Front matter
The Power of
SPEECH The Potent Force that Every Christian Is Called to Use Wisely!
R. Herbert
2022, Tactical Belief Books – an imprint of TacticalChristianity.org
The text and images in this e-book are copyright. All rights reserved. ISBN 979-8-88627-848-4 This book is not to be sold. It is made available by the publisher without charge and free copies can be downloaded from: TacticalChristianity.org, LivingWithFaith.org, or FreeChristianEBooks.org. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. In a few cases, the BSB (Berean Study Bible ®), CSB (Christian Standard Bible ®), ESV (English Standard Version ®), GNT (Good News Translation ®), NASB (New American Standard Bible ®), NKJV (New King James Version ®) and NLT (New Living Translation ®) are cited, and these translations are also gratefully acknowledged.
All italicized emphases in quotations from the Bible have been added by the author.
About the Author: The author served as an ordained minister and church pastor for a number of years and holds an earned Ph.D. degree in the languages, cultures and archaeology of the ancient Near East and biblical world. He writes for a number of Christian publications and for the websites TacticalChristianity.org and LivingWithFaith.org. His other e-books are available for free download from those websites and from FreeChristianEBooks.org.
Cover: Base image © by faysalfarhan
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. Truth: The Only Foundation
2. Restraint: The Anger Antidote
3. Praise: The Language of Life
4. Humility: The Pride Destroyer
5. Respect: Holding Society Together
6. Thankfulness: The "No Complaints" Department
7. Encouragement: The Power of Uplifting Words
8. Witness: Commission to Speak
Conclusion
About Our Books
INTRODUCTION
Few things in life are as important as what we say and how we say it. Strangely, this is not commonly understood, and many people do not realize the potential power of their own words. But what we say, rather than what we actually do, is often the prime cause of how happy – or unhappy – we and those around us will be on a given day. Many "speak their minds" without any pause to think about the effects of what they say, but that does not mean they and others will not suffer as a result. Psychologists and sociologists know that failure to understand the positive and negative power of the spoken word can lead to ongoing frustration and misery in people's lives, while those who use speech carefully often enrich and improve their own quality of life and that of those with whom they interact.
For the Christian, there are even more important reasons to carefully consider our speech. The Bible makes the dual power of speech – to hurt and to help – clear when it tells us that "Death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21 ESV). Jesus himself linked discipleship and speech together (Matthew 5:22, 3337; etc.) and he left no doubt about the seriousness of the situation when he said "I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you" (Matthew 12:36–37 NLT). We will be judged, Christ says, as much by what we said as what we did. And the apostle James says this even more graphically: "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell" (James 3:6). Misused, the power of speech can have terrible consequences. This is why King David wrote "I am determined not to sin in what I say" (Psalm 17:3 NLT), and why we must take the matter of our speech very seriously.
But the same power of speech that is so frequently misused can be used to benefit ourselves and others if we so choose. Many scriptures confirm this. For example, Proverbs tells us, poetically but clearly, that "From the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied" (Proverbs 18:20) and "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver" (Proverbs 25:11 ESV). That is why Luke tells us of Jesus: "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips" (Luke 4:22). It is also why the apostle Paul tells us that we too should "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (Colossians 4:6 ESV). The word "answer" in this verse means more than simply to answer a question. The Greek word Paul used refers to ordinary conversation, indicating that everything a Christian says should be gracious and never crude or hurtful – always uplifting and never destructive.
In order to meet this goal, we must consciously think about our speech – how and why we say what we do in everyday life – and that is where this book comes in. The Power of Speech looks at some of the most important aspects of what we say – both negatively and positively – and will help you to avoid the misuse of the power of words and more effectively harness their positive potential. Our speech is, indeed, one of the greatest powers we are given to use in this life. As Christians we have the opportunity to use that power daily and the responsibility to use it for good!