Power of the Spoken Word

by Ann Musico
(Wallkill, NY, USA)

The Power of the Spoken Word: Eternal Words

Matthew 12:36
The Message: Every one of these careless words is going to come back to haunt you. There will be a time of reckoning. Words are powerful; take them seriously. Words can be your salvation. Words can also be your damnation."
New Century Version: And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said.

Once you speak a word, it exists forever! That fact alone is exhilarating and a little frightening! The laws of physics tell us that energy in the universe is never lost. It is transformed from one state to another. Sound waves never disappear. Sound is an energetic disturbance that causes a movement of particles. Because space is a vacuum with no matter, sound is unable to “travel.”

Think about the implications – if we had the right equipment, voices from the beginning of time could be retrieved. We could actually hear the voices of Adam and Eve themselves speaking to God, or Abraham Lincoln’s voice as he spoke the Gettysburg address, or even Jesus’ own voice speaking the Beatitudes!

What an awesome thought!

Words may be spoken to a specific person at a specific time, but they exist in the atmosphere forever. Scripture tells us God’s Word stands forever; and the prayers of the saints are ever before Him. Your prayers exist forever and are before the Father continuously.

But consider the flip side. Every careless, nasty, hurtful, doubt-filled, angry word you’ve ever spoken is still floating around, and not only that. You will be required to answer to God for them.

Now if that doesn't make you stop and think long and hard the next time you are about to criticize someone or spew a word of fear or doubt, I don't know what will! Our words are eternal in the most basic sense.

Think about words that may have been spoken to you at some time in your life, both words of blessing and words of cursing. (To curse someone simply means to speak negatively to or about them!) Those words still exist.

You know if you think about something hurtful, you will begin to experience the negative emotions all over again. The opposite is also true. If you remember words of blessing spoken to you, you will experience those positive emotions again.

We are encouraged and commanded in many places in the Bible to carefully watch what we say.

Ephesians 4:29 NIV says: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

I love the way The Message translates this verse: Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift. That says it all!

You may be wondering what the power of the spoken word has to do with health and nutrition – more than you may have ever imagined! First of all, researchers tell us that between 87 and 95% of ALL physical illness originates in the emotions! Every emotion felt and word spoken begins with a thought.

Research also bears out that if you eat when you are emotionally upset, your digestion is severely compromised. You can tell your stomach may be tied up in knots but it goes further than that. Scientists did a clinical study taking saliva from an enraged man and analyzed it in a laboratory. That analysis revealed that the composition of his saliva was identical to that of rattlesnake venom!

Clearly – your words and thoughts powerfully affect your emotions, which directly affect your physical health!

So, would you commit to spending this next month being aware of the words you speak and whether they are blessings or curses? I encourage you to keep track of the thoughts that come before the words you speak and the resulting emotions.

Do the same thing with words spoken to you. Keep track for at least a week but all month is even better. How will you change the things you speak in order to be a "doer" of Ephesians 4:29?

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