The power of life and death (proverbs 18:21)
- Proverbs 18:21 You will receive either good or evil according to the quality of your speech.
- You get what you speak, our words are that powerful. The power of God inhabits our Words.
- Deut 30:19 As in Proverbs 18:21 life and death are held in speech, blessings and curses.
- Burt this time the Lord is hold the people to account for how they have been speaking to their children.
- I want to break this down into three categories as we look at this concept.
- What we say to or about God 2. What we say to or about others. 3. What we say to our about ourselves
- Do we without realizing it say things about God that are not true. But because we say them, they are what we get.? We tend to listen to the voices of the devil and let that dictate our thoughts and speech patterns.
- The issue with speaking negative words is that we give the devil permission to inhabit those words.
- Which then we give the devil the permission to move to bring about those words.
- Our tongue ought to be only about the business of praising God.
- Find scriptures that speak to you in this regard and memorize them and speak them constantly.
- These are all the word of God and not empty promises.
- Or declare and speak the truths about who God is. Psalm 23:6; Isa 43:13
- Sometimes what we say about God can be very subtle, the report of the 12 spies in Numbers 13:26-33
- In giving their report that are saying God Can’t do this. They spoke it, and that’s what they got.
- How we speak over others.
- People can be fully tormented and demonized because of things people have said over them.
- So, we need to only speak to others is a way that builds them up. Eph 4:29
- We are only to speak that which builds the other person up, according to their needs.
- Especially with people we have authority over, children.
- We can take scripture and personalize it a bit. Jeremiah 29:11
- Here is one for how we speak to those who don’t know Jesus. Col 4:5-6
- Eph 5:19-21 to others in the church
- Proverbs 11:11 This one is sobering; a whole city can be brought down by the mouth of the wicked.
- Now for the third one What we say to or about ourselves
What we say about ourselves can have in incredible influence over us.
Phil 4:13; 2 Cor 12:9; Psalm 139:17-18
- The whole context of this Psalm is that God knows me.
- So the thoughts that the writer here refers to are the thoughts that God has about me.
- His thoughts are related to the intimate relationship he has and wants with us.
- And should be the same thoughts we have of ourselves.
A few more important passages about the tongue.
Matt 12:36; Eph 5:4; Proverbs 17:27; Proverbs 10:19; James 3:6; Jams 3:9