The other day I overheard a mom say to her son, “You just can’t take anything seriously!” “Yes I can”, he said. “No you can’t”, she replied. Now it wasn’t that harsh of a conversation, but as I overheard it I saw how she was speaking INTO her child a “Can’t” that her child will one day have to reconcile in his heart. 

Can you relate?

Has there ever been a “can’t, a won’t, a never, or an always” that was spoken over you that you had to eventually face and dismantle in your heart?  Why is this? Why do words have so much power in our lives?

God gave us some insight on this in Proverbs.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue:”

Proverbs 18:21

I have read this many times, but I can guarantee I have diluted it’s true meaning. 

Death is in the power of the tongue.  

It has the power to wreck. Wreck me, wreck someone around me, or even wreck the atoms in the air around me.

But, my tongue also has the power of life.

The power to bring wholeness, refreshing, vitality, and hope to myself, others and the atoms in the air around me.

Let’s read James regarding this amazingly small part of our body that has so much power

James 3:2-12 The Passion Translation

“We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we’re able to bridle the words we say we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed. Horses have bits and bridles in their mouths so that we can control and guide their large body. And the same with mighty ships, though they are massive and driven by fierce winds, yet they are steered by a tiny rudder at the direction of the person at the helm.

And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. 6And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the sum total of wickedness and is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout the course of human existence.

For every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and creatures of the sea and land have all been overpowered and tamed by humans, 8but the tongue is not able to be tamed. It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison! We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image! Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sisters, this should never be!

Would you look for olives hanging on a fig tree or go to pick figs from a grapevine? Is it possible that fresh and bitter water can flow out of the same spring? So neither can a bitter spring produce fresh water.” 

These illustrations of the power of the tongue are amazing. An entire ship’s course is directed just by a rudder. Our entire ship’s course can be directed by this small part called the tongue as well.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

“Faith cometh by hearing.”  How does Faith – you know the trust, salvation, that hope and life with purpose come to us? By hearing the Word of God. Well, the way we hear is comes from the tongue. Either I am speaking faith filled words of life over myself or someone else is doing it but the hearing begins with the speaking.

Life-faith is in the power of the tongue!

There was an amazing experiment done by Dr. Masaru Emoto, a Japanese scientist, who took water molecules and placed them in a petri dish. He then spoke over each molecule. What he found was that when loving, benevolent, and compassionate human intention was spoken over a molecule it resulted in aesthetically pleasing physical molecular formations in the water, while water exposed to fearful and hurtful human intentions spoken over it resulted in disconnected and clouded physical molecular formations.

He did this through Magnetic Resonance Analysis technology and high-speed photographs. His research also showed us how polluted and toxic water when exposed to prayer and intention can be altered and restored to beautifully formed geometric crystals found in clean, healthy water. His work has us question if water is affected by the spoken word, intentions, and energies – what about human beings, who are made of mostly water? If we transform the water by words and thoughts, what else is possible?”

There is life-giving power in our thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) states:

“For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Our thoughts matter, as out of the abundance of our thoughts flow our words. Words begin with thoughts therefore I totally have the power over my words because I and only I have the power over my thoughts.

On page 71 of her book, Switch On Your Brain, Dr. Caroline Leaf states,

The ability to quiet your mind, focus your attention on point issues, capture your thoughts, and dismiss the distractions that come your way is an excellent and powerful ability God has placed within you. When we are mindful of catching our thoughts in this way, we change our connections with God from uninvolved and independent to involved and dependent.”

My friend Heidi calls it, “Independently dependent on God!”

In an article written by Roxanne Parks entitled, Speaking Life, she states:

There are many books written that examine how our words are simply the vehicles that convey our thoughts and emotions. What you put in your mind has an effect on what you think. Does “trash in equal trash out?” If so, our thoughts should be considered our highest priority, especially since the health and welfare of our lives are the by-product. Our enemy wants our minds filled with all sorts of trash and vain imaginations. Let’s think about what we think about.

Neuro Linguistic Programming acknowledges the fundamental connection between the brain (neuro) with our thoughts, language (linguistic) as our words, and our internal and external behaviors or actions (programming). This school of thought considers the practical application of thought awareness as it relates to positive healthy living.

Since we find what we are looking for, we have to really think about what we are looking at. As the story goes…there was a vulture and a hummingbird flying over the same desert. The vulture was looking for death and decay to eat on. The vulture found death and decay. By contrast, the hummingbird was looking for life in the nectar of a flower. The hummingbird found life. They both found what they were looking for. Be very careful what you look for, what you think about, and what you let go into the windows of your mind. For out of the abundance of our thoughts our words flow.

Remember when we read in James about the power of our tongue? The chapter concludes with this verse

^“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:17-18

This is our ultimate goal….to speak “Wisdom From Above”.  We want to have what comes out of our mouth be from above.

The momma I overheard in the store the other day is not a bad person. She just didn’t catch the part about how powerful our tongue can be. The person or persons or even yourself that has spoken death into or over you is not a bad person, they or you just need to remember how much power your Heavenly Father has given you. You have the power to speak LIFE! You have the power to move mountains with your words, to defeat giants with your words, and to destroy generational curses with your tongue. You can run through troops and leap over walls with your tongue. You are connected to the All Knowing! Your spirit within you can guide your thoughts to life as you determine to be the hummingbird!  This is my declaration that I leave you with today.

Let the Words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be well pleasing unto you oh God, my strength and my redeemer!”

Psalms 19:14