Last night I had a flashback to the sitcom Different Strokes. During almost every episode Gary Coleman would respond to his older brother in a classic tone, with the same facial expression and the words, “What you talking about Willis?” As I was reading a chapter on words, this chapter had such a profound impact on me that I could picture Gary Coleman saying his famous punchline. However, I was speaking to God, trying to figure out why its taken me so long to discover the biblical truths from James 3.
The chapter which got my attention was called The Voice, chapter 8 of Dutch Sheets’ book Authority in Prayer. Prior to discussing James 3, Sheets does an exegesis of Job 6:25, “How forcible are right words!” Job uses the Hebrew word morat, meaning to press. The context of this passage is referring to a king pressing his seal of authority onto a decree, an official edict made by the king. To finalize his decision, a king will press his signet ring onto this decree making this the law of the land.
When you visualize this passage and begin to examine James 3 in this light, words become more powerful. This is why James declares that with one positive word people can be blessed and with one harsh word people can be cursed. Its no wonder that James gives the imagery of a forest fire, triggered by just one word. Therefore, the next time you get angry, frustrated or tempted to spit fire at someone, think about James’ words in chapter 3. If you fail to adhere to this message, someone will likely respond to you just like Gary Coleman, “what’s you talking about Willis?”
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 