Death and Life

Proverbs 18:21, AMP

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life].”

James 3:9-10

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”

Until I came to faith in Christ Jesus, I never considered how powerful my own words (and thoughts) were relative to success or failure in every area of life. Yet, for over 2,000 years the Word of God warned whoever would listen that “death and life are in the power of the tongue”.

Spoken word curses, whether unintentional or not, have great power to negatively impact the life of the person to whomever they are directed, especially towards ourselves. The negative things we speak over ourselves reinforce the bad thoughts that created them. We were made in the image of God, and like Him, when we speak all kinds of things are set in motion.

When God spoke in Creation He declared everything “good”, but in our case, many of our words do not result in anything we could ever classify as “good”. We can powerfully influence for good everything and everyone around us when we declare truth and hope over ourselves and others in the form of the Word of God.

Start a practice of confessing God’s Word aloud over your life daily. Make it a habit.

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Tell the Father you are thankful for His Word, and for its inherent power to positively impact your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you confess good things when you speak.

Dive Deeper: Study Proverbs 18; James 3:1-11.