The Power of Words: Speaking Life and Truth

 

Summary

In today's world, the power of words is often underestimated, leading to pain and destruction. Recognizing the dignity that God has placed in every human being, regardless of race or background, is crucial. Our speech should reflect the esteem God holds for us, as both Heaven and Hell vie for control over our tongues. David's prayer in Psalm 141:3 and Psalm 19:14 reminds us to seek God's guidance in our speech, ensuring that our words are pleasing to Him. The tongue, though small, wields immense power, capable of directing our lives towards either a heavenly or hellish path.

The Holy Spirit's role is to govern our hearts, which in turn influences our speech. By seasoning our words with grace, we can speak truth in love, aiming to build up rather than destroy. In a culture rife with destructive communication, it's vital to use our words to edify and heal. Social media, a modern form of speech, should be approached with caution, ensuring that our online presence aligns with our faith. Duplicitous speech, where we praise God one moment and curse the next, contradicts our faith and should be avoided.

Gratitude is a powerful antidote to a complaining spirit. The Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land serves as a cautionary tale of ingratitude. By focusing on God's past blessings and future promises, we can cultivate a heart of thanksgiving. Changing our speech can redirect our lives, heal relationships, and rebuild what was once broken. The analogy of cranes in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey illustrates the importance of controlling our speech to avoid becoming prey to the enemy. By allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our words, we align ourselves with God's will, enabling Him to work more freely in our lives.

Key Takeaways:

- The power of the tongue is immense, capable of directing our lives towards either a heavenly or hellish path. By seeking God's guidance in our speech, we can ensure that our words are pleasing to Him and reflect the dignity He has placed in every human being. [01:17]

- The Holy Spirit's role is to govern our hearts, which in turn influences our speech. By seasoning our words with grace, we can speak truth in love, aiming to build up rather than destroy. This approach fosters healing and reconciliation in our relationships. [02:06]

- Gratitude is a powerful antidote to a complaining spirit. By focusing on God's past blessings and future promises, we can cultivate a heart of thanksgiving, redirecting our lives towards positivity and hope. [04:41]

- Social media, a modern form of speech, should be approached with caution. Our online presence should align with our faith, avoiding duplicitous speech that contradicts our beliefs. This consistency strengthens our witness to the world. [03:01]

- The analogy of cranes in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey illustrates the importance of controlling our speech to avoid becoming prey to the enemy. By allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our words, we align ourselves with God's will, enabling Him to work more freely in our lives. [09:23]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:09] - The Power of Words
- [00:24] - Esteem in God's Eyes
- [00:45] - David's Prayer for Speech
- [01:01] - Heaven and Hell's Influence
- [01:17] - Governing the Heart
- [01:47] - Seasoning Our Words
- [02:32] - Speaking Truth in Love
- [03:01] - Social Media Caution
- [03:28] - Avoiding Duplicitous Speech
- [04:15] - Gratitude Over Complaining
- [05:11] - Healing Through Apology
- [05:55] - The Tongue as a Spiritual Tool
- [06:35] - The Mean World We Live In
- [09:23] - The Crane Analogy
- [10:16] - Speaking Life and Encouragement

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Psalm 141:3
- Psalm 19:14

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Observation Questions:

1. What does David ask God to do in Psalm 141:3, and why might this be important for our daily lives? [00:24]

2. In Psalm 19:14, David speaks about the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart. How are these two connected according to the sermon? [00:45]

3. The sermon mentions the influence of both Heaven and Hell on our speech. How does this influence manifest in our daily communication? [01:01]

4. What role does the Holy Spirit play in governing our speech, as discussed in the sermon? [01:47]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does recognizing the dignity God has placed in every human being influence the way we speak to others? [00:09]

2. The sermon suggests that gratitude can counteract a complaining spirit. How might focusing on God's past blessings and future promises change our perspective? [04:15]

3. What are the potential consequences of duplicitous speech, where one praises God and curses others, as mentioned in the sermon? [03:12]

4. How does the analogy of the cranes in the Taurus Mountains illustrate the importance of controlling our speech? [09:23]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a recent conversation where your words may not have reflected the dignity God has placed in others. How can you approach similar situations differently in the future? [00:09]

2. Consider your social media presence. Are there ways in which your online speech might contradict your faith? What steps can you take to ensure consistency between your beliefs and your online interactions? [03:01]

3. Think of a relationship in your life that could benefit from healing words. What specific steps can you take to speak life and encouragement into that relationship this week? [05:11]

4. Identify a situation where you tend to complain. How can you shift your focus to gratitude in that context, and what impact might this have on your attitude and relationships? [04:15]

5. The sermon emphasizes the power of the tongue to direct our lives. What is one area of your life where you need to be more intentional about your speech, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in this area? [01:17]

6. Reflect on a time when you used your words to harm rather than build up. How can you seek reconciliation and healing in that situation? [05:11]

7. How can you incorporate the practice of asking God to guard your mouth, as David did, into your daily routine? What difference do you think this might make in your interactions with others? [00:24]

Devotional

Day 1: The Tongue's Directional Power
Our words hold immense power, capable of steering our lives toward a heavenly or hellish path. Recognizing the dignity God has placed in every human being, our speech should reflect the esteem He holds for us. By seeking God's guidance, as David did in Psalm 141:3, we can ensure our words are pleasing to Him. Heaven and Hell vie for control over our tongues, making it crucial to align our speech with God's will. [01:17]

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" (Psalm 141:3, ESV)

Reflection: Think of a recent conversation where your words could have been more aligned with God's will. How can you seek His guidance to improve your speech in future interactions?


Day 2: The Heart's Influence on Speech
The Holy Spirit governs our hearts, influencing our speech. By seasoning our words with grace, we can speak truth in love, aiming to build up rather than destroy. This approach fosters healing and reconciliation in our relationships. In a world filled with destructive communication, it's vital to use our words to edify and heal. [02:06]

"Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." (Colossians 4:6, ESV)

Reflection: Identify a relationship in your life that could benefit from more gracious speech. How can you allow the Holy Spirit to guide your words in this relationship today?


Day 3: Gratitude as a Transformative Force
Gratitude is a powerful antidote to a complaining spirit. By focusing on God's past blessings and future promises, we can cultivate a heart of thanksgiving, redirecting our lives toward positivity and hope. The Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land serves as a cautionary tale of ingratitude. Changing our speech can heal relationships and rebuild what was once broken. [04:41]

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent situation where you found yourself complaining. How can you shift your focus to gratitude and recognize God's blessings in that situation?


Day 4: Consistency in Online and Offline Speech
Social media, a modern form of speech, should be approached with caution. Our online presence should align with our faith, avoiding duplicitous speech that contradicts our beliefs. This consistency strengthens our witness to the world. In a culture rife with destructive communication, it's vital to use our words to edify and heal. [03:01]

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29, ESV)

Reflection: Review your recent social media interactions. Are there any posts or comments that do not align with your faith? How can you ensure your online presence consistently reflects your beliefs?


Day 5: The Crane Analogy and Speech Control
The analogy of cranes in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey illustrates the importance of controlling our speech to avoid becoming prey to the enemy. By allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our words, we align ourselves with God's will, enabling Him to work more freely in our lives. Our speech should reflect the esteem God holds for us, as both Heaven and Hell vie for control over our tongues. [09:23]

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble." (Proverbs 21:23, ESV)

Reflection: Consider a time when your words led to trouble or misunderstanding. How can you practice better control over your speech to align more closely with God's will?

Quotes


David David says look put a guard over my mouth God what I say in my mouth and pray in Psalm 141 verse 3 and then he says what in Psalm 19 verse 14 he says let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable unto you in other words are you happy with what I'm getting ready to say he wants us to ask make God happy in your speech make God happy in your talk may God happy in your communication let your tongue be used by heaven and not by hell because both of them are after the tongue in our mouths after the control of our speech both Heaven and Hell want to control the tongue that is one to influence the life because if hell can get a hold of the tongue it can direct the life to be hellish If Heaven can get a hold of the tongue it can direct the life to be Heavenly so the reason why we got a lot of hellish lives is we got a lot of hellish speech the reason why some have Heavenly lives is because they have heaven speech so what you want the Holy Spirit to do is to govern and guide your heart so that it will show up in your lips so that there will be life of the Lord on our lips to ask the Lord to invite the Lord to control the speech by adjusting the heart so that you are an edify the Bible says season your words with Saul that means put a little flavor on them put a little flavor on them in other words okay you need to say something negative you need to say something that that that that that's the truth and the person needs to know it but he said put a little salt on it so it has some taste okay okay everything gonna have to have hot sauce at Tabasco on it you can put a little salt on it some seasoning on it because you're not trying to burn you're trying to help you're trying to correct but you also want to speak the truth in love you don't want to skip the truth and act like nothing is wrong if there's something to be corrected but you can still do it to build up and not to destroy too many men too many women too many boys too many girls and we live in a culture of Destruction both in what we say and what we text designed to bring harm and heart some of us need to get off of social media if we don't know how to talk because if we don't know how to talk because that's a form of speech that you shouldn't be on there because all you're doing is making Jesus look bad if somebody or at least if you're going to be on there don't tell nobody you love Jesus because he says duplicitous speech ought not to be you shouldn't be praising God one minute and and cursing and cussing the next minute he says that's a contradiction of your faith he says out of a fountain doesn't come fresh water and bitter water don't do that now I know none of us is perfect on this issue he says we all stumble in many ways at the beginning of the chapter so he recognizes man you know you may you may hit your hit your thumb with a with a hammer and maybe say the wrong thing you know he said we all stumble in many ways but he's talking about what has become normalized in our lives how we normally hurt people uh tear people down tear people up are unkind complain when we ought to be grateful that many things to complain about but if you look and see how good God has been to us there's a whole bunch to be grateful for how much Thanksgiving is there how much gratitude is there one of the things God condemns as Israel was leaving Egypt and going to the promised land is they always kept grumbling he's going to talk about that later in the Book of James they always kept complaining they were never grateful they were never thankful I wish this I wish that I wish God didn't do this God didn't do that and because they missed sight of what all that God had done from where they started to where they were and where they were going if we thank God for that's why he says in everything give thanks because you can give thanks not for everything you can give thanks in the midst of everything because the thing you can thank God for is where you believe he's taken you that you haven't gotten to yet so there's always a reason to use your tongue as a place of blessing and not a place of cussing and cursing okay so when we begin to change our speech because we want God to change our heart we redirect Our Lives we cancel damage that was done how much healing could occur if you simply went to a person where you used your tongue to damage and say I'm sorry for what I said I apologize for how I said it and I want to speak life into this situation in order that we may heal wounds that may have been broken you can save families with that kind of speech you can save histories with that kind of speech and you can rebuild forces now it takes 11 years for a forest to start rebuilding it's 30 years before it's totally rebuilt but you got to start somewhere you got to put an acorn in the ground and that can start with speech that is designed to build and not destroy so the James's challenge is don't look at the tongue it's just a little wiggling thing in your mouth look at as a spiritual tool that can take you to the next spiritual level and can bring God more involved in your life let me put it this way when God God sees that he can control your tongue he doesn't mind dealing with other things in your life because you to hit the master switch but when God seems he can't even get your tongue straight all that other stuff that's wrong and you asking them to fix it help it change it reverse it you're not going to touch that because he knows that once you get in touch all you're going to do is find another element to let out of your mouth something that is not in concert with his will we live in a mean world right now we live in a world where people will hurt you with their mouth and other things we live in a world where they don't care about the the pain they don't care about the animals they don't care about the destruction that their words of can bring and are bringing but those of us who know Jesus Christ those of us who care about our love for the Lord those of us who recognize the Dignity of the image of God in every human being or you know we don't need a racial seminar all we need to do is recognize the Dignity of God that he's placed and every human being regardless of the color of their skin we don't need all of this spending all this time on stuff all we need to do is go back to the word of God and apply the word of God coming out of our mouths in our relationship to one another and the World At Large so the world can see that god holds Us in high esteem by what we say as well as by what we do in the Taurus Mountain in Turkey there are cranes these cranes are make a crackling sound as they as they fly so when they're flying they make this gawking crackling sound oh oh I'll make this crackling sound as they fly the problem is Eagles will hear them crackly because it's by that nature the crackle so they're flying they're flying and the Eagles pick up the sound and attack because the Eagles know when that sound comes that they're fresh bait for them and that they're going to get them and they're gonna dine well because they can't compete with the power of an eagle so they're flying because oh the eagle picks it up and starts soaring in in order to catch them kill them so what the what what the cranes do in the Taurus Mountains of Turkey is when they are about to fly after having experienced what the Eagles can do will pick up a rock and put it in its mouth they will pick up a rock put it in his mouth put it in its baby's mouths so that when they're flying you can't hear the Crackle because they got the rock in their mouth because they know that there's something out there that wants to destroy them so because they know there's something out there that wants to destroy them they control their mouth so that they're not a bait for the enemy there's an enemy out there that wants to destroy you and it's listening for what comes out of your mouth and we hear his anti-god sentiment when he is Christians going cause he's heard what came out of your mouth but if you get the Holy Spirit to put a rock inside your mouth so that you control your speech so that the enemy can't control you then God's angels can redirect you can guide you because your speech is consistent with God so I want you to get rid of y'all and start speaking truth speaking kindness speaking love speaking generosity speaking healing speaking help speaking encouragement so that God is free to work on your life so I want you to stand to your feet I want you stand to your feet now I want to hear you go see none of y'all should have done that I should have done that I preached the whole sermon telling y'all not to do that and that's what the devil gonna do when you leave here he gonna say cuss and fuss and you're going to obey him God is saying don't open your mouth unless I'm speaking through you let's honor God with our life and with our lives [00:00:30]

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Transcript
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