The Power of Words 2026

Series: James: A Resilient Faith

Category: Gospel

Speaker: Blake Godsey

In this sermon from James 3:1-12, we looked at a warning from James about the power of our words. Throughout this chapter, James uses the "tongue" to represent our speech, and he especially emphasizes the destructive potential our words have. He compares the tongue to a horse’s bridle, a ship’s rudder and a small fire to show that even though the tongue is a small part of our body, it can have huge influence. Additionally, James identifies a problem when we use our words to praise God while at the same time speaking to one another in hurtful ways. Though it is difficult, God calls us in His Word to use our words to give life, encouragement and grace.