Just about everybody that you encounter
is often going through something that may not be obvious from the outside
But they're facing a battle on the inside every one that you come across
is facing some type of battle in their life. I hope that you'll embrace
That you have no idea
What God might do through a single word of encouragement
You have no idea
How God could use you
to offer someone hope
To build someone's faith and I don't know about you, but there is so
much
negativity in the world today. I can't open up my social media feed without being discouraged
I can't read a news app without just being depressed
I can't talk to people with all the heartbreaking news of the world without being
disheartened and so many people in a polarized world can be so incredibly critical so
undeniably hateful
I think it's time that we as believers step in and lift others bring words of hope bring words of encouragement
Because the words we speak are filled
With power our words can build up
or our words can crush in fact scripture says in Proverbs
18:21 that the tongue has the power of life and of death
I want my words to build your faith
to strengthen your
confidence to believe that God is for you that he's with you that he'll never leave you he'll never forsake you he's working in you
If it were up to me
I would encourage you and build your faith because everyone
you see
It's facing a battle that you don't know anything about
The scripture tells us that life and death is in the power of the tongue
That makes total sense because if you'll just take stock for one second and look back over your life
I guarantee you
that every one of us in this room have got at least one instant in our life where we know we have seen the power of
the tongue produced death death to relationships death to jobs how many people you know have been fired because of their mouth
How many marriages have been destroyed because of mouths because of the tongue
So let's use our words to benefit us. Let's use our words to make the world around us better
Let's use our words to make our relationships better
Let's use our words to bring life to our marriage life to our kids
life to our jobs life to our minds life to our families speak words that
edify speak words that build up speak words that embrace speak words that forgive speak words that love speak words that heal
Words are full of power. They can heal they can wound. They can minister death. They can minister life
They can encourage they can discourage they can build up they can tear down
People get divorces over words
Families are split apart over words people lose jobs over words
People have
insecurities and a poor self-image over words that have been spoken to them
Words are containers for power and we need to choose our words very carefully and it's time for us to
Step up to the plate and be accountable for the words
That we allow to come out of our mouth
No man can tame the tongue we need God's help
So you want to pray every day for God to help you with your mouth
We are constantly speaking words and
Even a few can have the power of life and death now some of you know this because you grew up in homes
Where a few words spoken to you had power of life or had a power of death and you can remember those words
just three or four words that maybe a parent a teacher a sibling a friend
a coach said to you and it either brought some life or brought some death
into your world one of the best things you can do for your
relationships if you're married
If you have children if you're a leader or an influencer at work
If you have someone in your inner small group is to bless them with words of encouragement
Set the blessing free
You encourage what you want to see
And you typically see more of if it were up to me, I would be so
encouraging
You think something good
Say it. You think something good say it
In a world full of so much criticism so much hatred so much disappointment so much negativity
as people of the light
Will lift up others around us
So Genesis 1 the Bible tells us the earth was formless
It was empty or it was a void and it says that darkness was over the surface of the deep
So there was there was just nothing there was nothing and then verse 3, here's what we read and God
said maybe your translation says and God spoke
So God speaks into the nothingness. He speaks into the darkness and he says let there be light and there was light
and so at the very beginning of time God
creates the universe but how does he do it. What tool does he use he uses words. He speaks the universe into existence
God says and it is and we see this throughout the creation account
God said and it and it and it happens he speaks it
and so God uses words
To bring about life and light God uses words to build up
to create he speaks into darkness and he says light and lights come on
And so we see from the beginning the power of words that words are the tool that God uses
Flip over a couple chapters Genesis 3
And in this passage we see that words have the power of death. And so this is the passage of scripture
Where sin enters into the world
God has created man and woman
He said that it's very good now satan comes on the scene in the form of a serpent and verse 1 tells us that
the serpent was
Clever more clever in fact than any wild animal. God had made and what did he do he spoke
He spoke to the woman and he said do I understand that God told you so he speaks and when he speaks he
Attacks what God has said
And do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden and then
He would go on to say hey God didn't really say that
So what does the enemy use the enemy uses words
To bring death to where there was
life and to bring darkness to where there is there was light now here's what's interesting
of course is that the serpent's words were not true, but that didn't keep
His words from having power right like the moment Eve Adam and Eve
Speak the words in their own hearts the moment they believe those words they give life to them. They empower them
So God speaks the serpent speaks and we just see from the beginning. There's the power of life. There's the power of
of death God speaks and he creates and he builds and he blesses the enemy speaks and he temps he accuses he deceives he destroys
It's hardwired into the universe the power of of words
Am I am I speaking life or am I speaking death into the world around me
You know it's so amazing the power of this tongue
And James chapter 3 he illustrates it this way in verse 3
He says when you put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey you can turn the whole animal
He goes or take ships as an example though they're large and driven by strong winds
They're steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go
Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great bost
Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark
The tongue also is a fire a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person
It sets the whole course of his life on fire and as itself set on fire by hell
My tongue right now could be set on fire by hell
Was does he mean by that?
That satan himself could influence what I have to say
The words coming out his mouth could
Come straight from Hell itself
And anytime I use this mouth to tear someone down guess who's in control of my tongue at that minute. Hell
Anytime I use this mouth
To do anything but to bring glory to God who's using this when I'm bringing glory to myself using this? It's Satan. He's got control of it
You and I
We have the ability to have our tongues set on fire by Hell to say things that were actually pull people away from God
It's a dangerous thing. That's what this passage is about. It's like do you know how powerful you are?
And in verse 9 he says and with this tongue
We praise our Lord and father and with it we curse men who've been made in God's likeness
And what this verse says is
We can't praise God with your mouth and also curse men and then he says who have been made in the likeness of God
And what this passage is saying is do I ever have a right to curse anyone
That was made in the image of God
And I don't want God seeing me on this earth cursing someone that he loves
It's about love you're caught you don't have a right to hate anyone that God created
And use this mouth to curse anyone that God wants saved
I mean really the heart of God is Romans 5:8 of that while we were sinners
That God demonstrated his love for us and Christ died for us
Not because we were so lovable
But he looks down and goes wow
These people are rebelling against me, but I love them and I love them so much that I'm gonna pursue them
It's not about God looking down and going man. Look at them rebel against me. I'm gonna curse them
No instead
I'm gonna send my son down and show love to them and save them
And in the same way as a reflection of Jesus Christ. I'm supposed to look at those who are antagonistic toward God
And love them and pursue them and save them and pray for them, but not curse them
You know, he uses this idea of he says out of the same mouth, you know verse 10
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing my brothers this should not be
He goes you can't use this mouth to praise and curse
Understand when we became a believer. We said got God here's my tongue
And then every once in a while we go wait God give let me get my tongue back for a second let me use it
I'm gonna let Satan borrow it for a little bit here Satan. Go ahead. Okay, use my tongue now, let me gossip
Let me say some things that aren't true. Let me slander something. Let me put some people down
Let me you know do this do that with this tongue and then we come back, okay
God I'm done with it you can have it back you just you just you just gave that to Satan
To borrow for a little bit and then you give it back to me and you take it back he goes you can't use that
same you can't let us both use this tongue
Man whose is it?
Out of the same mouth you can't have blessing and cursing
Why do blessing and cursing come out of your mouth?
Because there's blessing and cursing in your heart. You need a new heart. You need God to change who you are
This message is not about biting your tongue and offering lip service
I need you to change my heart. I don't want anything to come out of this mouth
That doesn't honor you
This tongue was created by God. God made it
Colossians 1:16 says all things were created by him and for him
Why did God make this tongue?
To praise him
I really believe that we open doors for the enemy through complaining. God gave us our mouth for one reason and that's to glorify Him
You have a mouth to glorify God
Amen, and that's what we need to use it for
I think so often we talk more about what the enemy is doing than we do about what God's doing
We don't need to talk fear. We need to talk faith. Why because our words are powerful
Our words are containers for power
Your words can carry your faith to the kingdom of God and release
Angels to help you or your words can carry your fear to the kingdom of darkness and just release more trouble in your life
And what would happen if certain words that we spoke to people they would just show up on that person
And they were just always there we would be careful with the words we spoke because we we wouldn't take them lightly
we would understand the impact that they had that did they don't just go away
And the Bible helps us understand that that our words have that kind of power and most of us could probably
Give some examples of words that were spoken to us that have been tattooed on us in some way or another
And they were spoken perhaps impulsively or carelessly or thoughtlessly
Bible says proverbs 12:18 the words of the reckless the words of the thoughtless the words of the careless pierce like swords
They they do more damage than we realize but the tongue of the wise does what it brings healing
and so
with our mouth
we can
destroy
or with our mouth we can heal we can bring life
That through Jesus he can speak life where there is death. He can speak light into darkness
His word is more powerful than any other word any word that you've said to yourself any word that's been spoken to you his word
His word overrides that
And so we listen to his word and we speak his word and then we believe his word
And then we watch and we see what God does