Did you know that the words that you speak have the power to either affect your life in a positive or negative way? Did you realize that the words that you speak have the power to change any circumstance in your life?
God has told us in many scriptures that you can change the course of your life just by speaking. In Genesis 1:1-31, the Bible shows us that God created everything that has ever been created by speaking all things into existence. God has also told us that Jesus is the “Word” that became flesh, and that He sustains all things by His powerful Word. (to understand who Jesus is, and for scripture reference on this topic, please access the “I Am the Way” blog on this site). God says in Proverbs 18:21 “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” What does this mean exactly? It means that you will reap the “fruit” of whatever you say. For example, if you are constantly talking negatively about yourself, and your circumstances, you will reap the end result of what you say, and the negative things that you have spoken will manifest in your life. If you speak positively, the positive things that you have spoken will manifest in your life.
Other scriptures that refer to the power of words are: Psalm 141:3 – Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Proverbs 18:20 – From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. James 3:6 – The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:8 – but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. Proverbs 13:3 – Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. Proverbs 21:23 – Those who guard their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
Most people make the mistake of speaking aloud everything negative that they are thinking about themselves, and their circumstances. We all know of someone that constantly complains about how unintelligent they are, how things never work out for them, how sick they feel, how they will never progress, etc. Have you ever noticed that their situation never seems to improve or get better, but actually gets worse? This is because of what they themselves are speaking over their life. As proverbs 18:21 says, they are speaking “death” over their lives, and reaping the fruit of what they say. Think of words as "seeds" that are being planted, and eventually, you will reap the harvest of whatever "seeds" you have "planted".
In John 10:10, Jesus says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. From this scripture, we understand that Satan has come to defeat us by his attacks on our lives. (see more on this topic by accessing the “Spiritual Warfare” blog on this site). Jesus is saying that He has come to give us life so that we can have it to the full.
One way that Jesus expects us to have a full life, is by guarding our mouths and speaking positive things over our lives. By confessing God’s promises given to us in the Bible over our lives and circumstances, we are allowing God’s power to transform us and our lives. Even if a situation looks grim, as though there is absolutely no hope for change, God expects us to confess what He says about our situation, not what our situation appears to be. He expects us to have faith, and confess those things that are not (yet), as if they are. God can take any dead, hopeless situation, and completely turn it around. Romans 4:17 says, “God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.” This scripture is saying that God actually calls those things that do not exist yet in the physical as if they already do exist. He is expecting us to do the same; to call those things into existence by the words that we speak.
The words God has given us in the Bible are alive and active. Hebrews 4:12 says ” For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” God has also told us that His word does not return to Him void. Isiah 55:10-11 says “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I have sent it.”
If you are finding yourself in what appears to be a hopeless, dead situation, or you are feeling negative about yourself, DO NOT speak the negative. It is better to say nothing at all than to confess the negative aloud. No matter what, even if you do not feel like speaking, pick a scripture pertaining to your situation, and say it aloud. Repeat it over and over, as many times as you need to until you start to see the changes manifest in your life. Do not be discouraged if you do not see the changes right away. God starts to act immediately in the spiritual realm. Sometimes it takes time for these changes to manifest in the physical. God expects us to have faith, and believe that what He says is true. God's word is voice-activated.
All Bible Scriptures are taken from the New International Version (NIV).