How to maximize the unstoppable force within you

You have the power to start a wildfire. You don’t need matches, lighters, charcoal or wood. All you have to do to create the spark is speak.

An unstoppable force lives within each one of us. With our words we have the power to bring healing to the hurt, hope to the broken, courage to the timid, love to the abandoned and power to the leader.

An Unstoppable Force

Your words have immense power. Proverbs 18:21 says, “death and life are in the power of the tongue…” Our words may not literally knock someone dead, but what we say carries a power that we may never see full effects from.

Whether you’re texting a friend, posting a status on Facebook or emailing a coworker, you use thousands of words every day. The average person uses 10,000 to 25,000 words a day - 12 words every minute! Every one of those words is a spark that can trigger a thought, move someone to action or change a belief.

In James 3:5-6, Jesus’s brother, James, says “The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire...” One spark can start a fire that changes the course of a nation, a city, a life.

A Force For Good Or For Evil

Fire has the power to give life through its warmth and to bring destruction when left untamed. It’s up to each of us if our words will start a fire that gives life or brings destruction.

The second part of James 3:6 says, “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body…” When we let anything but God direct our words, the words we speak won’t just hurt others. They destroy others.

Gossip is the most common way our words start destructive fires. When we tear down others’ reputations, we start a fire that destroys everything in its path.  When we talk about how mean, worthless, promiscuous or ugly someone is, we do Satan’s work for him by speaking lies into that person’s heart. To make it even worse, we spread those lies to everyone around us. And while we might feel good for a minute, the high that comes from tearing someone else down cannot last more than a few minutes.

The other way to use our words is to set a life-giving fire. What if everything we said communicated the truth of who God is to those around us? Something as simple as a “thank you” can equip a coworker with the confidence to work harder. “You’re beautiful” can make a young girl feel worth it. “I love you” can empower someone to be able to love.

So how will you use your words today? Will you speak up and start using your words to bring life to those around you? Your words will carry much farther than you think.