The power of the spoken word

Words spoken goes a long way to those who hear them. They are powerful in nature depending on how they are used. The word becomes active after pronouncement and can command performance at any time. Spoken words should not be taken for granted because of their effect. Whatever is said will become action whether negative or positive. Spoken words have been the weapons used to manipulate a lot of things. In Gen 1: 1-3, we discovered that God spoke and things that were not in existence before came in to being. He said “let there be light and light appeared” Genesis 1: 3-25. From that scriptural passage, it is understood that God did not use bricks or cement to create the world but rather he did so by the power in His spoken words. Spoken words command things to be and they will come to pass because of the power that flows from them. A word itself cannot do anything unless it is empowered. When words are empowered you see it at work. Spoken words should be respected and should not be used anyhow. This also boils down to how we manage information. When words are spoken, how do we receive them? Many spoken words have gone a long way to cause destruction and once they are said, they cannot be reversed. A typical example of spoken words that were difficult to reverse was in the story of King Herod and Salome the daughter of Herodias, in Mark 2: 22-29, we saw how King Herod made a promise through spoken words that he was going to give Salome a gift after she had danced so well and impressed him. The king went further to promise to oblige her even if she demanded for half of his kingdom. To the greatest surprise of the king, the girl did not ask for material things, she requested instead for something that was more costly than wealth which was the head of John the Baptist. What a pity!, the king was shocked but he could not go back on his  words due to the fact that he did not want to disappoint his guests. Immediately a command was made to go and get the head of John the Baptist from the Prison. This action brought great sadness to the disciples of John the Baptist and great worry to the heart of the king. We can see how spoken words brought about destruction and pain.

Furthermore, we should be careful when we speak due to the fact that some people have spent time vomiting things they were not to say. We should be very wise when speaking because loose lips sink ships. Many of us cannot manage information which has affected some persons in the past. A typical example of someone like this was in the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was a man of great might and the Lord used him to fight for his people. Samson had a great secret which was that his hair was the source of his power. On no account, was he to reveal the secret of his power to anybody. ‘He was so powerful that no man in his days could contend with him but people suspected that there was more to him than meets the eyes. They sent Delilah to spy on him in order to uncover the source of his power. Initially she entered a fake relationship with him pretending to love him and then She disturbed him continuously until he revealed his secret. Finally she called some philistines, who came and took him, plucked out his two eyes and also tortured him. Samson was in great pain. At this point Delilah was nowhere to be found because she had completed her mission. What a wicked world! Samson was unable to control his mouth and this landed him into destruction. The words he spoke from his mouth were few, but because they were powerful they brought him to ruin. We should learn how to guard our lips, so that we will not end up destroying ourselves and falling into regret. Nevertheless, as human beings we should be ready to keep some secrets to ourselves. Many people have become victims of circumstances today because they have made their secret plan known to their friends, and these so-called friends have stabbed them in the back. Samson did not realise that Delilah was never a friend because he did not observe her very well.

We should be careful about the people we tell our plans because not everyone is happy about the progress we are making; some people are close to us just to spy on us. We should be careful of every word we speak from our mouths because they tell more about us. We should learn how to keep vital information if we want to really excel in life. Even in the life of Jesus we discovered that he tried as much as possible to shun publicity because human beings can be dangerous. Many a times he would say “tell no one about this.” Not because he was afraid but because he did not want cheap popularity that would bring destruction to his mission. He tried to control his spoken words and he was able to bring about Gods’ kingdom on earth. Jesus did not waste time using words anyhow and he was able to discern everything with the wisdom of God. His spoken words were so powerful that he used them as weapons to heal and bring deliverance to the people. In mark 4:35-41, we saw how Jesus used the spoken words from his mouth to calm the storm.

Another powerful sign of a spoken word can be found in Mathew 8:5-13, where Jesus encountered the centurion. The man had knowledge about how powerful words are so when Jesus was planning to go to his house, he said it was not necessary, “just say the word and my servant will be healed,” he said. The centurion was a man of faith and had strong belief in words, he was aware that words can be translated into actions and actions are carried out by command. Since he understood the principles of using words he was able to manipulate it and get a tangible result.

The power of a spoken word has a deeper significance than mere saying. It is very important to note that words are very powerful and should be used with caution. In the Gospel of Luke 17: 6, Jesus made a powerful statement when he was talking about faith. He said “you can command a sycamore tree to be rooted up and be planted in the sea and it would obey you”. The pulling of the sycamore tree is not done by hoe, cutlass or tractor but by the power of a spoken word and it will obey. It is also necessary for us to choose how we are going to use these words so that it will carry out what it is sent to do whenever any pronouncement is made. Using of words carelessly may not give us what we want or we may not get the right result because it has lost its power. Often times we are warned not to talk anyhow, or use words anyhow because it will not help us. Foul languages may not really help us or do good to those who listen to them.

Pronouncement puts words into action; using words correctly, help in the empowerment of them and powerful words produce tangible results. We should be careful of how we use words because of their implication. There is power in the WORD!

Sr Margret Ogbebor SSMA is a Catholic Nun, working in the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. She is the Head Teacher of St Martin de Porres Nursery and Primary School Katsina. [email protected]