." yes, follow that piece of string and watch your faith crumble. 

 

GUYS! this has SO MANY ramifications, it will transform your world - work, family, finance, health, sex, friendship, management, salvation,  faith, everything.

Pastor Phil said something that has pierced me, when he said: 

"Your words locate you" 

Where are your words locating you? In the victim boat?  Are you "an Aussie battler" always struggling and being the victim of big business or corrupt governments?  Are you a naysayer, always pulling down in speech the other person ? Are you a insecure man, always speaking negativity to your wife and kids, so that they won't amount to anything above yourself? 

Or are you someone that speaks Life, Faith, Hope, Love, Blessing, Honor, Gratuitous compliments and encouragement, Forgiveness?  Do you create the environment that brings forth greatness in others by your words?

Final personal comment

 

For those that suggest evolution is how we got here and where we are going, when you un-package speech and communication and how are bodies are designed, it's it just a galaxy too far to think that we evolved to have a voice-box, 2 ears, a mouth a brain that all works perfectly to be able to communicate via the spoken word, Wouldn't it have been easier to evolve so that we didn't have to, to evolve so that we didn't have to be social or have the need to be social, that way we could evolve individually and go it alone.  I mean, why bother with speech and communication, especially the kinds that wants to exchange the message of "love" - love complicates things and is beyond random evolution.