The Power of Words (And How to Use Them)

The power of words can be used for good or for evil – how are you using words to help others and to help yourself through life’s challenging times?

If you couldn’t tell already, I have kind of a passion for words.

And maybe that doesn’t make a ton of sense, but let me try to explain myself. I have seen words being used for so many different things, and in so many different ways. For whatever reason, I pay extremely close attention to how people use words and how I use them, too.

To sum it up in one sentence, there’s a quote from my favorite book, The Book Thief.

“I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.”

When I first read that sentence, I began to realize just how powerful words could be. There are words we hate, and words we love.

Words that build us up, and ones that break us down.

While this seems very obvious, we all use words to define who we are. We all give the world new things to think about through the things we say. This completely fascinates me – because even if you can’t speak through your mouth, you can still speak in different ways and forms.

Have you ever thought about being more careful about the words you use? And how you use them? I know I have. And sometimes, it’s hard- especially when we’re talking just to talk.

Let’s think about a verse that God gives us on the power of words:

Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Now this doesn’t say specifically about what we should SAY, but what we should THINK. That’s my point though, guys. What we think will be what we say. Out of the mouth the heart will speak, right?

I’ve learned over the past few years that I, along with the rest of us, have been given the beautiful power of words and a way to share them. So while some words I hate, and some words I love, I hope that my words are made right by sharing the love and the truth of the gospel in whatever I say.

I hope that, though life is difficult and I want to always be able to share the difficult things, I will ALSO be able to share the hope of Jesus that saves us from the things of this world as well. We are not slaves to our sin, we are not slaves to this world. We can be free – and that’s why I used the word ‘free’ in my blog name. Not only do we have the freedom to speak, but we are most importantly able to be free in Christ.

How will you use your words today- whether you’re typing them in a text or blog post, or saying them out loud to your friends and family?

And I’m going to take that question a little deeper and ask you this: How can you use your words and your STORY to help others? How can you use not only the truth of the gospel, but the words God has given you, your UNIQUE LIFE, to bring hope to others?