I remember sitting inside a bookstore one afternoon having a discussion with the little brother of one of my best friends. I had recently become a born again Christian and my friend was anything, but a believer as far as I could tell. Anyway, we were discussing the power of words when he suggested that what we say can become reality. Therefore, I put him to the test. I said something to the effect of "make it rain" or "knock over these bookshelves." Of course, he could not. I didn't expect him to do either. I just wanted to reveal how ridiculous he sounded. His answer for not being able to honor my request was he "didn't want to." He couldn't have done it if he wanted to. We don't have that much power! Could you imagine the chaos if what we said actually becamse reality? I even hear Christians say similar things about the power of the tongue! For example, during a discussion about Proverbs 18:21, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit," the following comments were made:
"What you say controls the outcome."
"What you speak out loud...becomes... This is why we should all pray out loud, not silently. Let him hear you. Know that he WILL hear you and WILL provide what you speak."
"I believe that we are able to speak things into being. So we should be mindful of the things that we say to and about others as well as what we speak on ourselves."
We don't have as much power as these comments suggest. I wonder what kind of lives these individuals experience. You would think they believed themselves to be little gods since they can speak things into existence. This sounds more like the rebellious nature of sin than it does something originating from God. After all, didn't Satan tempt Adam and Eve with the lie of them being like God if they only ate the forbbiden fruit? Controlling the outcome of things with our words, speaking out loud leading to a manifestion of our thoughts and speaking things into being are not characteristics consistent with the Bible or the Christian faith. I want to share with you what my thoughts were when I first contemplated our words having the power of life or death.
"I love you. I forgive you. I will always be here for you. I hate you. I wish you were dead. Get out of my site! How do these make you feel? Words alone don't have power. We give words power that are said to us if we believe them to be true. Always consider the source. When God says He loves us, He proved it by sending Christ to die for us and be raised from the dead to indwell us. His words have power because of the actions behind them. When the devil torments us we brush him off because we know he is a deceiver, accuser and a liar. The Gospel is the power of life because those who accept it will live eternally. Those who don't will suffer eternal death apart from God. We aren't little gods who can control the future with our words. However, we can encourage or discourage ourselves and others by what we say and how it is received which can effect how one approaches the future. Hebrews tells us to "spur one another on" and "encourage one another." The tongue plays a key role in this."
Don't get me wrong. I am not advocating that we shouldn't mind what we say. However, the words we speak are a byproduct of what we believe in our heart. Therefore, we must be careful of what we say to impressionable ears. If our hearts are focused on the Lord and what He has given us through our faith in Christ, then our words will be those that have the power of life. When we are not trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide us than all we have available to us is our flesh and the things of the world. Thus, what we say will reflect that which we are dependent on. I choose to be dependent on the Lord rather than the world. That doesn't mean that every word out of my mouth is glorifying Him or edifying to others. But, I know that for those that are within listening distance, what I say is a reflection of who and what I am trusting in. How they receive what I say may is where those words have the power of life or death. If my words reflect the attitudes of the flesh and the world then those hearing my words will not be aware of the saving life of Christ. But, when my words reflect the attitudes of the Lord then those hearing me will be touched by the saving message of Jesus Christ which will lead to eternal life.
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