The Tremendous Power of Our Words
Updated: Dec 21, 2021
By Debbie Przybylski Intercessors Arise International
“The Bible stresses that what you say is an accurate indication of what is in your heart. If your words bless and encourage others, they give evidence of a compassionate heart. If you often share the good news about Christ, you demonstrate a heart that is grateful for your own salvation. When others are in a crisis, do they know they will find peace and comfort in your words? Do you frequently and spontaneously offer prayers for others? Do your words and the manner in which you say them reveal a patient heart? All of these behaviors indicate a heart that is like the heart of the Father.”
The words we use have tremendous power. The Bible says that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). I believe that our prayers will have more power and a greater anointing when our everyday life is filled with words that uplift and bring grace to others (Ephesians 4:29). A holy life is a powerful life when it comes to seeing answers to prayer. Jesus’ prayers were heard because of His reverent submission (Hebrews 5:7). Righteous living and right speech come from a right heart before God.
It is important for all of us who want to have an effective prayer life to carefully watch our speech.
The Power of the Tongue
A person can speak many words a minute and several thousand in an hour. You can imagine how many words an average person speaks in a day! And some estimates are that women speak twice as many words a day as men. We could fill a library in a lifetime! If we did, what would the titles of those books be? The tongue has a powerful influence on others. God is looking for a holy life, and one of the key areas that we must guard with all diligence is our tongue.
The truth is, we all have problems with what we say. That’s probably why the Bible says so much about the tongue. Proverbs is filled with verses about both the positive and negative aspects of the tongue. I counted the terms tongue, lips, mouth, and words, and they appear over 170 times in the Bible. We lived many years on a ship and remember how the small the rudder would steer our ship in huge storms. James 3:4-5 says:
“Take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.”
Speaking negatively is costly in the spiritual realm, while watching what we say can bring spiritual reward. In Jericho, God’s people marched around the city in silence for six days. When they finally shouted on the seventh day, the walls came down immediately. Their silence and then shouting at the right time won them the victory. This is true of us individually as well. If we guard our speech, we can win a great victory. Think about this:
When we walk and speak in the power of the Holy Spirit, we defeat the enemy.
When we abide in Christ, His Spirit flows from our lives in word and deed everywhere we go.
When we enter a place where fear is evident, we can come in the spirit of peace and speak words of life.
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