Head to Heart Restoration Ministry
An NCCA Certified Academic Institution
The Power of Words
Al H. Jones, PhD
Dr. Al Jones formed Head to Heart Restoration Ministry in 2006. In 2008 Head to Heart expanded to include being a Certified Academic Institution of the NCCA.
The mission of Head to Heart Restoration Ministry is to bring emotional and spiritual wholeness to wounded and broken people through the power of Jesus Christ.
Head to Heart Restoration Ministry is located in Round Rock, TX, a suburb of Austin. Three of the five counselors minister predominately from home through remote counseling. One of Head to Heart Restoration Ministry’s commitments is to raise up counselors to serve the community in and outside of the central Texas area. All of the Head to Heart counselors were students of Dr. Jones.
The CAI program within Head to Heart utilizes the NCCA courses and the APS as the foundation for training students. In addition to the NCCA courses, Dr. Jones teaches interested students prayer ministry and inner healing techniques to help counselees receive deeper healing from damaged emotions, liberty from the past, and freedom from bondages. He is currently writing a course for counselors on inner/emotional healing prayer and how to utilize these prayer techniques with counselees.
At the 2023 NCCA Annual Conference, Dr. Jones will be teaching on The Power of Words.
“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I believe this is one of the greatest lies we have ever told ourselves and others. As counselors, you have spent years helping people receive healing from the wounds of words. Bones often heal much quicker than words.
The greater level of authority that someone has in our lives, the more deeply their words can wound us. For this reason, most often the deepest wounds come from our parents. Critical words such as, “You are so stupid”, “You are so lazy you’ll never amount to anything”, “Can’t you do anything right?”, often said in anger or frustration can impact a persons self-esteem for years beyond the comments made.
Often, as an adult people live out the comments or wounds they received as children. They may be extremely intelligent and successful, yet constantly tell themselves that they are stupid and worthless. They find it almost impossible to receive the acceptance and encouragement that others give. Each compliment is responded to with words that negate what was said.
The wounds of words can also lead to a performance-based view of God. You may be trapped in the cycle of thinking that God’s love and acceptance is based on how well you “perform.” The mindset that you must meet every need and follow every man-made rule in order to be approved by God causes false guilt and shame because you can never do enough to earn the approval that is already there.
“Hurt people hurt people.” It is a sad fact that the people that are most hurt and wounded by the words of others often keep the cycle alive by in turn hurting others. Instead of seeking help and learning how to release the wounds of words in healthy ways, the release comes by lashing out at others.
So how do we heal the wounds that have already occurred and stop the cycle of wounding others? We begin to heal by acknowledging the wounds are real and not trying to justify them as “no big deal.” Release forgiveness to those who wounded us. Begin to learn and believe what God’s word says about you.
It is easy to look at the wounds of words and try to justify that they really did not hurt that badly. The reality is that if you continue to obsess over the words spoken and feel the sting of the wound, it is still impacting your life. Acknowledge the hurt.
Releasing forgiveness comes in the decision to no longer hold the person hostage to the wound. Forgiveness is not an acknowledgment that what was spoken was okay. Just as Jesus has forgiven you, you in turn forgive others.
Jesus paid the price for all of our sin. He opened the door for us to fully receive God’s love, acceptance, and approval. Take time to meditate on scriptures that affirm how God sees you.
Replace negative self-talk with life-affirming words of encouragement. We all make mistakes but we are not defined by them. Shift your focus off of your mistakes and failures. Tell yourself daily that you are loved and approved of by God just as you are.
Become aware of the words you speak to others especially when angry or frustrated. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29 (NIV). By encouraging others, affirming that they are loveable, valuable, capable, and forgivable, you play a role in releasing them from their own wounds caused by words.
Oh, and the next time you hear the childhood rhyme, “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words can never hurt me” take the opportunity to turn this into a teachable moment to share the truth that words often have a long-lasting impact on our lives.