Today’s Truth 
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” Proverbs 18:21 (NIV).

Friend To Friend 
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).  When God created the world, stocked the seas with marine life and the skies with winged creatures – when he caused the stars to ignite the night sky and placed the sun to light the day and the moon to illumine the darkness – He did so with words.  “And God said, ‘Let there be light.’”  “And God said, ‘Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” “And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’” “And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night…’” “And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.’” “And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds…’”  “And God said, Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” …. “And it was so.”  God spoke and what was not – became what is. When God created the heavens and the earth, He used a mighty force – words. “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6).

Amazingly, when God created mankind in His own image, He gave us that same powerful tool. He didn’t entrust words to zebra’s, birds, monkeys, elephants, lizards, or horses.  He entrusted words to mere mortals.  Our words also have creative potential. They can create a smile on a discouraged child’s face, lighten the heart of a husband loaded down with burdens, fan into a flame the dying embers of a friend’s smoldering dreams, cheer brothers and sisters in Christ to run the race with endurance, and bring the message of hope and healing of Jesus Christ to a wounded world. Words are one of the most powerful forces in the universe and, amazingly, God has entrusted them to you and me.

How will we use this incredible gift from God?  Will we use words to bring life or death?  Encouragement or discouragement?  Let’s pay particular attention to the words we speak and use our words to speak life into the people in our little part of the world today.

A careless word may kindle strife;
A cruel word may wreck a life.
A bitter word may hate instill;
A brutal word may smite and kill.
A gracious word may smooth the way;
A joyous word may light the day.
A timely word may lessen stress;
A loving word may heal and bless.
(Author Unknown)

Let’s Pray 
Dear Father, I am amazed that You have entrusted us with such a powerful tool…words.  May we use our words to bless and not to curse, to build up and not to tear down, to heal and not to hurt.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart by pleasing in Your sight.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
Read the following verses and fill in the blanks:

Genesis 1:3 And _______ _______, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed ___     _________ ______________so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Psalm 33:6 By the ______________________ were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

What did you discover about the power of God’s words?

Now, on a similar note, what can you surmise about the power of your own words?

Throughout the day, ask yourself this question: Did my words build up or tear down?

Today’s Truth 
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers and sisters [and girlfriends] this should not be” (James 3:9-10 TNIV).

Friend To Friend 
Catherine and I set out for a lazy summer stroll through the neighborhood just before the fireflies emerged to celebrate the setting of the sun.  We chatted about raising boys, working husbands, and decorating dilemmas.  When we arrived back at her house, she invited me to come in and look at some fabric swatches for a new sofa.  Before I knew it, a few minutes turned into a couple of hours.

“Oh, my!” I exclaimed.  “It’s ten o’clock. I’ve been gone for over two hours!  I bet Steve’s worried sick.  He doesn’t even know where I am.  I’d better give him a call before I start back home.”

When I dialed the number, the answering machine picked up.  After I listened to my sweet Southern greeting, I left a bitter message.

“Steve, I was calling to let you know I’m at Catherine’s.  I thought you’d be worried, but apparently you don’t even care because you won’t even pick up the phone!”  Click.   I said my goodbyes to Catherine and left feeling somewhat dejected.  I’m wandering around in the dark all alone and he doesn’t even care, I mumbled to no one in particular.       

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed someone coming toward me.  It was Sir Galahad riding on his steed…his bicycle! 

“Where have you been?” Steve desperately asked.  “I’ve been riding all over the neighborhood looking for you! Do you know what time it is?”

“Oh you do care,” I said with a grin, giving him a big hug. 

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing.  Let’s go home.” I answered.

When we got back home, I quickly erased the message on the machine before Steve could hear my reprimanding words. “Whew,” I thought, “That was close.”

A few days later, Steve called me from work.

“Sharon, have you listened to the answering machine lately?”

“No, why?”

“Well, I think there’s something on there you need to hear.”

We hung up and I reached for my cell phone to call my home phone. The message on the answering machine went something like this.

(The voice of a Sweet Southern Belle)  “Hello, you’ve reached the Jaynes’ residence.  We’re unable to answer the phone right now… (enter the voice of Cruella de Vil) “I was calling to let you know I’m at Katherine’s.  I thought you’d be worried, but apparently you don’t even care because you won’t pick up the phone! (Return of Sweet Southern Bell) At the sound of the beep, leave your number and we’ll get back with you as soon as possible.” Beep.

“Oh, my goodness!” I screamed.  “How did this happen!  How many people have heard this over the past three days?”

I called the phone company and they explained that sometimes during a thunderstorm (which had occurred three days prior), lightening strikes the wires and answering machine messages get scrambled.  The old message somehow got attached to the greeting.

I was mortified.  It sounded like Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde reincarnate.

“Lord,” I prayed.  “This is so embarrassing.”

“Yes, it is,” He replied.

Well, He didn’t really say that in so many words.  It was more like this. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, 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. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (James 3:9-12 TNIV).

“OK Lord, I get the message.” I prayed.  But unfortunately, so did a lot of other people.

As women, I am amazed how quickly we can flit back and forth between blessing and belittling, praising and putting-down, cheering and critiquing – all in a matter of seconds.  God has given us incredible power in our sphere of influence, and it begins with the words we speak. Few forces have as powerful an effect as the sounds that pass our lips.  Our words can spark a child to accomplish great feats, encourage a husband to conquer the world, fan the dying embers of a friend’s broken dreams into a flame, encourage a fellow believer to run the race set before her, and draw a lost soul to Christ. 

My devotions for the month of September will focus on our words. I invite you to explore one of the mysteries of the feminine mystique – the power of a woman’s words. Are words powerful?  Yes!  Just how powerful?  We’ll learn together.  Let’s take a look at one of God’s most incredible gifts to mankind and consider the potential we have right under our noses…words.

Let’s Pray 
Dear Heavenly Father, oh how I have a difficult time controlling my tongue!  I pray that you will put a guard over my mouth.  Help me to think before I speak. I pray the Holy Spirit will take control of my words and use me as an instrument of encouragement. In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen

Now It’s Your Turn 
A word has been described as the smallest unit of meaningful linguistic communication.  But that little tiny entity has great potential.

Read James 3:2-6 and answer the following questions.

How is the tongue like the rudder of a ship?

Who is the ship? (There is not necessarily a right answer.)

On any given day, there are many travelers on our ship (our families and friends) or people we pass on the waterways of life.  How do our words carry people along the same route we are traveling?  How do our words maneuver or bump into those that are passing by?

Additional Resource
Today’s blog is taken from Sharon’s book, The Power of a Woman’s Words and The Power of a Woman’s Words Bible Study.  There is great power in the words we speak and the people we impact.  If you would like to learn more about how to harness this powerful resource and use your words for good, this book will be a great resource.  Why not get a group of girlfriends together and learn about The Power of a Woman’s Words together!