Since our words are filled with power, I believe they are a gift we can bless others with every day, especially during this Christmas season. Why not start your morning with the following confession of faith to Jesus before rising out of bed, “This is the day that the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it” (see Ps. 118:24).
If you see that your spouse is struggling to get out of bed due to physical pain or illness, use the power of your words and bless them with the prayer of faith, “In Jesus’ name, I renounce this pain and sickness, and I release the healing power of Holy Spirit to flow in and throughout your entire being; be healed in His mighty name, amen.”
When you walk into the kitchen and find that your teenagers are arguing with one another or your teen is speaking rudely with you, instead of joining in the fight and making matters worse, use the power of your words wisely and break the power of rebellion with a kind and sincere word. For example, “Kids, I know you are at odds with one another, but we are family. Let’s sit down and calmly talk the situation out.” Or if their words are blatant rebellion against you, start saying the words they really desire to hear from you, “I know we don’t agree, but I want you to know I love you.” If they respond back with stinging words such as, “I hate you!” hold your tongue and say, “I know, but I love you.” And keep on daily with words of love, concern and understanding; eventually, you will break that spirit of rebellion.
Whatever the source of confusion, declare words of faith according to God’s promises, and eventually the power of your words will win. The Bible is very clear concerning the power of our words; here are three verses to take to heart. “the merciful man does good to his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own body” (Prov. 11:17). Proverbs 15: 1 counsels us, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger.” And Proverbs 15:4 says that “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it crushes the spirit.”
When out in public, start the habit of greeting people again with a warm “Hello” and a smile on your face. Many people live in such an environment of contention that your kind words, as simple as they may be, will be what God uses to bless people with and start to soften their hard hearts. Remember, you don’t always know how someone else has hurt this person with their evil use of words. Maybe their spouse insults them on a consistent basis, or their kids are sassing off to them, or their boss just yelled at them for making a mistake, or their coworkers are so dysfunctional that all they hear are derogatory comments all day.
My challenge to all of us this Christmas is to gift people with the blessing of our words. It’s not as difficult as we may think, and words really do create or destroy people. Let’s use them this season to glorify God and bless His people.
Janet Perez Eckles 
Shawn Akers 
Abby Trivett 
