What’s in a Word: The Power of What We Speak
I love a good mystery—trying to solve the “who done it” before the big reveal. But the real mystery I’ve been pondering lately is this: Why do we so casually speak words over ourselves and our families that carry eternal consequences?
I’ve done it myself more times than I care to admit.
While studying the Parable of the Sower and other passages in Proverbs, the Lord began opening my eyes to a sobering truth: our words carry life and death. I suddenly saw what I had been doing—unintentionally binding myself and the people I love to struggle, lack, sickness, or defeat.
My heart is not to condemn anyone. Instead, my hope is that as you read this, you (like me) will become freshly aware of the power released through our everyday words. And that together we will choose to speak like the Sower in the parable—intentionally planting seeds of blessing, faith, and life over ourselves, our loved ones, and everyone we meet.
Imagine a classic rat trap. Have you ever set one and accidently snapped it on your own finger?
Our words can be exactly like this trap—maybe not made out of wood and metal, but out of words.
Proverbs 6:2 (NKJV) says: “You are snared by the words of your mouth; you are taken by the words of your mouth.”
Our lives are shaped by the words we speak, the emotions we express, and the actions that follow.
I grew up believing I was the biggest klutz alive. I’d trip over my own feet, spill every drink I carried, bump into everything. My parents wouldn’t let me carry things because the chance of disaster was too high. They’d say, “You’re a walking accident waiting to happen.” And I repeated it about myself constantly.
Then one day my husband Henk stopped me and said, “Why do you keep speaking that over your life? That’s not who you are.” Ouch!!
Right then I decided never to call myself that again. This was even before I fully understood my identity in Christ. But something shifted—the moment I changed my words, my actions began to follow. I became a different person.
That experience showed me something vital:
The Truth About Words
My life is a product of my beliefs. My words and emotions flow from those beliefs, and my actions follow. If my life is shaped by what I believe, then where I am today—saying what I say and doing what I do—is because of what I believe.
You might say, “I’m not speaking poverty, sickness, a bad marriage, or loneliness over myself.” But let’s look at what the Bible says:
Proverbs 18:20–21 (NKJV) “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Matthew 12:37 (NKJV) “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Proverbs 16:24 (NKJV) “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”
And perhaps the most powerful: Mark 11:23 (NKJV) “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
The Danger of Negative Words
What if the words we speak are negative?
• “I’m not good enough.”
• “I’ll always struggle with anxiety.”
• “I’ll never be successful.”
• “Things will never get better.”
• “Nothing I do matters.”
These reflect what we believe in our hearts. Even if we say, “I don’t really believe that,” repeating them over and over reinforces them. And Mark 11:23 says: “He will have whatever he says.”
From Scripture we see:
• Life and death are in the power of the tongue.
• Our words justify or condemn us (they account for our lives).
• Wholesome words bring sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
• What we truly believe in our hearts, we will speak—and it will come to pass.
Many things in our lives are there because we (or others) have spoken them over us:
• “You’ll never amount to anything.”
• “I’ll never lose weight.”
• Labels like ADHD, spoken over a child.
We eat the beliefs of the world, social media, or even religious traditions for breakfast and make them our own.
Some of the things spoken in churches also don’t align with Scripture:
• “You have to clean up before coming to God.”
• “Tithing guarantees financial blessing.”
Jesus warned about making the Word of God of no effect through human traditions (Mark 7:13). When we speak contrary to God’s Word, we do the same thing.
Colossians 2:8 warns us not to be cheated by philosophy, empty deceit, or traditions of men—not according to Christ.
What God Says About Our Words
Our words reveal what we believe. They define us. Luke 6:45 (NKJV) “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Notice both good and evil are called “treasures.” What we treasure in our hearts overflows through our mouths.
Jesus only spoke what He heard from the Father: John 6:63 (NKJV) “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 17:8 “For I have given to them the words which You have given Me…”
In Proverbs 8:7–8 Wisdom speaks (a picture of Christ): “My mouth will speak truth… All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them.”
Proverbs 21:23 “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”
Proverbs 13:3 “He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”
We cannot speak unbelief, doubt, sickness, or fear and expect the abundant life Jesus promised. When our words contradict His Word, we make His Word of no effect and call Him a liar.
What Jesus Says About Words
Jesus spoke truth based on faith in His Father and what He heard from Him. If we only spoke the words we hear our Father speak, what would change?
Look again at that rat trap. We’re caught not by cheese, but by our beliefs—and by the words flowing from those beliefs.
Remember:
• Words shape our reality.
• We are snared or freed by what we say.
• Life and death are in the tongue.
• Our words reveal our heart’s treasure.
• Jesus spoke only what the Father gave Him—and those words were spirit and life.
We must see our words as seeds that bear fruit, not as traps that hold us back. By intentional practice—speaking God’s Word—faith grows, habits shift, and lives are transformed.
Make this declaration with me today:
“I hear my Father’s voice, and as I hear His words, I will speak His words and declare His truth over myself, my loved ones, and anyone I encounter today. Amen!”
Think about one negative phrase you’ve spoken over yourself that you’re ready to replace with God’s truth?
Guard your mouth.
Speak life.
You’re planting seeds for a better future—starting today.