THE POWER OF WORDS

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” Proverbs 18:21

The Bible has a lot to say about the use of words and its effects on people. The above verse is just a sample of how much the Holy Scriptures has to say about the potency of the words that we speak.

Words are very powerful. They can encourage us; spur us to action both in a positive or negative way. Words are a part of our daily lives. We can’t do without words. We pray to our creator using words. We talk to our friends using words. We love with words. We fight with words. Wars are begun with words. Peace is made through dialogue. 

So it would be ignorant to say that words do not have power. They are indeed very powerful but the way most people think.

WHAT PEOPLE THINK:

A lot of people think that words are tools that can be used to create what we want. They believe that if only they use their words just the right way, they’ll be able to get anything they want. “If you want health’, they say,’ Just confess health.” “If you want wealth and unfathomable success, just say and speak words of prosperity.”  According to this way of understanding, which is not what the Bible teaches, one needs only to say the word to receive whatever miracle one expects.

God alone has the power to speak things into existence as he did in the creation. He is the one who calls those things that are not as though they were, not us. Abraham believed in God who quickens the dead and calls those things that are not as though they were. Romans 4:17 Contrary to what many think, Abraham put his faith in God. God is the one who quickens the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

WHAT THE BIBLE MEANS

It is no doubt there is power in the tongue. But just what kind of power are we talking about? We are talking about destructive power and creative power. We are talking of the power to kill and the power to give life. 

Just how is this power manifested?

We can bring life by preaching the good news of Jesus to people. We can bring life by telling the truth. We can bring life by having our conversation seasoned with salt so that you know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:6) We can bring life by speaking good things, encouraging others. We can decide to bring life by not letting anything unwholesome come out of our mouth, but only what is helpful  for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.( Ephesians 4:29)

A close look at all the verses related to speech will reveal an emphasis on the right use of words to benefit our neighbors and friends. We are never told to use our words to create physical realities, wealth or health for ourselves.  God created all by the power of his words. It is true.  But humans do not possess such ability. Jesus was not speaking literally when he said that if you have faith like a mustard seed, you could command a mountain to throw itself in the sea and it would happen. If that was what he meant, then there shouldn’t be a single pot hole in a city in Nigeria. Or does that mean there is no Christian in  Nigeria that has a faith as big as a mustard seed?

We can bring hope, love, peace and joy to people with our words. We can also bring destruction, hate, war and death through our words. But attempting to create wealth and health through confession of words is a practice that is unbiblical. It is a New Age teaching well exposed in the book called,” The Secret”. God has not called believers to create things with the words of their mouth. They can however create happy or bad feelings in themselves through the right or wrong use of words.

It is worthy of note that no prophets, pastors, apostles, messengers of God or angels ever created a reality with their words nor taught anyone to engage in such a practice.  Have you noticed that it is only health, wealth and personal life issues they try to solve using their words? Why can’t they speak hospitals, good roads and a strong economy into existence? Why can they speak good governance and a corruption free Nigeria? The truth is that people who believe in such things can’t do it. They know they don’t have such a power in their tongue.

As for me if I had such a power, I would stop going to school and work. I speak into existence any certificates, cars, mansions dollar and pound sterling bank account that I want.

Of course, I won’t stop there.  Because of the love I have for this country, I will speak world class hospitals, good roads, a prosperous economy, justice and fairness in courts of justice into existence. I will also speak Boko Haram, poverty, sickness, kidnapping and militancy out of existence. But of course, I know that I can’t do any of the things I mentioned. Neither do those who push these things on believers and make them think that they can do all these things. 

The only things we can do with our words is talk to others motivate them and hope that they respond to our kind words with positive actions.