The Power of Words

The Power of Words

So over this past week, one thing that has completely consumed my mind is this, how much power do words have? How much can words do, what affect can they have, how much power truly is behind words?

I heard a quote Friday night which really only made me think about it all the more, Dick Iverson said that, “Your life, rather a success, or a failure, will be lead by your words.”

This was huge to me, because earlier in the week I was having a pretty good conversation with a friend about how our confession can determine the outcome of a situation, rather for good or bad. If we get into a circumstance in life and say, “Oh, I’m going to loose, it’s hopeless” you are probably going to loose, because you have a wrong mindset and are already putting out a statement of defeat; but when you declare that you are going to win, well that changes everything.

Why is it that so many people struggle to control what they say? I read in a book once that, “the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire” I love how they compare words to a forest fire, because that is how gossip tends to work.

Words have so much power! Take a look at the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Equal rights were finally given to a people because one man wasn’t afraid to stand and speak up; and on the other side of the table, take a look at World War 2, it was started over 1 mans rhetoric…

I know personally this is something that I’m working on; it is so easy to say something bad that can hurt people. You have no idea what your words can do to someone, that’s why it is so important to watch what you say. People already tend to have a problem with being insecure; you don’t need to add to that…

Well, I think I’ve said enough on that, so I’ll end it with this, a letter from James to, “the twelve tribes”

“Controlling the Tongue
Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches.
But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
True Wisdom Comes from God
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.”

Be Blessed!!!

Value

Value

So the other day I was thinking if I died today, if something happened and tomorrow didn’t come, would my life leave an impact? I started to think about all the things I do, and everything I’ve done, when I came to realize that the question isn’t if you’ll leave an impact, the real question is what kind of impact you will leave.

Everyday we make decisions that affect other people, but how often do we go out of our way t help people, even if it is inconvenient to us? How often do we give something that will actually cost us something? How often do we help people?

I know at Capital, and especially at the gym, I see people who are just barely holding on. They don’t know how much they have left, where to go, what to do, and everything inside of them is telling them to quit. When I see that, I take the initiative to go over, ask how they are doing, I’ll generally tell few jokes, hang out with them for a few seconds while trying my hardest to get them to laugh or smile, then wish them the best and say goodbye. I do this because I know what it feels like to feel like you’re all alone, and that none cares. It’s called being afraid and insecure.

Problem is, so many people are afraid, and even more are so insecure that if they don’t have someone beside them cheering them on, pushing them every step of the way, they will feel as if nothing really matters, and that they should just quit. You don’t need a huge fan club; all you really need is Jesus. Now as cheesy as that may sound, guess what, it’s the truth. You can have all the money in the world, all the fame, the cars, the house, everything this world has to offer, and still feel like nothing. Think on that for a second.

We live in a society that screams that if you don’t have everything, you’re nothing, when that isn’t true at all, it‘s absurd really. Do you really think that that car can make you happy? Do you really think that once you’re married, all your insecurities will just be a thing of the past? Not the case, you need to understand that if you don’t find your true worth, your identity, what gives you your value, you will never have peace. The reason why I do what I do is because want everyone to experience the peace, and the clearness of mind I have.

How can a man be at peace when he doesn’t have everything, or complete control? The man finds peace when he comes to the understanding that this life isn’t all about him; that he isn’t made to have control of everything, and that even if he wanted to, he could never have complete control. So he approaches every situation in life taking them as they come, and he doesn’t worry, or stress, because ultimately, neither change a situation. He does not care that he doesn’t have everything in life, because he understands that objects don’t bring happiness, or value, to a person. The most important thing for the man is this; he understands that he will not be remembered for what he had, but for what he gave; so everyday he makes it his main goal to serve people, and to honor the king.

Who is the king of your life?

I live for Christ, no secrets here…

Galatians 2:20
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I end with this, an old saying, “If a man doesn’t live for something, he will die for nothing.”

What are you living for?