The Power of Your Words by Robert Morris [Summary]

Main Summary: The Power of Your Words by Robert Morris explores the profound impact of words on our lives, relationships, and spiritual journeys. It emphasizes the biblical significance of speech, the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding our tongues, and the transformative power of speaking life, praise, and truth.

Lessons You’ll Learn From This Post

1. Why Words Are Powerful
2. Word Are Connectors
3. Dealing With The Urge to Speak Freely
4. Ten Deadly Sins of the Tongue
5. Apostle James’ Thought on The Tongue
6. Speaking The Language of Heaven
7. Speaking Praise

Why Words Are Powerful

• Words have significant power and can greatly influence emotions, relationships, and realities, often underestimated in their impact.
• There are around 800,000 words in English, but the average person knows about 10,000 and uses 5,000 daily.
• The author misused his verbal abilities in his youth, negatively impacting his relationships and justifying his harmful behavior as harmless.
• According to him, words hold spiritual power, and understanding this can transform your life, using the Bible as your guiding tool.
• A turning point came when God rebuked the author for verbally abusing his wife, leading to a profound realization of the impact of his words.
• Following divine intervention, the author changed his behavior, recognizing that words can cause emotional harm comparable to physical violence.
• This leads to the next phase where the author shares further insights on the power of words, focusing on both the potential for damage and the possibilities for healing and restoration.

Also read Me And My Big Mouth By Joyce Mayer [Summary]

Word Are Connectors

• Words act as powerful connectors, bridging gaps between people and linking us to God.
• God’s creation of the world through His words in Genesis shows their immense power, which humans, made in His image, share as “speaking spirits.”
• Praise and prayer expressed through words are essential for connecting with God, while Satan tries to undermine this by turning our words into grumbling and doubt.
• Words reflect your heart’s state and can connect you to God or alienate you. Jesus highlights that our words reveal our true beliefs and can lead to justification or condemnation. (Matt 12:37).
• Words greatly influence relationships, especially in marriage, where positive communication fosters strong bonds and negativity leads to deterioration, as evidenced by studies on successful marriages.
• Words can heal damaged relationships through sincere apologies and encouragement, while critical words can harm and disconnect.
• Aligning your words with God’s teachings can improve your life, relationships, and overall well-being, and with life-affirming words, you can determine the quality of your future.

Also read God’s Will Is Prosperity by Gloria Copeland [Summary]

Dealing With The Urge to Speak Freely

• True free speech in a spiritual sense comes with consequences and responsibilities, rather than being entirely without cost.
• There are three Lies About Words: The first is “You Have the Right of Free Speech.” The author notes that while free speech is a constitutional right, Christians are spiritually accountable for their words and must adhere to God’s laws.
• The second is “If You’re “Just Kidding,” It Doesn’t Count.” Hurtful words, even when framed as jokes, cause real harm and are condemned by the Bible. (Proverbs 26:18-19).
• The third is “Once Your Words Are Forgotten, Their Influence Is Gone.” Words have a lasting impact and can cause enduring damage or provide lasting healing.
• Words have the power to build or destroy relationships and significantly influence lives, the author emphasizes the need to guard your speech as per biblical teachings.
• Words can build or destroy relationships and influence lives significantly. The biblical examples and verses below stress the importance of guarding one’s speech (Ps. 141:3, Ps. 39:1).
• Words carry spiritual and relational consequences. This makes it essential to prioritize positive, life-giving speech over careless or harmful words. (Proverbs 18:21).

Also read SOS! Help My Flesh Needs Discipline by Dr. Creflo Dollar [Summary]

Ten Deadly Sins of the Tongue

• Speech-related sins will significantly damage your relationship with God. This is emphasized in Isaiah 59:3, where the prophet contrasted such sins with more visibly recognized sins like theft or violence. The following are ten symptoms of a Sick Tongue:
• Lying is common yet detestable to God, damaging intimacy with Him, and can be treated through accountability and correction.
• Stirring up strife or discord among brethren is condemned and invites calamity, emphasizing the need for peacemaking.
• Gossip is harmful regardless of its truthfulness, and is equated with recklessness and condemned in various biblical passages.
• Slander involves spreading false and malicious information, even unknowingly, and is considered sinful.
• Talebearing, which involves betraying others’ confidence or revealing secrets, highlights the importance of being a trustworthy confidant.
• Cursing involves pronouncing harm or judgment on others, bringing spiritual and practical consequences, as exemplified by Jesus cursing the fig tree.
• Taking God’s name in vain includes using it for personal gain or manipulation, which is serious and dishonors God.
• Using filthy or obscene language, increasingly accepted by cultural norms, is condemned in the Bible and remains spiritually damaging.
• Contentious speech or speaking strife, being argumentative or quarrelsome, is detrimental to relationships and reflects deeper issues of pride and insecurity.
• Speaking pessimistically spreads doubt and hinders faith, contrary to God’s desire for believers to speak life and hope.

Also Read Recreating Your World By Pst Chris Oyakhilome [Summary]

Apostle James’ Thought on The Tongue

• According to the author, James believed to be Jesus’ half-brother, wrote extensively about the influence of words, influenced by his observations of Jesus and his pastoral role in Jerusalem.
• James emphasizes that while the tongue is physically small, its influence is disproportionate, he illustrated this by analogies such as a bit in a horse’s mouth, a ship’s rudder, and a spark that starts a forest fire.
• James warns about the negative potential of the tongue, describing it as inherently evil and untamable by human effort alone. He illustrates how it can curse and cause harm, contrasting with its potential for blessing.
• Despite its potential for harm, James notes that the tongue can also speak life and blessing. He emphasizes the importance of using words to build up and encourage rather than to tear down.
• Therefore, this calls for you to exercise control and use your tongue wisely, recognizing its power to shape destinies, influence others, and reflect the character of God. This leads us to the next subject taming your tongue.

Also read Overcoming Crisis by Myles Munroe [Summary]

Power to Tame the Tongue

• James 3:7-8 highlights that while humans can tame animals, the tongue remains untamed and destructive.
• Only God can tame the tongue because He created it and knows how to control it, as demonstrated in Exodus 4:10-12 where God assures Moses about his speech.
• The Holy Spirit enables believers to speak the right words at the right time, as exemplified in Mark 13:11.
• However, there are three Steps to Bridling the Tongue:
  • Pause: Learn to wait and contemplate before speaking, as Proverbs 18:21 emphasizes the power of words.
  • Ponder: Ensure words are wise and edifying by thinking before speaking, reflecting on the wisdom of Proverbs.
  • Pray: Seek God’s guidance before speaking, 
• While humans cannot tame the tongue on their own, God offers a supernatural solution through the Holy Spirit.
• Being filled with the Holy Spirit empowers Christians to live victoriously and speak words of life. This baptism is presented as a necessary enhancement beyond salvation.
• There are three baptisms mentioned in Scripture: baptism into the Body of Christ (salvation), water baptism (symbolizing new life in Christ), and baptism in the Holy Spirit (empowerment for spiritual life and ministry).
• Using biblical examples from Acts and other New Testament writings, the author notes that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate experience from salvation and water baptism.
• Jesus Himself was baptized in the Holy Spirit after His water baptism, demonstrating that this experience is a pattern for believers to follow.
• Believers without the baptism of the Holy Spirit must therefore reconsider their beliefs about the Holy Spirit and seek this baptism for empowerment in their Christian walk.
• Jesus commanded his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, promising them power for witness (Acts 1:4-5, 8).
• Baptism in the Holy Spirit empowers believers to live victoriously, overcoming struggles and manifesting God’s power in their lives.
• While salvation is a prerequisite, the order of water baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit can vary, as seen in Acts 10 where Gentiles received the Holy Spirit before water baptism.
• Jesus encourages believers to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, assuring that God gives good gifts and empowers His children for effective Christian living.

Also read Rescued From Destruction by Faith Oyedepo [Summary]

Speaking The Language of Heaven

• The Holy Spirit helps tame our tongues and baptism in the Holy Spirit allows entry into God’s presence, transforming our words from the natural to the supernatural.
• Tongues are a biblical gift of the Holy Spirit and a sign of baptism in the Holy Spirit, referred to as “the language of heaven.”
• Speaking in tongues is consistently mentioned in the Book of Acts as a sign of receiving the Holy Spirit, described by Apostle Paul as communication with God or angels.
• Proficiency in tongues develops over time like any language, and individuals have control over when and how they speak in tongues.
• The Holy Spirit Himself is the gift, with tongues being a part of it, as promised by Jesus to empower believers as effective witnesses.
• The Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues were available to Jews and Gentiles, and remain available to all believers today, not limited to the early church.
• Believers are encouraged to seek and embrace the gift of tongues, with emphasis on the personal study of Scripture to understand the Holy Spirit and the purpose of tongues.
• Tongues can be both earthly languages and heavenly languages, with speaking in tongues involving learning and growing in the spiritual gift over time.
• Praying in tongues is a spiritual language that allows believers to communicate directly with God, transcending human understanding.
• Praying in tongues strengthens and builds up the believer spiritually, enabling them to pray according to God’s perfect will.
• Paul values speaking in tongues for its edifying nature rather than praying in his understanding and encourages its balanced use alongside prophecy in corporate worship.
• Speaking in tongues is a sign for believers that promotes unity and fulfills God’s promise of a pure language.
• Are you a believer and have yet to receive this gift? You must seek baptism in the Holy Spirit to receive the gift of tongues, align your speech with God’s Word, and set a righteous course for your lives.

Also read Now That You Are Born Again by Pst Chris Oyakhilome [Summary]

Speaking Praise

• Praise is where God dwells; it’s the gateway to His presence.
• Praise can be done corporately in church settings and individually in personal prayer.
• In God’s presence, there’s joy and guidance, and all needs are met.
• Words of praise open gates to God’s presence and bring life; negative words open gates to negativity.
• Speaking God’s Word aligns us with His power and invites His presence.
• Praise also opens hearts in human interactions; it can build up spouses and encourage children.
• Praise is a tool to combat depression and heaviness; it invites God’s power into challenging situations.
• Isaiah 61:3 affirms praise as a remedy for heaviness and a pathway to God’s intervention.

Also read Success Buttons By David Oyedepo [Summary]

In conclusion, after reading this post, you must seek to align your words with God’s teachings. Speak life, embrace the gift of tongues, and use praise to invite God’s presence into your life. Transform your speech to reflect your faith and positively impact your relationships and spiritual journey.

Finally, here is a question we’d love you to answer.

Have you ever said something without thinking, only to realize later that it influenced the outcome of a situation?

We would love to hear from you, please leave your answer and comment in the comment box below.

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