In a recent sermon on Luke 1:5-25, 57-80, Pastor Jim shared a powerful message about the impact of our words, using the biblical story of Zechariah as an illustration. Zechariah was a priest who doubted God's promise that he and his wife would have a son in their old age. As a result, the angel Gabriel shut Zechariah's mouth, rendering him unable to speak for nine months until the child was born (Luke 1:20).
Pastor Jim used this story to demonstrate several vital truths:
- Our words have power – they can either align with God's promises and bless our lives ("The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Proverbs 18:21), or align with the enemy's lies and curses that bring distress ("And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell." James 3:5-6).
- Fear and doubt open the door for Satan's influence. Even when God has clearly spoken a promise to us, the enemy uses lies and anxious thoughts to undermine our faith (Luke 1:18).
- By speaking words of doubt and unbelief instead of trust in God's word ("But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6), we can actually thwart His best plans for our lives ("Say to them, 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you: The carcasses of you who have complained against Me shall fall in this wilderness." Numbers 14:28-30).
- Once Zechariah's mouth was opened and he began praising God (Luke 1:64) instead of questioning, blessings flowed again. After a nine month "Zachariah effect," his first words were prophecy and blessing over his newborn son, John (Luke 1:76-79).
As James 3:9-12 states, blessing and cursing should not both proceed from our mouths. Rather than cursing our situations, we must align our speech with the promises of God, praising Him by faith before we ever see those promises manifest (Hebrews 11:1).
The lesson is clear: our words carry tremendous authority to prophesy either evil or good over our lives. As Pastor Jim concluded, if we have nothing positive to say, we would benefit from a "Zachariah effect" of shutting our mouths so that God's intentions prevail.
W
hat are your thoughts on this message? What lessons have you learned about the power of your words? Share below!
Listen to the full sermon below!
Comments