When many disciples left Jesus and walked away, He turned to His twelve disciples and asked if they would leave too. Peter responded in John 6:68-69, “Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”
“Words” here is Strongs #4487, rhema, and means the spoken, living word that is inspired. The words have power as the Holy Spirit is active in these words.
Romans 10:17 says, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Here again, word is the rhema word. When one hears the rhema word (spoken, inspired command or promise of God), one usually responds in faith.
But not always do people hear with spiritual ears and respond in faith. In Mark 9:31, Jesus was teaching His disciples and told them that He would be delivered into the hands of men who would kill Him. And then after three days, He would rise again. In Mark 9:32 it says, “But they did not understand this statement (rhema words), and they were afraid to ask Him.
Sometimes it can be like a seed which is understood and received later. When Peter denies Jesus, he immediately hears the rooster crow and remembers the (rhema) words that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” (Matthew 26:75)
The true rhema word, spirit inspired, is from God. Luke 1:37 says that no word (rhema) from God will ever fail. This word coming to pass may not look like we think but when we cooperate with it, there are promises in it for us.
We can get in the way of the word coming to pass. Like Naaman who eventually dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, initially his pride came in the way of listening to this word and he fought against it. Other times, we can think it means one thing and not really be open to receive the truth.
This does not mean that everything spoken in the name of God will come to pass or it is our own fault. Sometimes the word is given incorrectly or falsely or thoughtlessly. Rather than being profitable, it is unprofitable and injurious to another. Perhaps it is said in manipulation, desire to control or harm another. Someone who tells another that they will not go to heaven unless they transfer $10K into the other’s bank account is guaranteed not to be a word from God.
Sometimes we do not realize that our words have power and are empowered by the Holy Spirit. What we speak, matters. Jesus says that the good person brings good things out of their wealth and that an evil person brings evil things out of their wealth. He goes on to say “But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word (rhema) they have spoken. For by your words (logos – reasonings) you will be acquitted, and by your words (logos – reasonings) you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:25-26)
This is written a little different in Luke 6:45. It says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
The words that we speak out of our logic and reasonings really come from our heart. And the words we speak impact not only others around us, but ourselves. Our words have the power to bring life or death to ourselves as well as others.
Proverbs 15:15 says that while the days of the afflicted are evil, the one who has a happy and cheerful heart, life will be a continual feast. How we see the world and respond to with our words can result in it feeling difficult and wretched going from bad to worse or full of life and goodness.
We all know this principle from having a bad day. If something happens in the morning and we determine it is a “bad day,” we seem to have one problem after another. It is like a never-ending series of issues and drudgeries. As a result, we can’t wait for the day to end. However, if one bad thing happens and we happily set it aside and expect goodness, we find it. We have a good day that is energizing and full of life.
Even better, when we are able to help someone else and make their day, our day suddenly becomes bursting with joy. In helping others or speaking life into others, we are filled with an indescribable sense of joy and purpose. It floods our life with meaning as our heart feasts on the goodness of it all.
When people gossip or cause other harm, it also impacts their own heart. Matthew 15:11 says that we are not defiled by what goes into our mouths but what comes out of it. And Proverbs 18:6-7 says, “The lips of fools bring them strife, and their mouths invite a beating. The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.”
Your own lips, by the words that you speak, can cause you to stumble or bring strife into your life. Your words have power for life and death not only for others but for yourself. By your tongue speaking words of criticism towards others, you feel strife throughout your body. It does not make it better, but worse. This is the same with words of self-doubt. If you speak words of self-criticism, like “I’m an idiot” it actually harms your self-esteem. It causes self-doubt and diminishes yourself.
Gossip is another one that causes harm when spoken. It can seem so harmless to gossip with someone. Proverbs 18:8 goes on to say that gossip is like choice morsels. It can feel bonding with someone to talk about someone else and get them to agree that this person is wrong or did something wrong. But as Steven Covey would frequently say, “It is bad cement.”
We feel validated and justified in our thinking when someone else agrees with us. However, what happens is that these choice morsels of gossip about another or a situation go down into our inmost being, our heart (Proverbs 8:8b). It changes our heart and hardens it. We lose compassion for others. We become more critical.
Have you ever noticed this? You spoke something about someone in a judgmental, critical and negative light and it felt good for the moment. Especially when the other agrees and shares their own stories. But then you felt more strife and more critical as a result and can’t seem to get back to a place of peace. It has impacted your heart towards them. With wickedness comes contempt (Proverbs 18:3). What happens is you begin to feel contempt towards the other.
Then when you try to act unbiased in the future, you fail terribly at it. While you might not say something with your words against the person at the time, it has cemented in your heart and it comes out in your demeanor and actions towards the other.
It also hardens your heart overall. Life is an undivided whole, not segmented pieces as we would sometimes think. As you choose to be less compassionate in one area of your life with someone, it impacts the compassion that you have for others overall.
Hosea 10:13a (Voice) says, “You’ve plowed wickedness and reaped injustice.” And Gandhi has spoken, “One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole.”
In the same way, as we choose compassion over those small areas in our life that we have influence, it will begin to impact our heart overall. We will become more compassionate. Hosea 10:12 (Voice) says, “plant a crop of righteousness for yourselves, harvest the fruit of unfailing love. And break up your hard soil, because it’s time to see the Eternal until He comes and waters your fields with justice.”
Our tongue has great power. James 3:4-6 warns about the tongue, “Consider ships as well. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot is inclined. In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”
The tongue can be the sparks that can set a great forest ablaze. It can also put out a great fire. Proverbs 15:1-2 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.”
A tongue can be powerful and cause immense harm, which is why there are so many bible verses around controlling the tongue. By the power of the Holy Spirit, our tongues can also be used for great good. In Acts 2:2-4, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples as a violent wind. Tongues of fire danced above people as they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages as the Holy Spirit empowered them.
As a result of this empowerment, unbeknownst to them, the disciples were speaking in the languages of the Jews that were staying in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun. They heard the disciples speak in their native language and were shocked and amazed. Peter, then got up and spoke, leading about 3,000 people that day to know the Lord.
Earlier, In Acts 1:8, Jesus had told and commissioned them, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. And you will be My witnesses, first here in Jerusalem, then beyond to Judea and Samaria, and finally to the farthest place on earth.”
This empowerment was given once in this specific way, because it was only needed to come once. It was not only just specifically for these disciples in this specific time, but for all who would receive it, for all time. By faith, we are filled with the Holy Spirit as we are called to be witnesses. We are fully equipped and empowered witnesses.
Lord, Empower us afresh by Your Spirit to be Your witnesses. Let our tongues proclaim Your praise and goodness to all that we encounter. Give us the wisdom and the strength not to speak words that cause harm.
