We’ve all heard the expression, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” That is not a quote from the Bible but it reflects biblical truth. James, the brother of Jesus, spent a good bit of his five-chapter epistle warning us about the words we speak. One small part says the following.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. (James 3:9-11)
We have talked about blessing and cursing before along with our authority as believers. To pronounce a blessing is a form of prayer that asks God to direct good toward the individual we have blessed. A curse, on the other hand, is a form of prayer that asks for someone to direct evil toward an individual. Since God is not in the business of sending evil in response to hateful prayers, someone else in the spiritual realm will be glad to act on that prayer – especially a prayer uttered by one of God’s own children since that prayer gives the enemy authority to go after someone – even a fellow believer.
As a culture, we tend to dismiss words as meaningless but scripture doesn’t dismiss them so easily. James clearly commands us to bless and not to curse. Proverbs tells us “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Prov.18:21). Jesus warns us that men will have to give account on judgment day for every careless word spoken (Matt. 12:36). And Paul admonishes us to let no unwholesome talk come out of our mouth but only what is good for building up other people (Eph.4:29).
Since our words carry authority as children of God and representatives of the King, they also carry the weight of prophetic messages calling things out that have not yet come to pass. A prophetic word over a person does not just tell about future events but often activates a seed that God planted in that individual years earlier. A prophetic word about events moves things in the heavenly realms to bring that word to pass in the affairs of men and nations.
The point is that our words are more than random sounds or sentiments. They carry power or spiritual energy to influence things for good or bad. So God calls on us to speak well of those who would curse us, to pray for authorities, to give honor to whom honor is due, and to bless and not curse.
How many times have we spoken negatively about leaders, celebrities, cities, nations, or even preachers we don’t’ agree with? How many times have we declared their depravity, their upcoming fall from grace, their darkness and their failure? How many times have we called judgment down with our words declaring that God should wash some city away, destroy it with an earthquake, or declare that some nation should be “nuked,” etc.? But God was concerned even about the people of Nineveh who were Israel’s sworn enemies.
What if we spoke life, blessing, wisdom, revival, righteousness and hope over the people we usually curse? Would our words impart life rather than death, righteousness rather than depravity, peace rather than war, and love rather than hate?
Would politicians begin to serve the nation rather than themselves? Would presidents begin to make wise decisions instead of foolish ones? Would Muslim terrorists begin to see the world through different eyes? Would failing husbands and fathers begin to succeed and marriages flourish rather than inch closer to divorce?
God wants us to bless and not curse because he desires that none should perish. Blessing then becomes a powerful, divine weapon that God can use to transform men and nations. Blessing takes fuel and authority away from the enemy and begins to strangle demonic supply lines of hate and bitterness and cursing.
So today, ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of every word so that none are spoken carelessly. Ask him to make you a spring of fresh water rather than salt water and a fountain of life rather than death. I will ask him to do the same for me.
