It's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as we start the study of chapter 14, The Power of Words. How appropriate! I remember many years ago reading that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told his mother that someday he was going to get himself some big words. He did get some big words and changed the lives of a lot of people. He said, "We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." And, who can forget his "I Have a Dream" speech? King knew the power of words. We need to know the power of our words. Joel says, "Our words become self-fulfilling prophecies. If you allow your thoughts to defeat you and then give birth to negative ideas through your words, your actions will follow suit.....If we speak positive words, our lives will move in that direction." James 3:4 compares the tongue to the rudder of a huge ship because although it is small, it controls the direction of the entire ship, just like our small tongue will control the direction of our lives. Joel suggests using positive self-talk and saying, "I am valuable. I am loved. God has a great plan for my life. I have favor wherever I go. God's blessings are chasing me down and overtaking me. Everything I touch prospers and succeeds. I'm excited about my future!" He reminds us that there is truly power in our words.
