Words That Change Us 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NIV “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Introduction Today I would like to share the grace of God under the title “Words That Change Us.” Would you repeat after me? “Words That Change Us” We express our thoughts and feelings through words. We can determine how a person feels just by listening to his voice. We can feel heavy if the communication channel between us and our associates is blocked because of a misunderstanding. Communication takes more than words. We ought to use words that will help all things go well with us. We should not use words to harm someone or to destroy his peace. Those words will create problems for us. According to a report by professional brain scholars, a human brain has approximately 23 billion brain cells, 98% of which are strongly influenced by language. Recently medical science has observed that the part of the central nerve system of the brain which controls language also controls the entire nervous system of our body. Language therapy is based on this theory. Our language controls our whole nervous system. Our central nervous system controls a multitude of nerves groups: optic, auditory, sympathetic, parasympathetic and so on. These nerve groups are all affected by our language nervous system. Our emotions of joy and sorry are influenced by our language nervous system. The Bible has already made mention of this truth in Proverbs 4:23. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” How can we keep our heart? We keep our heart by putting a guard on our tongue. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Matthew 18:18 says, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Scripture has long since said that our language nervous system has the power to exercise important leadership in our life. Today’s medical professionals of brain science have just begun to acknowledge this fact. The words that come out of your mouth today will decide your tomorrow. If you are presently walking around and saying, “I am foolish,” then your whole nervous system will respond to your words. “Hey, did you hear him? Let us get busy. Let us repeat after him. ‘I am foolish!’ ” Your language central nerve ordered so. If you say, “I am good looking!” “Did you hear that? Our central nerve will immediately send a message to the rest of our nerves to be a good looking guy. This message will be delivered throughout the entire nervous system of our body. ” Do you say, “I am feeble.” You will find yourself tired and dispirited because your physical body responds to your brain. If a patient heard “you are healed of your sickness,” as soon as he perceives his healing to be so; his physical body, although frail with sickness, will move toward these positive words. Positive word therapy can even be effective with terminally ill patients. “With your lips speak out repeatedly that you are healed!” The Bible tells us, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:10) Our spoken words are sounds which express our thoughts and feelings and in turn influence our further thoughts and condition our physical body. We should then watch what we say. We should encourage one another with positive words so that we all may become well. 1. Thanksgiving makes us successful Thanksgiving makes us successful. We daily use the word “thanks.” This expression makes us successful. Above all we should give thanks to God. We are bound by duty to give thanks to God whenever we think about His creation. Acts 17:24-25 says, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. …, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.” We ought to give thanks to our Creator who gives us everything in nature. And we should express our thanks to God who has equally given us the heavenly world. We can receive the spiritual kingdom by our faith. How thankful should we be for all this? Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” God blessed us with all spiritual blessings so our inner person can live forever even though our body dies. Our thanksgiving pleases and glorifies God. When we give thanks to God He reveals His power that brings about blessings. God has blessed us with all things in nature and in the spiritual world therefore our natural response should be words of thanksgiving to Him. Psalm 50:23 says, “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.” Giving thanks to God is the right way that we should walk as this is the very way through which God reveals his salvation to us. I was touched after I read the testimony of Dr. Hee Dae Lee, who is the president of the Cancer Center in Severance Hospital. His testimony begins with the following words: “2003 on January. It was like a bolt from the blue when I heard a medical report. And soon a long and a tedious battle began against this illness.” Dr. Lee had to go through 5 operations immediately after cancer cells were found in his body. The cancer had spread to his liver and pelvis. He also had to undergo 3 anti-cancer treatments and 4 radiation treatments. He desperately fought against further surgeries because of cancer recurrence. To date Dr. Lee has received 12 surgeries. When he was alone he asked himself, “Why has this happened to me? Why did I get cancer? Why me? I have treated cancer patients with my own hands and some of them survived. This is not fair. This is not for me. I still have many things to do. I cannot die like this.” Dr. Lee is one of the famous cancer specialists in Korea. Now he shockingly had cancer. During his treatments Dr. Lee began to attend a church and by the grace of God received salvation. That which he once resented changed into that which he was now thankful for. Changes took place in his heart. He did not give up in despair through the many years he fought against his cancer. Dr. Lee was an expert of breast cancer. One day he started a bible study for his patients. This was a good choice. Before his salvation the main subject of his discussions with patients was cancer but after his salvation he began to talk about the Word of God. He kept praising God and led a life of continual thanksgiving and therein a miracle happened! He recently received the marvelous report that his CT scans showed that there were no cancer cells left in his body. He was moved and shed tears of joy. As a doctor he served patients with medical care and operations. Today he works as an Executive Director of the Breast Cancer Society and the manager of the Department of Surgery in Young-Dong Severance Hospital. He also teaches in a university and spends busy days as the president of a cancer center. He wrote a book which is entitled “A Rare Hope.” Brothers and sisters! Wonderful miracles will happen to us no matter what circumstances we are in when we give thanks to God, who is the Creator of the universe. Our thanksgiving to God pleases Him and brings His blessings. He accepts our thanksgiving as a great sacrifice, especially in difficult circumstances. Resentments and complaints are the basic nature of evil. These are the primary tools Satan used to trap Adam and Even into degradation with. Grumbling and complaints depraved humanity. “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” God did not say like that. Satan implied a complaint against God in that question. “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.” But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. No. You will not die. God envies you. Listen to me. ‘You will be like God.’ ” After Eve was tempted and saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband.” They rebelled against God. Therefore complaints and resentments were the fundamental snare of Satan that trapped humanity. All human beings are therefore born with the DNA of complaint. Do you know what the fundamental sin was that caused the Israelites to wander in the desert for forty years after their deliverance from Egypt? They followed Moses but never stopped complaining. Even God gave them up. Numbers 14:28-29 says, “So tell them, 'As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very things I heard you say: In this desert your bodies will fall - every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.” Why did God get so angry with them? Numbers 14:2 says, “All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, ‘If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert!’ ” Since the fall of Adam and Eve Satan’s complaints and resentments took root in their DNA and began to reveal its true self of sin. We should therefore give thanks to God for what we have received instead of complaining. And we should be thankful not only toward God but also toward our neighbors. Thanksgiving makes our neighbors happy and satisfied. If we show thanks to our neighbors for helping us, they will feel appreciated and be willing to continue to help us. They will be more kind and helpful to us. The person, who gives thanks to God, thanks his neighbors as well. Husbands should thank their wives and wives should thank their husbands. We should express our thanks with our heart and lips. Our thanks should be heard. We need to verbalize our thanks. As we verbalize our thanks, our neighbors and we hear them. Not being thankful causes resentment and complaints which make our neighbors rough-tempered and hateful. The Bible recommended us, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4) A Roman Stoic philosopher, dramatist, Lucius Annaeus Seneca once claimed: “If a man begins to complain about what he has now, he will be unhappy even if he has the world at his feet.” There will be no end to resentment and complaint even if we have the best because we cannot appreciate what we presently have. A Swiss philosopher, Carl Hilty said in his book “Glueck (Happiness)” that “thanksgiving” is the first condition of happiness. “Give thanks. You will feel younger. Express your thanks then there must be development. Be thankful then there comes joy.” He emphasized the need to always be thankful. Resentments and complaints of the Israelites caused them to wander in the desert for forty years after they were delivered from Egypt. They quickly forgot every grace of God and were condemned to die because they followed the fundamental and original sin of Satan. But in faith, Joshua and Caleb thanked God for granting them the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. They were indeed blessed and did not die in the desert. Here is the key. When we thank God we will be blessed and live well but if we complain about God’s promises we cannot expect a long and happy life but we will end up in despair and misery. 2. Praise makes us successful We often talk about praise; but to praise is what we need. Praise makes us successful. We lift somebody up in praise. Praise is more than thanks. We honor someone by praising him. If we honor our parents we would say, “Father, I honor you. Mother! You are wonderful. I respect you two.” In praise we pay someone a compliment. Christians usually exalt God. In our prayers we praise God. We praise Jesus for what he has done for us. We praise His saving grace through His precious blood shed for us. God manifests His presence in the praises of His people. Psalm 22:3 says, “Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praise of Israel.” God dwells in us through our praises. God helps us and lifts us on high through our praises. God comes to us and delivers us and exalts us because we acknowledge Him through praise. God is glorified and distinguished through our praises. Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise through Jesus. If we insult and criticize God our behavior will boomeranged back to us. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” We give human beings compliments and credits. We give praise to God and we continually communicate our compliments to our neighbors. We should give credits to them. We spare no compliments to help them. Compliments and credits make human beings courageous and strengthens them. Compliments and credits make human beings better and helps to improve them. Compliments and credits make human beings realize the meaning of life by helping them find happiness and joy. They have great impact on our fellow human beings. An American daily newspaper, The New York Times announced the five expressions which mothers must watch out to speak to their kids. They are: 1. I don’t know why I bore a child like you. 2. Why can you not keep up with other children? Don’t you know that you are the only one who cannot do this? 3. How old are you? Think about your age! 4. You idiot! 5. Shut up! Don’t bother me. These words discourage your children. It hurts them and makes them turn against their parents. Even more so negative words like these make children pessimistic. They feel insecure, live an unhappy life and end up in dismay. A parent’s words are important factors in molding a child’s future. The compliments and encouragement of parents strengthen children in a great way so that they develop with encouragement to be the best they can be. Parents’ encouragements affect their kids much more than that of their teachers or other significant people in their lives. Compliments give courage and strength to live. We must therefore daily use words of thanks, compliments and praises as often as possible. 3. When we bless others we get blessed We should use words of blessings in our daily lives. When we bless other we get blessed. The Bible tells us that our Lord is a God of blessing. It is impossible believing in God but not being blessed. Why not? When God called Abraham he said, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) He did not say, “You will just receive blessing.” He said, “You will be a blessing. You will become it.” This is our God. Genesis 13:2 says, “Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.” How about Isaac, the son of Abraham? Genesis 26:12-13 says, “Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy.” What did the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and God of Jacob do? Genesis 30:42-43 says, “So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.” Jacob had to work hard like a servant in the house of his uncle. But God ultimately blessed him. Genesis 35:9 says, “After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him.” What about Joseph? He was sold as a slave to Egypt. But God did not leave him alone but made him Prime Minister in the whole of Egypt. He became second only to Pharaoh. Who is our God? He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is rich in all aspects. He is a God of blessing. But why do we sometimes believe that “even if I worship this God He will never bless me”? “I am in rags and starving. I am lost. I always fail. I am poor.” Why do you say this like you mean it? When did God say this? God will bless us if we love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. Whenever we get together we should bless each other. In the Bible we read a story of Hannah. She was childless and she, with bitterness, wept much in the Lord’s Temple. The priest Eli asked her why. She told him that she was deeply troubled. Eli blessed her: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” After she heard the word of blessing she went back home and became pregnant. She gave birth to a son! She named him Samuel. Hannah brought Samuel to Eli. Samuel’s parents were faithful to the Lord and the priest blessed them once again. “May the Lord give children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” She conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Once she was barren but then she was with many children! If we bless someone with strong faith; our gracious God will bless him indeed. First of all, we need to bless our own family at all times as our Lord Jesus did. He blessed his disciples at Bethany before Jesus was taken up into Heaven. Jesus took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. Hebrews 11:20-21 says, “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped.” We should bless people with good will again and again. We should not criticize, attack or find fault with them. We need to bless each other. With a pure and faithful heart, we should bless our children through faith. Our children will remain in God’s blessing when we do this. God will make them the head not the tail. They will lend to many but borrow from none. They can live a blessed life. Conclusion We must habitually speak in words that change us. Let us make sure that our lips are flowing with words like “thank you”, “I commend you”, and “I bless you.” If we do this then the relationship between God and I, between my neighbor and I, between the world and I will be changed. An American author, Zig Ziglar claimed in his book “See You at the Top” that although “3 billion people on this planet go to sleep with hungry stomachs; 4 billion people go to bed every night without a word of warm encouragement.” Brothers and Sisters! If possible let us open wide our heart and pay compliments to our husband, wife and children. Let us not be indifferent but try to find something to praise and give them credit for. Let us be indifferent to their weaknesses. We had better not repeatedly speak of what they cannot do. Let us forgive them. We can enjoy our life when we help each other through cheers, compliments and encouragement. We should always try to speak words that change us in a good way. When we continually speak words of thanksgiving, praise and blessing we and our neighbor will be changed and the world will be full of joy and happiness. We may not have gone to college or studied in an institute but we still know how to give thanks. We know how to praise and how to bless. We will experience happiness without ceasing if we practice these things in our lives. Good things will constantly happen to you. So the Bible says, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” Everything is given to you according to God’s will. We can give thanks in all circumstances. We can praise God continually. We can always compliment our neighbors. We can bless them. I urge all of you to live such a life. Today I pray that God’s blessings will fulfill your life. Let us pray together. Our heavenly Father who is full of love! So many times we did not follow the way of blessing. We went astray. We thank God for letting us know how Your glory shines in our circumstances through speaking words of thanksgiving, praise and blessing. My Father God! Like we season our daily meals with salt help us to season our hearts with words of thanksgiving, praise and blessing. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 5