The words of your mouth

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21)

We Christians know that there is power in the tongue, and that words have power. We understand that the world we live in, and the entire universe, were formed by just the words from God's mouth. We have heard it on countless occasions that life and death are in the power of the tongue. However, how often does that knowledge translate...into applicable wisdom for our lives? 

Let us do a quick exercise: take stock of all the words you've spoken since the beginning of this day. Or this week. How many of those words have been words of life, of power, confirming truth, goodness, health, blessings? How many have been deliberate declarations of life into a dying situation, a flailing relationship, a suffering enterprise, a perishing soul? 

If the progress and destiny of your country were dependent on the fruit of your lips, will your country be marked for progress, or for destruction? 

If the future success of your children was tied to the utterances of your mouth, will they be destined for greatness, or for mediocrity? 

If your marriage, your business, your career, your friends, and your family had no portion except what was allotted by your tongue, what would their lot be?


There is a deception the devil has sold to many of us, that we can afford to be careless with our utterances, and not suffer any consequences. He sells it to some as the need to be "brutally honest" and "state the clear facts" about what is going on in their life, and he sells it to others as a despondency that nothing can change even if they declare the right things about a situation. But very few situations are helped by just stating the obvious - why not be the intervention? 

God used His tongue to speak out our entire universe into existence; Christ performed all but one of His recorded great works through His utterances, and the Acts of Apostles feature miracles and healings that came through just by the declarations of mere men. The same Holy Spirit that powered the creation effort, Christ's work of redemption, and the mighty acts of the early church still resides on earth today. 

His work is not just to indwell in us at salvation and make us perfect in Christ, but to power exploits in faith through us. And this happens - "through the blood of the Lamb, and the words of their testimony”. 

Another critical point on the power of the tongue is the fact that as Christians, we have been given authority through the power of Christ, which the Apostle Paul reminds must be used for edification, and not destruction (2 Corinthians 10:8). We can do better in this sphere. 

Let’s determine to speak life every time we open our mouths; to as Ephesians 4:29 exhorts, “let no unwholesome words come out … but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear”.

God’s power to you as you determine to do so.