Death and Life Lie in the Tongue
by: Mary Lauren Hudson
July 24, 2024
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Words are powerful. God created the universe with His words. He said “Let there be light” and there was light. God’s speech and His action were not separated. The same is true today. All scripture is God-breathed and every single word written in His Book has proven true. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says that in Christ, all of God’s promises are a “yes” and “amen.” This means that Jesus Christ and the finished work of the cross is the guarantee and the confirmation of God’s promises found in His Word. If He said it, He will do it, all in His perfect timing and in accordance with His perfect will. God’s Word is powerful.
God made us in His image and gave us the ability to speak as well. It’s a wonderful mystery and an absolute gift. It’s what sets us apart from the animals. With this ability comes great responsibility because “death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Words can cause things to happen. We can partner with the Holy Spirit to speak life and blessing, or we can partner with the opposite spirit to speak death and cursing. Everything we say is either promoting life or death. There is no gray area. God wants to use our tongues to be a vessel of light, life, healing, and encouragement to the world. The enemy wants to use our tongues to speak darkness, death, pain, gossip, complaints, and anything else that draws the world away from the light and Truth of Jesus.
Most of us have used our tongues to speak evil in a way that has changed the direction of someone’s life. My friend remembers growing up and her dad jokingly telling her she was going to fail out of school, get pregnant out of wedlock, and work at a gas station. Even though he was kidding, the enemy used those words to sow seeds of anxiety, fear, and insecurity, and it easily could have become a self-fulfilling prophecy. As a result of the words spoken over her, she struggled with school, guys, and with believing lies from the enemy about her worth and doubting the call of God on her life.
In the same way our tongues can be used for evil and set the course of one’s life on fire, it can also be used for good and to set the course of one’s life toward Heaven. That same friend who struggled with the negative words spoken over her, later in life found Godly community who spoke the opposite. She would hear things like “With God, you are capable of making good grades and having a successful career,” “because of Jesus, you are worthy of marrying a Godly guy,” and “the Lord wants to use you to do great things for the Kingdom of God.” The Lord used those words and encouragement like it to set the course of her life in a different direction. She still is surrounded by Godly community, is incredibly successful in her job, and is choosing to daily honor the Lord in her decisions and life.
We have all used our tongue to speak both death and life. Most likely, we have been on the receiving end of someone speaking death and life over us as well! Could it be that for a lot of us, our tongues have been or currently are a vessel that the enemy has used to set the course of people’s lives on fire? Even if you aren’t speaking words that seem like curses, choosing to engage in arguments, gossip, complaining, and self-deprecating jokes can be used by the enemy to bring death to your life and to others lives as well. If someone has spoken something over you that does not agree with Truth, we need to forgive them, take those thoughts and words captive, and make them obedient to God. God’s Word holds all authority and it is the only standard we have as believers for Ultimate Truth. If something does not agree with God’s Word, it is a lie and we need to rebuke it in the name of Jesus. James 3:9 says “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” Ultimately, we all need to acknowledge that a lot of our words are set on fire by hell and we need Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to set our tongues on fire by Heaven.
Jesus says in Matthew 12:34 “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Later in chapter 15 He says “What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” It is clear in these scriptures that the things we speak are a reflection of what is in our hearts. There are two action steps I believe God is calling us to step into in light of this reality:
PRAYER. We need to constantly ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts, and to purify, reveal, or remove anything in there that is not of Him.
READ THE WORD. We need to read our Bibles and ask that God would write the Word on the tablets of our hearts so that it would fill us to overflowing + spill out of our mouths into the lives of the people around us.
Worship
Prayer for Today
Holy Spirit, thank you for your presence. Father, thank you for Your Word that is perfect, flawless, and the ultimate source of Truth. Jesus, thank you for making a way for us to experience abundant life and freedom. Please set a gauge over my mouth Lord, and let me only say whatever glorifies you and builds people up. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of my mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Season my words with salt and make them gracious and sweet like honey to the people around me. I confess all of the ways I have knowingly and unknowingly used my tongue as a vessel of darkness. Would you please reveal to me any ways the enemy has used my words to hurt hearts, wound spirits, speak lies, and set the course of people’s lives on fire towards hell. I repent and pray that you, our Father and Healer would touch, heal, and restore any person who has been on the receiving ends of my hurtful words. Guide me in the right steps to ask for forgiveness, replace those lies with Truth, and lead me in reconciliation to you and to all people. Please forgive me and wash me with the powerful blood of Jesus. May I never speak a word of death over anyone ever again. I also rebuke gossip, complaining, nagging, arguing, and any other words that have been disguised as life on my lips. Father, would you reveal any negative words spoken over me. Reveal lies I have been believing, thoughts I have been having, or any other destructive words that have been spoken over me that the enemy has used to bring death into my life. I forgive the person or people who spoke it. I expose those lies now and bring them into the light to you and to other believers. I invite you to wash me with the Truth and your sweet Holy Spirit.
Further Study
James 3:1-12, Ephesians 4:29, Matthew 15:10-20, Luke 6:45, Proverbs 10:11, 10:19, Proverbs 12:18, Colossians 4:6, James 1:26
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