Words are powerful
I can’t begin to imagine how the hundreds of books I have read in my life have shaped me and the way I think. That’s why I’m excited and terrified at the same time that I get to be a writer.
It’s an awesome responsibility.
Writers are teachers, of sorts, and the Bible says “Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgement; for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is able to control his whole body.” (James 3:1-2)
Writers and teachers, anyone who transfers truth from themselves to others, have a serious responsibility. When someone reads what you write or listens to what you say, they are giving you an opportunity to change their thinking, which will change their decisions, which will change their actions, which could change the world. Words have incredible power.
“If you want to change the world, pick up your pen.” ~Martin Luther
But your life can discredit your words and render them powerless. Like the boy who cried wolf, if you say something and don’t back it up with action, eventually people will stop believing you – even if your message is true.
Your words are much more effective if your actions back them up. {tweet this}
I want to live in such a way that my life gives my words greater weight.
I want to be a person of my word, so that when I say something, even without excessive superlatives, people will know I mean it.
I want to be humble, so that if my writing gains popularity I won’t lose perspective of Who is really responsible for it.
I want to love people, so that my readers will know I genuinely care about them.
I want to always depend on God to give me the words He wants me to write.
I want to be real about my struggles and the way God helps me through them, so that people can see the power of God’s grace in my life and have hope that He can help them too.
I want to strive with all my might to follow Christ; but when I fail, I want to be honest about it, pick myself up again, learn from my mistakes and help others learn from them also, so like the apostle Paul I can say “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
I want everything I say to be grounded on the truth of the gospel- “Because no one can lay any other foundation that what has already been laid – that is, Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 3:11)
I want the words I write to be practical more than they are pretty – “…To preach the gospel, not with clever words, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.” (1 Cor. 1:17)
I want to know God’s Word so that my writing will be infused with it, because His Words are far more powerful than mine. (Isaiah 55:11, Hebrews 4:12)
I want to have pure motives, so that God can give my words effectiveness – because unless He blesses them, my words are worthless.
And last but definitely not least, I want to always, always give God glory for anything He might choose to accomplish through my writing.
Because if it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t be a writer.
Being a writer isn’t just about what you say – it’s about who you are. {Tweet This}
“The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters, a flowing river, a fountain of wisdom.” ~Proverbs 18:4~
Question: What kind of person do you want to be? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
I love this post. It really resonated with me and I say a loud, “Amen!” to all the “I want” thoughts you list here. Though I am still very much a beginner in this world of writing, it is always my desire to write from spirit, out of my heart, be honouring to God and His ways in me, and be aware of the awesome responsibility we have as Christian writers to live our our calling as well as writing about it. Thank you, Diana, for this truly helpful read. Blessings 🙂
I’m glad it was a help to you! You have some great desires there too. I hope and pray we live them out!
Amen! Yes, exactly what you said. Me too. It’s all for Him – sometimes I forget that and think it’s about me, and that’s where I come unstuck and it all goes wrong.
Thank you for this. I particularly like the use if scripture. May it be as you’ve said.
May God bless you as you write.
It is so easy to lose the right focus – I certainly do that often enough myself! I love what J.S. Bach did when he composed music – at the beginning of a piece he would write “J.J.” in the corner, for Jesus Juva, which meant “Jesus, help.” At the end of each piece he wrote the letters “S.D.G” in the corner, for Soli Deo Gloria, which meant “Glory to God Alone”. It’s such a great example of a tangible way for an artist to constantly remind himself of why he’s making his art.
I am going to print this and put it in my office to remind me of all these wants every time I write. i find it so easy to run away with what I am doing that I want every reminder possible to remember that none of this would ever have happened without God – thank you so much for this 🙂
You’re welcome. 🙂 Glad it was a blessing! That’s a good idea to print it out – I should probably do that too!
Hi Diana,
I agree with Joy. I was saying a loud Amen throughout your excellent post, It said exactly how I feel about writing. My heart is to only write as the Spirit leads.It is a responsibility, and I don’t think many realise this.Thank you.
That’s great. Thank you for your kind words!