The Power of Words

"A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth..." (Proverbs 12:14). The Bible draws an undeniable connection between our faith and the words we speak. The scripture we just read makes it clear that you'll experience goodness in your life as a result of the words that proceed from your mouth. In the same way, you can experience bitterness and an unfulfilled life by the same words that you speak. Sometimes we say the devil has made such and such happen in our lives and it's true, but the problem is that we confirm what the devil's done in our lives. How? We do so by speaking out our negative feelings. The tongue is a double edge instrument for good or evil, blessing or cursing, life or death. It is like a fountain which sends out sweet and bitter water from the same opening.

The tongue is fire and you will need to tame your tongue for your own good. The purpose of this message is to examine exactly how much the Bible does say about this subject (you might be surprised)! If you truly get what I share based on this topic, you're made for life. This is not intended to simply be a list of "positive confession" proof texts (although it would include that). Rather, I simply want to show that practically every facet of the Christian life is connected to the words we speak. That being said, lets look at God's Word together: From Genesis chapter 1, we learn how God creates the Universe by speaking it into existence. If you read the story of creation carefully, you'll realize that nothing happens until God speaks. Whenever God speaks, something happens! We also learn that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 1:27; 2:7). When God breathed into man, His very nature was deposited in Him. Man came to inherit the nature of God. For that reason, man can also speak his desire as he watches it come to pass. That's how God lives; He speaks his desires and they come to pass. Man has the same power but it's unfortunate that due to ignorance, man uses his mouth for the wrong stuffs. He speaks wrongly! Soon, his words begin to manifest and you find him struggling, even forgetting he spoke what he's experiencing long ago. You find him going to the wrong places for power even though he's endued with it. Every person has power in his tongue because whether believers or unbelievers, God created them. Some don't believe that God created them but that doesn't change the fact.

In Numbers 13, God told Moses, "Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel" (verse 2). So "Moses sent them (Some Israelites) to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many; And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it be good or bad; and what cities they be that they dwell in, whether in tents, or in strong holds; And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land" (verse 17-20). Those who were sent returned to Moses, Aaron and to all the congregation of the children of Israel and unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and showed them the fruit of the land.

They said, "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.

And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (verse 27-33). As you read Numbers chapter 14, you'll notice the effect the evil report the children of Israel brought had on the congregation. The people became so filled with bitterness that they spoke against God. The verses 1-3 of the chapter 14 say, "And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?"

These were the complaints the children of Israel had against the Lord due to the negative report they heard. While complaining, Bible says, "And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not" (verse 6-9). We learn so much from this story. Caleb and Joshua were among those who were sent to spy the land of Canaan but they gave a positive report despite the evil they saw in the land.

That's how our Christian life ought to be! To them, as long as it was the will of the Lord that they inhabit the land, they'll surely have it no matter what. And they didn't just talk it, they lived it! You could see the attitude of boldness in their lives. They made it known that the land is indeed flowing with milk and honey, but the people of the land were bread for them though they be giants. In other words, they will eat (conquer) them to possess the land! Joshua and Caleb gave positive results, "But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel" (verse 10). Listen, as you voice out your faith, the opposite of what you see in the world and in your life today, people will try to battle with you but the glory of the Lord will appear to prevent you from any harm. The children of Israel didn't know that Caleb and Joshua were operating by faith and not by sight (Hebrews 11:1), so they thought they were speaking lies.

Meanwhile, their act was in line with God's plans so He prevented the rest of the Israelites from hurting them. The children of Israel had forgotten how God stood over and led them from Egypt in a pillar of cloud by the day and in a pillar of fire by night. They had forgotten how the Lord fed them with manna and made them drink from the rock. They had completely forgotten the miracles the Lord showed them in the wilderness. How then could God not make them possess the land of Canaan which he promised? Due to their negative confessions God said to the children of Israel, "Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:" (verse 22-23).

God goes on to say to Moses and Aaron, "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcases, they shall fall in this wilderness.

And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. I the LORD have said, I will surely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together against me: in this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die" (verse 27-35). Just as the Lord said, Bible says, "And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land, Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD" (verse 36-37).

Those who brought up the evil report died and when you read the following verses of the same chapter 14, you'll realize that the Israelites died excluding their little ones as the Lord promised. Now take notice that not everyone who was involved in the "operation spy out the land of Canaan" died because Bible records, "But Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of the men that went to search the land, lived still" (verse 38). The reason why Caleb and Joshua didn't face the wrath of God is because they gave a positive result, they spoke positively despite the fact that they had some sort of negative encounters. Even concerning Caleb God said, "But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it" (verse 24).

Whenever the people gave a negative report or started complaining, Caleb always tried to stop them. He understood what it meant to speak in opposition to the promises of God. We learn so much from this story and I'm very grateful to God for recording it. From what I've shared with you, everything is clear. Every Israelite except for Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua spoke against God and His promises. They complained despite what the Lord made them see by working miracles amongst them. They were full of murmurings and as a result, bore the consequences of the wrong stuffs they uttered. Such are likely instances believers and followers of God are facing today. The devil rejoices in the ignorance of believers because it's only by that method that he keeps them in bondage. That's the only power the devil has today, the power of deception.

You will be surprised how children of God are begging and struggling in life all because of the world's economy. Believers today live as though they're for the world, forgetting that God is their source. Jesus tells us, "ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world" (John 15:19). Paul also says, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (2 Corinthians 3:5). Why do you believe the evil reports around you? Why do you talk yourself out of the promises of God; why do you speak contrary to His Word? It's sad some people accept the fact that they're facing "hardship" and "difficult times" as a result of the witchcraft or powers of their parents etc. Some even go ahead to accuse their siblings for marring their progress. They don't realize wherever they've gotten to in life today is as a result of what they said yesterday.

Some believers are also reading and listening to too much news. Instead of studying and listening to the Word of God, they spend time with things that'll only end up polluting their minds. They are always crying for change in government which ought not to be so. They tend to rely so much on the government and what they'll benefit and get from their association with men. They complain so much! I'm not saying you shouldn't put someone right if he's not doing what is required but be careful about your reaction to such instances. Refuse to complain! Rather, see the circumstances of life as an advantage to live for the glory of God. As we learn from the story of the children of Israel, most of them die because of the evil report they brought after being sent to spy out the land they were to conquer. In other words, the report was full of fear that they can't accomplish what God has called them to.

It's the same in today's world. You hear death, disasters, calamities, robberies, defilement etc. but "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37). There's hope brethren, don't give up! Canaan was indeed flowing with milk and honey but there were giants, strong and armed men in the land. The children of Israel had to conquer them before they could possess it but amidst all these, Caleb and Joshua refused to give up. They gave a positive report and the Lord blessed them for it. You see, don't voice out your adversary, and never speak out the things you fear. Bible says we're not trying to be but we are more than conquerors! It means that everything we face in our world today is already defeated, they have no foundation! They are empty! What you do is this: you walk tall and face them because you have received the Word of the Lord, Hallelujah!

You talk to those mountains and if they prove stubborn, push them! If they don't fall, don't worry. They will grow taller and taller as you try to climb. Just go back and run as fast as you can toward them. This time around you'll jump over them! I tell you it's possible because they're not real; what you're seeing is a mirage! From the NIV, Psalm 34:12-13 tells us that "Whoever of you loves life, and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies." There's so much power in the tongue, only if men would learn to use it wisely. In fact in Psalm 45:1, the psalmist describes his tongue as the "pen of a ready writer." In other words, his tongue is always there to "draw" something into reality; his tongue is always ready to speak something into being, whether good or evil. According to the Psalmist, even receiving the wonderful blessings is dependant on who we say God is (Psalm 91:2).

God's Word also makes us know that "...the mouth of the upright shall deliver them." Proverbs 12:6. We learn from this verse that we can be delivered or brought into bondage by the words we speak. No wonder Bible says, "The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous" (Proverbs 14:19). As the righteous your gate is your mouth; that's where the wicked bows so take advantage of it. "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health" (Proverbs 12:18). Just as the opening scripture, we also learn from Proverbs 13:2-3 that "A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth... he who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction." Use what you've got for good and to the glory of God; don't just open your mouth anywhere and anyhow.

"The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness." Proverbs 15:2. Study God's Word to be wise; ask the Holy Spirit to give you marvelous revelation as you study His Word. You can decide to bring life in every facet of your life, for "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life..." (Proverbs 15:4) and we get to know by the Word of God that "A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth..." (Proverbs 15:23). No matter where you are in life, you can change circumstances around. In other words, you can change things to suite you by using your tongue. Proverbs 18:20-21 tells us that "A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

No matter what you're experiencing today, you can speak out your desire and watch it come to pass. Yes, it's that simple!These verses make it clear that you can choose to go for life or death; it's your choice and everyone's responsible for his own life. Nobody decides for you! Being much careful about the Words you speak can "save" you, for "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles" (Proverbs 21:23). Let's examine the life of Job for a moment. Anyone who is at all familiar with the Bible has heard of the horrible trials endured by this great man of God. Although we certainly do not know of the reasons why all of this happened, some have suggested that Job 3:25-26 may hold a clue: "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came."

Previously, Job had been surrounded by a "hedge" of God's protection (Job 1:10). Could the fact that Job gave fear such a place in his life have caused a breach in the hedge? While it is overly simplistic to say that Job's suffering was exclusively caused by his choice of words, we must remember the warnings of Ecclesiastes 10:8: "...whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him." So we see clearly that Job went through those sufferings due to the hedge he broke by speaking contrary to the Word of God. Period!

Oh, there's so much power in our words; only if we learn to use it properly - we'll be reigning in life, living the upward and forward only life! Yes it's possible!