Powerful Words

Goals for this Week’s Study:

  • Review Sunday Morning’s Message.
  • Help group members better understand how much power our words have, and how it can affect those around us this Christmas season.

Getting Started:

Open your group with prayer.

SHARE: What’s your favorite part about Christmas and why?

Scripture:

James 3:1-12 (NLT)

“Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. 3 We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4 And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. 5 In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6 And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. 7 People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, 8 but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. 10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11 Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12 Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”

Proverbs 18:21 (NLT)

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.”

Matthew 12:34 (NLT)

You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

Psalm 141:1-4 (NLT)

1 O Lord, I am calling to you. Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help! 2 Accept my prayer as incense offered to you, and my upraised hands as an evening offering. 3 Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. 4 Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.

Recap

Pastor Daniel talked about how we can avoid stealing peoples joy this Christmas season. He showed us how important not only our words are, but how our thoughts and heart effect the words that we speak. He had three points that helped us see this:

  1. My Words Direct Where I Go
  2. My Words Can Destroy What I Have
  3. My Words Display Who I Am

Study Questions:

  1. In what area of life do you feel you best relate or are most like the Grinch?
  2. James 3:3-4 gives us a visual of how our tongues impact our lives. If our tongue is a rudder that is steering us to our future, do you feel there is anything you need to change to get to the future that you want to see?
  3. Looking back over past experiences, has there ever been a time that you’ve been a verbal arsonist? How did that effect your situation?
  4. Pastor Daniel said that your thoughts will determine how your heart feels, which will determine what comes out of your mouth. What do your words say about the condition of your heart?
  5. Read through Psalm 141:1-4. How can praying this change how we react to different situations?
  6. Is there anything your group can help you with?

Final Thoughts:

  1. Words have the power of life and death. The universe was created by God speaking it into existence.
  2. You shape your words and your words shape you.
  3. What you say and what you hear will create energy in your life. That energy can either build you up or tear you down.
  4. We’re not here to make a point, we’re here to make a difference.
  5. God may use a situation to bring out or make you aware of poison that was in your heart

CHALLENGE: Every day this month, pray and ask God to guard our hearts, minds, and words and to help us think before we speak.

PRAY over your group at the end! Pray that over this holiday season we can keep our hearts pure, and that we can speak life into our friends, families, and every situation, no matter the circumstances.

Adam Eldridge