Luke 4:32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.

Yesterday I ended that devotional with an insinuation that words have power. It is but an insinuation. Yesterday I was talking about catch phrases, enticements, also known as lures, bait. You might not know you are being baited until the hook is set.

This practice has gone on for as long as writing has existed. Those who create those catch phrases, words of enticement know their prey. They know how to bait the hook. They understand human nature. In some cases it is rather simple and obvious. Those baits take on the words like sale, new, improved, better, faster, and you know exactly what to expect.

Other words are misleading and it is done with devious intent. Limited time offer, only 15 minutes remaining, sale ends soon and the intent is to create a sense of urgency which does not exist.

What are your power words?

Recently facebook showed me a montage of my most often used words. They were sized by usage, the bigger the word, the more I had used them. They were God, Jesus, Love, Faith, Relationship and lesser used words all related to my bible readings. Those might be my power words, but are they an effective lure? Do I hook my intended audience?

I realized that those words draw people who have fellowship with my Lord. They do not draw the lost because I refuse to use their power words. I find those words inappropriate and I do not wish to be associated with those words, no matter how acquainted I was with them before I came to Christ. I can use them in a face to face encounter where an exchange of ideas, experiences and solutions can be pondered. When it comes to this written word on a screen, I do not want those words to be used against my Lord. There is little if any time to correct misunderstandings. Clarity and simplicity is required in the written word.