PowerPoint

Jack Graham: Our words are so very important and influential. There is life-giving power in our words. So we need to learn how to master our mouths.

Guest (Male): On today's PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how your tongue has the power to build up or tear down. Now, here's Dr. Graham with his message, "The Power of Your Words."

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn with me to 1 Peter 3. The message I have for you today is, I believe, one of the most important you will hear regarding your future, your family, and your faith because I'm going to speak to you on the power of your words to bless and to be blessed. Verse 9 is one simple sentence, and yet the truth is profound. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, and here it is, bless, for this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Words are so very powerful, so influential. Proverbs 18:20 says wise words satisfy like a good meal. The right words bring satisfaction. Words carry with them potential, promise, and yes, power. The power to bless, the power to praise, the power to encourage, to elevate, to strengthen. But on the other hand, the power of words can divide and destroy, dishearten and discourage. With our mouths, we can praise or we can criticize. With our lips, we can bless or we can curse.

The key to success in your life, in your family, with your friends, and in your future is your ability to communicate, your ability to use words in a positive way because your words will bring you either your elevation or your downfall. Did you know that Jesus said in Matthew 12:37 that on the day of judgment, we will be judged according to the words that we've spoken? That's very important because we will either be justified by our words or condemned by our words.

Why is this true? Jesus said out of the heart, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What's in the heart comes out of the mouth. And so we are judged by what we say. So we need to learn how to master our mouths. And according to James, to tame our tongues. And as parents and as people, our words are so very important and influential. There is life-giving power in our words.

Words have a life of their own. Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." Death and life in the power of the tongue. Now, we know, of course, that some have taken this truth and damaged it by distorting it, exaggerating it, but the awesome power of the spoken word cannot be denied. Don't allow Satan to rob you of the truth of these powerful words because the Bible is full of examples and exhortations of this thing that is called the blessing.

I'm not talking to you about the latest psychological fad or construct. This is a biblical principle: the power to speak and to bless. James said the tongue has power to direct like a bridle in a horse's mouth. It has the power to deceive. The tongue has the power to destroy. The tongue has the power to defile. Life and death are in the power of the tongue.

Did you know the very first overt outward sin that we committed is a sin of the tongue? Because David tells us in Psalm 58:3 that the wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. So it doesn't take long for a child to tell a lie. You don't have to teach a child to lie; you have to teach a child not to lie. You don't have to teach a child to steal; you have to teach a child not to steal. We simply do what comes naturally.

And for many of us, our tongues can become like a loaded gun, ready to blast at will. And believers sometimes struggle with mastering our mouths. Of course, speech is created to communicate positively as well. With our words, we pray. Peter talks about this, that God hears the prayers of the righteous. With our words, we pray. With our hearts, we pray. But with our words, we express our prayers. Our worship, our praise to God is with words.

Our witness. Peter tells us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us. So we witness with our words the message of truth. With our words, we encourage. And God gave us the ability to bless and to build up and to believe in one another. Let our words overflow, our lips overflow with praise unto God. God's ears are open to the prayers of his people.

Words connect you and convert you in a relationship with God. For if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead, we will be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. That is why when you believe, you express that belief, you profess that faith.

When you possess Christ, you profess Christ. Our words bring us into the very presence of God. Psalm 100 says we come into his presence with singing, with thanksgiving and praise. We are to bless the name of the Lord. And just as words can cut you off from God, words can connect you with God. And so we are to spend our day speaking life-giving words to God, to ourselves, and to one another. Blessing in order that we would be blessed.

Because in your house, you are either building up your house or you're tearing it down with your words. Now, that's the principle. Now, let's talk about the practice of this blessing. All of us long for approval, for applause, for someone to cheer us. And when we are blessed, we feel fulfilled and secure and we can go about the purpose of God's plan for our lives.

Now, this goes way back in the Bible to the patriarchs, to the Jewish legacy begun in the Old Testament of passing the blessing, the legacy of the family from generation to generation. There are some amazing studies done upon the Jewish population. And you may know that certainly among practicing religious Jews, the blessing is still very active in those families from generation to generation.

And when you study the Jewish race and the impact they've made upon the world in any way you want to measure it—even though a minority race, their scientific achievements, their achievements in government, their achievements in art and science, all the rest—the fact is that there are fewer Jewish people percentage-wise in prisons than the rest of the population, a minority comparatively.

And most sociologists and certainly a Bible-believing individual would realize that it is this blessing on the lives of children from generation to generation to generation which has played such a tremendous part. The blessing of the father, the blessing of the mother, the blessing of the family on these children is playing a tremendous part in the well-being not only of their families but an entire race of people.

And if you're keeping up, you certainly know that it is the breakdown of the home and the family that is creating such destruction and damage in our communities, in our culture. But it is this whole idea of the patriarchal blessing. For example, in Hebrews 11:20 in the great Hall of Faith describing what it means to live in faith, we're told that by faith, Isaac invested in the future of his children by blessing them. So when we bless our children, we invest in their future.

So what is this blessing? The blessing are words that express our approval, words that express promise, recognition, and significance. The word that Peter uses in the New Testament is a word we get our word "eulogy" from—the word blessing. We hear of eulogies at funerals in which we speak good words about the deceased. The actual Hebrew word "bless" means to bow down. So when we bless the Lord, we are bowing down in his presence.

And when we bless one another, we are giving that person a place of honor. When you bless your children, you are honoring them, you are elevating them, you are giving them significance. And every child, every person not only desires but deserves this blessing. Now, you say, "Well, I didn't grow up in a family like that." Well, let me tell you what you can do. You can't change the past, but you can change the future. And you can start blessing your children. You can start blessing your family today.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Power of Your Words." July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text CRY to 59789. Again, text CRY to 59789.

Remember that your support of PowerPoint Ministries helps bring the truth of Jesus Christ to people around the world. Every day, we hear from listeners who are searching for answers, longing for peace, and discovering hope through God's word, often for the very first time. Your generosity keeps that message going out. And as our thanks for your gift today, we'd love to send you Dr. Jack Graham's book, The Jesus Book. A powerful guide to help you grow deeper in your relationship with Christ.

Text MAY to 59789 to give your gift and request your copy. Again, text MAY to 59789. Thank you for helping proclaim the hope of Jesus. Now, let's get back to today's message, "The Power of Your Words."

Jack Graham: Now here are some words, the kind of words that should be spoken in our homes and in our families and to our friends. Number one, words of affection. Speak words of affection. Over and over again, we should say it: "I love you." There's a saying that dead noses smell no roses. It's true. Remember Mary of Bethany in John chapter 12 when she anointed the body of Jesus before his burial?

She was sitting at his feet and offered this sweet perfume as a sacrifice of her love and devotion to Christ. She was criticized severely for it for the extravagance, for the waste, so-called. It was common for women and men to anoint bodies for burial when someone had died, but the fact that she anointed his body before his death caused chaos in that house among some.

And the point that is clear is it seems to be okay in people's minds to be extravagant in their praise at somebody's death, at someone's funeral, but we ought to pour out our love, we ought to pour out our praise, we ought to pour out our lives for one another while we live. And before it's too late. Speak words of affection. Speak words of forgiveness. That's needed in our families. Last time I checked, there are no perfect people and no perfect parents, right?

Anybody here want to stand up and say, "Oh, no, not me, I'm perfect"? No perfect parents, no perfect kids. We all struggle with our flaws, our failures, our own sinfulness. So the people closest to you know this, right? They know this about you. My kids know me, my strength as well as my weaknesses. So it's a good thing when we fail rather than trying to hide behind this facade with our kids and with our families, to seek forgiveness.

Some of the most important words we can say is "I'm sorry, I was wrong, please forgive me." Or to offer forgiveness when people in our own family and circle of friends fail. We live in a world that is so judgmental, so cynical, so critical, and people are beaten down in shame and judgment. Therefore, in our homes and our families, we ought to build up our children with words of forgiveness and words of grace. This is the blessing. This is the blessing of the father, this is the blessing of God.

Then words of promise. Speak words of promise to your children, to your loved ones. Jesus did this when he looked at a ragtag group of raw recruits, those disciples who were barely trying to get it together, and he said, "You are the light of the world." That was a blessing of their potential. "You are the salt of the earth." When he told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel, said, "You're going to change the world."

They could have never imagined it, but Jesus blessed them and breathed out the Holy Spirit and sent them and they did just what he called them to do. So in our blessing, in our blessing with those that we love, there's this incredible promise and potential. You ought to say to your children words that go something like this: "You are a promise from God. You have amazing potential. You are God's gift. You are someone special. And God is going to use you in an incredible way to advance the kingdom of God."

Now, this takes time and it takes paying attention. You can't do this on the fly. But to take time to study your child, to know your child, to look in one another's eyes, to seek their heart. Don't let the days and years get away before you speak these days of blessing. When your children are young, speak these words of blessing. I tell you, it passes really fast. An older pastor told me that when I was a kid preacher with little kids, and I just thought that was preacher talk. But it's true. It's gone just like that.

So what we do, we do today. If God is prompting you to pick up the phone and bless your parents today, your mother today, do that today. To call and bless your children—it's never too late because we never stop being parents. Listen to Proverbs 3:27, "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it." Do good to bless your family now.

And then finally, speak words of faith. Speak words of faith. Our children cannot make it in this world without Jesus, without God. So pour in the word of God, pour in faith to their hearts. The blessing is a spiritual act. It is a powerful act. When God's blessing begins to flow in their life, it is a spiritual transformation these words create in people's lives.

And remember this, our primary goal with our children is not academic, it is not athletic, our primary goal is not social. Our primary goal with our children is to make them disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. To make a difference in the world so that our kids are not just taking up space but living their lives to the glory of God. So speak words of faith into your family. Pray over your children. It's great to pray with them.

But some of the most powerful moments in prayer I've ever known is when I would slip into their rooms when the lights were out and they were asleep and just put my hand on their heads and pray God's blessing upon their lives. When a child is blessed, they answer the three greatest questions of life: "Who am I?" That's the question of acceptance. They find out who they are when they're blessed.

"Why am I here?" That answers the question of significance. And then, "Where am I going? What is life all about?" That's the question of confidence that is answered. Yes, you profoundly influence the direction and the lives of those that you love by the words that you say. Husbands and wives, it's true for us, isn't it? Men, your words have profound effect upon your wives.

Your wife deserves good words, God's words, words of blessing. She is sharing your life, partnering with you in life. You have created a family together. She deserves your blessing. Wives, your husband works hard. He deserves your praise and your cheers, not your criticism. Children, teenagers, your parents love you. They don't always do it the right way; they make mistakes. But you owe your parents to bless them and to honor them and to praise them.

And parents, as we've been saying, we're to bless our children. Let me close this sermon with one of the greatest stories I've ever known. Seems that there was a seminary professor who was visiting Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and he was in a small little restaurant. And there was a white-headed older man who was moving around, pouring coffee for everybody, having a big time.

Everybody seemed to know him. This seminary professor who was trying to get away was hoping the elderly gentleman wouldn't notice him and just kind of leave him be. But sure enough, this gentleman with a big wide smile on his face walked over and said, "Hey, you're not from around here. Where are you from? What do you do?" And he said, "Well, I'm a seminary professor."

And he said, "Oh, you teach preachers, huh? Well, let me give you a story." You know, people always want to give preachers a story. So he said, "Let me tell you a story." He said, "You see over on the other side of that mountain over there?" Said, "Years ago, there was a little boy born who didn't have a daddy. Some called him illegitimate, some called him worse."

Said he grew up not knowing who his daddy was. So when he was a little boy, he was ashamed, kept to himself. At school when the kids would play, he'd go play by himself. At church, he would try to be the first one to dart out because kids could be cruel; sometimes bad things were said. Other times, people innocently would say, "Who's your daddy, son?" and of course, he said the little boy didn't have a daddy.

Well, one day a new preacher came to the town and he said the benediction so fast the little boy couldn't dart out the side fast enough, so he had to get in line at the exit door and shake the hand of the preacher. So the big tall preacher with a big smiling face shook the little 12-year-old boy's hand and said, "Son, whose boy are you?" And everybody got quiet. There was a hush. People wanted to know the answer to that question.

Somehow the preacher sensed it. He saw the face of the little boy, the hurt in his eyes. And so he said, "Oh, I recognize you. I know you. You are a child of God. There is a striking resemblance. You have a great inheritance, son. Go out and claim it for yourself." Said that boy was so excited, his feet didn't hit the ground leaving the church that day.

He said that boy grew up and had a great life all because some man, some preacher, believed in him. Said, "Don't you think that's a great story?" He said, "Yeah, that's a great story." And the white-haired man walked away. The seminary professor called the waitress over and said, "See that white-haired man that seems to know everybody that just left our table? Who is that man?"

Said, "You don't know who that is?" Said, "Everybody around here knows who that is. That's Ben Hooper, the former governor of Tennessee, the very boy that that preacher said, 'Go get your inheritance. Go find God's best in your life.'" Ben Hooper used to say that I became governor of the state of Tennessee the day that preacher blessed me with those words. God is waiting for you to bless and to be blessed.

Guest (Male): You're listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message, "The Power of Your Words." We want to thank you for being a part of the mission of PowerPoint Ministries. Every day, through the support of friends like you, the message of Jesus Christ is reaching people across television, radio, and digital platforms around the world. So many people today are searching for answers, longing for peace, and looking for something to still hold on to.

And your support helps point them in the one who offers all that and so much more—Jesus. As our thanks for your gift this month, we'd love to send you Dr. Jack Graham's book, The Jesus Book. A powerful guide to help you move beyond simply knowing about Jesus to truly knowing him through his word. Text MAY to 59789 to give your gift and get your copy. Again, text MAY to 59789.

July 4th, 2026, will be a day of great celebration for the 250th birthday of our great country. However, there has never been a more important time in our 250 years as a nation where we need God to move in power and heal our land. That's why I'm inviting you to join Dr. Graham in a prayer challenge for our nation. To join, simply text CRY to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Okay, let's talk a few minutes more about taming our tongues. And you know the tongue has the power, as we learned in today's message, to build up or to tear down. And this is especially true relating to our families: husbands and wives, and of course, parents with their children. That's why I want to take these last few minutes we have together and encourage you to speak into the lives of others: faith, love, encouragement, especially into the lives of your children and your grandchildren.

Bless them with your words. Bless them with the word of God. How can you do this? Well, one way is to simply remind them often that they are a gift from God, that they are a promise and a life of amazing promise and potential awaits them if they will follow the Lord Jesus. I'm so grateful for a grandfather and for parents who built this confidence in me in Christ.

You say, "Well, pastor, it's too late for me. My kids are all grown up. What difference is it going to make now?" Well, your words of love, encouragement, and faith will have a tremendous impact on your children, however old they are and wherever they are right now. Every person, including your adult children, want encouragement from Mom and Dad, no matter what age they are.

So regardless of whether or not your children are young or old, start blessing them with your words today. Here's what Proverbs 3:27 says about that. We are not to withhold good from those to whom it is due when it is in your power to do it. So we have the power to bless our families, to bless our children with love.

So sit your child down or pick up the phone or write that note and bless your child with words of encouragement. They will feel loved, appreciated, applauded, and most importantly, God will be glorified in their lives as you build them up in faith, hope, and love.

Guest (Male): And that is today's PowerPoint. Remember, when you give a gift to PowerPoint, we'll send you Dr. Graham's book, The Jesus Book. Just text MAY to 59789. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can begin to see and know God in your life. That's next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.