Word on Wednesday...

"God's Word is alive and active and is sharper than a double-edged sword..." Hebrews 6:12a

"'Is not my Word like fire?' declares the Lord."

The most powerful tool God has given us is our mouth. God has ordained that spoken words carry a power, authority, and effectiveness that exceed words we simply think. 2 Corinthians 4:13 says, "It is written: 'I believed, therefore I have spoken.' With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak." Another word for spirit is, breath. "With that same spirit (breath) of faith we also believe and therefore speak." As we believe, we inhale His words. And as we speak, we exhale His words. Cast the burden upon God and His Word, not the ability to pray. Putting His Word in our prayers gives us energy! Scripture tells us that if Christ's Words dwell in us, we can use our mouths to speak or pray over situations, and the Holy Spirit will often bring powerful results. However, we all have habits of misusing the tongue that can hinder us from its spiritual effectiveness. To name a few:
*Gossip *Rudeness or unkindness
*Lying (even white lies) *Inappropriate humor
*Profanity *Misuse of God's name

James 3:3-12 says, "We all make many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control their entire selves, too. The tongue is a small part of the body, but it brags about great things... And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of evil among the parts of our bodies. The tongue spreads its evil through the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell, and it starts a fire that influences all of life... We use our tongue to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people, whom God made like himself. Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My brothers and sisters, this should not happen..." This scripture states pretty clearly that our tongue is a powerful tool! "The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit." (Proverbs 15:4 "From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs 18:20-21) God is quick to help us when we are tempted to use our tongue in an unproductive way. "Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord." (Psalms 139:4) Let's strive to use our tongues in a powerful way to bless God and others! We can use our tongues to:
*Encourage others *Speak good things of others
*Pray out loud for others *Lift each other up

"So we have been sent to speak for Christ..." 2 Corinthians 5:20 Let's infuse our words with those of Christ!