Your words carry power—more than you realize.
With your words, you can bless or curse, encourage or tear down, impart life, or speak death. Your words shape your life, your relationships, and your realities.
What you speak (or don’t speak) has the power to transform your health, finances, happiness, and destiny.
Yet most people are unaware of the tremendous supernatural power of their words, both spoken and unspoken.
Let’s explore what the Bible teaches about harnessing the power of words to change your life, relationships, and your world.
The Power of Life and Death is in the Tongue
Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) tells us:
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
biblegateway.com
Your words contain incredible creative power. You can speak words that result in life or words that result in death.
This doesn’t just apply to literal physical life and death. Your words can bring life or death to your relationships, finances, body, mind, and spirit.
For example, words of encouragement and affirmation can greatly build up another person and convey emotional and spiritual life.
Destructive criticism or insults can wound someone’s heart and bring death.
When you consistently speak negatively about your health, relationships, or finances, you can create sickness, strife, and poverty with your words.
Conversely, speaking words of faith and victory has the power to unlock healing, blessings, and breakthroughs in your life.
The next time you’re about to speak, pause and consider: are the words about to come out of my mouth going to create life or death, blessing or cursing?
It is your responsibility to tame your tongue and control it for good.
Speakers of Life Have a Different Spirit
In the Old Testament, Caleb and Joshua were the only two Israelites whose faith in God allowed them to enter the Promised Land after 40 years in the desert.
The Bible says Caleb and Joshua had “a different spirit—a spirit of faith.” They believed God would give them victory over the giants in the land even though it looked impossible in the natural.
As Christians, you and I have been given that same “different spirit—the spirit of faith” described in 2 Corinthians 4:13 (NIV):
It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak.
biblegateway.com
Because you have the spirit of faith, you should speak words of life, victory, and blessing over your life, not words of defeat and death.
Caleb and Joshua didn’t go around complaining about how big the giants were and how impossible it would be to defeat them like the other Israelites.
They believed God’s promise and declared that they were well able to possess the land.
Follow their example. Stop complaining and speaking doubt and fear about your problems and boldly declare God’s promises of breakthrough and victory even when you face impossible situations.
Speaking words of faith releases the supernatural power of God to change things in your favor.
The Key to a Good Life is Guarding Your Mouth
In both Proverbs and 1 Peter, we are instructed to keep a careful watch over our mouths and tongues if we want to live a good life:
Proverbs 13:3 (NIV) says:
“Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.”
biblegateway.com
1 Peter 3:10 (NIV) tells us:
“For, whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.”
biblegateway.com
Many people don’t realize what a key role their words play in shaping the course of their lives.
Those who are careless in their speech destroy themselves through the negative power unleashed by their words. Those who guard their tongues protect their lives from such destruction.
Before you speak, consider carefully: Are the words about to come out of my mouth going to add life and blessings to this situation? Or will they subtract life and release harm and curses?
Make it a habit to screen your words before you release them. This is a lifestyle that will preserve your life and allow you to live long and well.
Praying in the Spirit Releases Life
One way that Christians can release the power of life through words is by praying and singing in tongues.
This supernatural prayer language was given as a gift to believers on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. When you pray in the Spirit, you speak “mysteries”, secrets between your spirit and God’s Spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:4 (NIV) says:
“Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.”
biblegateway.com
As you speak in tongues, it builds you up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. It charges your spiritual batteries and imparts life to your body.
Several times in 1 Corinthians 14, tongues are referred to as “speaking to God”. It is communication that bypasses your mind and flows directly from your spirit to God.
This allows the Holy Spirit to release truths and blessings that your mind is not capable of understanding on its own. Praying in the Spirit plugs you into the life of God Himself.
If you have never been filled with the Holy Spirit and prayed in tongues, ask Jesus for this gift and He will give you.
When you pray in the Spirit, you will find new power, boldness, and life flooding your spirit.
Key Takeaways:
- Your words carry the power of life and death. Speak carefully and intentionally.
- As a believer, you have a “different spirit—the spirit of faith.” Declare God’s Word boldly.
- Guard your tongue if you want to live a good, long life. Think before you speak.
- Praying in tongues builds you up and releases God’s life into your spirit.
Final Thoughts
Friends, the words you speak carry weight in the spiritual realm, whether you realize it or not.
Ask the Holy Spirit to make you keenly aware of the power released through your lips, for good or ill. Let Him train your mouth to be a fountain of life.
When you learn to harness the authority of your words through praying in the Spirit and declaring His promises, you release His Kingdom into every sphere of your life.
The choice is yours. Will you use words of life or death today?
Frequently Asked Questions About The Power of Words
Q. How can I be more intentional about my words?
- Take time to think before responding. Ask yourself, “will this comment add life?”
- Monitor your self-talk. Don’t say anything negative about yourself.
- Commit Bible verses to memory. Replace negative death words with God’s living Word.
Q. What if I’ve messed up and spoken death over my life?
- Repent and ask God to show you any doors you opened to evil spirits. Ask Him to redeem what you’ve spoken.
- Boldly declare His promises from Scripture. His Word breaks the power of negative words.
- If needed, get prayer and deliverance from mature believers for any curses you’ve spoken over your life.
Q. How do I know that my words carry authority?
- Stay closely connected to Jesus, abiding in His love. Your authority flows from your intimacy with Him.
- Ensure no unforgiveness or sin is giving the enemy a foothold in your life.
- Pray and declare God’s Word from a place of rest, not strife. Faith-filled will words will shape reality.
