John 4:46-54

John 4:46-54
English Standard Version (ESV)

  God's Word has power.  In the beginning, when there was just watery chaos, God spoke over the waters, and the power of God's Word caused night and day to begin, it set the universe in motion and eventually men and women were created, all by the power of God's Word.  This same Word has continued to speak, and in the beginning of John we understand that God's Word enters into the world in the person of Jesus Christ, the literal Word made flesh, and continues to have power, showing here the ability to heal through a simple word. 
  Knowing that God's Word has the power to make things be, believe that God has spoken over you -- in Christ, you are forgiven and set free from the powers of sin and death.  God has spoken and declared you righteous and redeemed, and just as God's Word has the power to make healings happen, God's Word has the power to redeem and ransom you.  What God has said about you is true, and no other force in the world can change that.
  Believing that you are free, may you go and speak love and grace into the lives of the people around you.  While our words don't have the same power as God's Word, our words do matter, and what we say can transform the lives of those around us.  I guarantee you that you wouldn't have to go far to find someone who remembers words of encouragement spoken over them decades ago, and conversely, there are countless others who felt something die inside of them long ago when someone spoke a discouraging word to them.
  Speak wisely and with encouragement -- you never know how your words may change lives!