The Power of the Tongue Life or Death

Have you ever stopped and realized how powerful your tongue really is? The tongue is known to be made up entirely of muscle. It has been proven to be a myth that the tongue is the strongest muscle in your body. But it has been proven that the tongue can be the deadliest muscle in your body. The word of God says that the tongue can have the power of life or death! Let that sink in for a moment! That what you have in your mouth and use to speak words can bring life and death! Wow…to think how much we underestimate our words! How much we underestimate the power we hold with the words we speak. How much we lack self control and dignity when we angrily go off on someone without hesitation that can leave scars for a lifetime. The New Living Translation states in Proverbs 18:21,

“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” In other translations that same verse ends with “and those who love it will eat its fruit.” 

Every word that is spoken from your mouth can be a seed planted in someone's life. Even if we are not speaking to someone directly and they just happened to listen, those words can unintentionally be planted once being heard. That seed can grow into something that you may not have necessarily intended it to be. Or that seed can grow into something that can influence and inspire someone's life. Words that can bring Life or Death.  

“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”~ Proverbs 15:4

A deceitful tongue? Words that can mislead others. Words that can pervert the truth! This is going on in so many areas of the world all around us now! Recently, I heard a well known respected celebrity say to the world on social media that there are many ways to get to God! His words are deceitful. These words were spoken to mislead people away from the only way to God, which is Jesus Christ! The Bible, The truth of God’s word says there is only ONE way to God the Father and that is through his son! These words have the power of death! These words being listened by millions have the power to influence people to search for different paths that will only lead them to destruction. 

 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” ~ Ephesians 4:29

Words have the power to crush someone’s spirit. It breaks my heart to think that there have been times in my life that I have chosen to speak words that crushed someone's spirit due to the anger I felt at the time. Choosing to speak LIFE is a daily choice we all can make! Choosing to encourage others, to use words of affirmation as a love language! I choose to speak LIFE!

Today I witnessed a wedding ceremony of two young adults who grew up loving each other from their preteen years. My husband officiated the wedding of this young man whom we had the pleasure of being a part of his life as he grew into the man he is today. I watched as the two young love birds dazed into each other's eyes, holding back the laughter from nervousness, they began to speak their vows to each other. Their body language began to change and something in the atmosphere began to shift. The power of their words they were speaking to each other overtook their emotions and these words started to sink into reality. The power of saying to your wife to be, I will honor you! The power of the words spoken to your husband to be, I will love you till death do us part. These seeds of life were planted today, as the words of devotion and life time commitment came across their mouth, the seed of love was planted for a lifetime! These beautiful words of adoration that have the power to create in history a new generation to come! This is such a great example of how words have the power to create life! The power in the words of I DO! I choose you! I love you! I will cherish you...seeds planted of a harvest of love that will in the years to come grow! How fascinating to think words have the power of LIFE! It reminds me of the account of creation in the Bible. 

“Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” ~ Genesis 1:2-3

God saw that the Earth was formless and void. It was empty and covered in darkness. God’s Spirit was hovering over the waters and he SPOKE! Words that became so powerful, so life giving, shifted the atmosphere and these spoken words became existent! LET THERE BE LIGHT, AND THERE WAS LIGHT! Something that had never been seen, never heard of, never existed now is existent by words! The harvest of the words God spoke were good. The word of God says that the light was good! 

“And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.” ~ Genesis 1:4 

Have you ever encountered a person that could not hide what they were feeling at the time? Even if they really tried to hide their emotions, if they were depressed, you were going to see it! If they were irritated, you were going to see it! If they were filled with joy, you were going to see it! Their emotions were evident in their facial expressions. I have definitely seen this in myself throughout the years. Even if I wanted to hide how I was truly feeling at the time I could not hide it from evidently showing in my face! One day, I walked past a teenage girl who was walking with her head down, her hair covering half her face, her shoulders shrugged as if carrying a heavy load of books. In that brief moment of making eye contact with her, I saw sadness, I saw hopelessness, I saw despair. In that brief moment in passing, I instantaneously said, “I love your hair, the color is beautiful!” She slowly raised her head up, cracked a big smile and said, “Thanks.” In the split second of giving a simple compliment, the atmosphere changed. Her walking in the hallway, purposely avoiding any eye contact or human interaction shifted when words were spoken to her! She smiled. Someone noticed her! Just for a split second, someone took time to compliment her, hopefully planting a seed in her self-confidence, that she has beautiful hair and that she is noticed! Your words have the power of influence! Your words have the power to build someone up, encouraging them, using words of affirmation, which is a love language! You have the power to do this! Why don’t we do it more often? What do we lose by taking time to see someone, to notice their facial expression and plant that seed of kindness! 

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.”~ Proverbs 16:24

Let’s talk about Salvation! Words that are declared that are so powerful, when spoken our entire identity changes! When accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and repenting of our sins, our old self is gone and now a new person is born! By declaring and confessing Jesus Christ as lord and personal savior we accept adoption as being Children of the most high God, we are saved! BY YOUR WORDS spoken and believing those words in your heart! POWERFUL! 

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” ~ Romans 10:9-10

Lets pray! 

God, I thank you for being God. I honor you, I lift your name on high! Forgive us Lord if we have used our words to bring any kind of division, slander, deceit and hurt. Lord give us the wisdom and knowledge to know what to say and when to say it! Help us Lord to be more like you! Help us Lord to use our words to bring LIFE in a dead situation. Help us Lord to speak words that will bring healing to others! Help us, Lord, to choose to walk in Love! Thank you lord for your word, may your word live inside of us and displayed in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen!