The Power of Words: Speaking Life and Faith

Sep 28, 2024

Devotional

Day 1: The Power of Words: Life and Death in the Tongue

Our words are not just sounds; they carry the power to shape reality, influence destinies, and set the course for our lives and the lives of those around us. Every day, the things we say can either build up or tear down, create unity or division, and bring hope or discouragement. The Bible teaches that words are like seeds—what we plant with our speech will eventually bear fruit, whether for good or for harm. This is true in our homes, workplaces, relationships, and even in our own hearts. The choice is ours: will we speak words that bring life, or words that bring death? [05:34]

Proverbs 18:21 (ESV)
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

Reflection: Think about a recent conversation where your words had a noticeable impact—did they bring life or harm? How can you intentionally choose words that build up today?

Day 2: Speaking to Your Soul: Aligning Self-Talk with God’s Truth

The conversations we have with ourselves are some of the most important we will ever have. Negative self-talk can weaken us, sap our strength, and keep us from living in the victory God intends. Instead, we are called to take our thoughts captive, instruct our souls, and remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness and promises. Like the psalmist, we must learn to speak truth to our inner selves, commanding our souls to hope in God, to rest, and to remember His goodness, even when circumstances are difficult. [13:18]

Psalm 103:1-2 (ESV)
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."

Reflection: What is one negative thought you often repeat to yourself? How can you replace it today with a truth from God’s Word?

Day 3: Words in Relationships: Building Up or Tearing Down

The way we speak to others sets the atmosphere in our homes, marriages, friendships, and church. Words can create unity, encouragement, and hope, or they can sow division, discouragement, and pain. As followers of Christ, we are called to use our words to nourish, uplift, and bring wisdom to those around us. Whether with our children, spouses, or friends, let us be intentional to speak life, call out the good, and encourage the gifts we see in others, rather than focusing on faults or venting negativity. [19:50]

Proverbs 10:11, 20-21, 31-32 (ESV)
"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse."

Reflection: Who in your life needs encouragement today? What specific words can you speak to them to build them up?

Day 4: Faith-Filled Speech: Proclaiming God’s Will with Conviction

After we pray, the words we speak reveal the true state of our faith. It is not enough to pray for God’s will; we must also believe and speak with conviction, trusting that God will do what He has promised. Jesus teaches that even faith as small as a mustard seed, when coupled with spoken words of belief, can move mountains. Doubt expressed after prayer can neutralize our faith, but when we speak words of faith, we align ourselves with God’s power and invite His supernatural work into our lives. [36:21]

Mark 11:22-24 (ESV)
"And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be taken up and thrown into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"

Reflection: After you pray about a situation, what do your words reveal about your faith? How can you speak with greater confidence in God’s promises today?

Day 5: Choosing Life: Setting Things in Motion with Your Words

Every day, we are faced with the choice to speak words that bring life or words that bring death. Our words set things in motion, not only in our own lives but in the lives of those around us. When we align our speech with God’s truth and purpose, we become agents of blessing, healing, and transformation. Let us be mindful to speak life into our circumstances, our families, our church, and our world, trusting that God will use our words to accomplish His good purposes. [40:03]

Deuteronomy 30:19 (ESV)
"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to intentionally “choose life” with your words this week? What is one practical step you can take to do so?

Sermon Summary

Words are not just sounds or fleeting thoughts; they are powerful tools that shape our lives, our relationships, and our faith. God, who created the universe by speaking it into existence, has made us in His image, giving us a similar authority in the words we choose to speak. Every day, the words we use—whether spoken to ourselves, to others, or after we pray—set things in motion, for good or for harm. Our words can build up or tear down, bring life or death, and they often determine the environment of our homes, workplaces, and even our own hearts.

The first area to consider is the conversation we have with ourselves. The things we tell ourselves, outside of prayer, have a profound impact on our strength, our outlook, and our ability to walk in God’s will. Negative self-talk weakens us, both emotionally and spiritually, and can even work against what God wants to do in our lives. The Psalms show us a better way: to speak to our souls, to remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness, and to command our inner selves to hope in God, even when circumstances are difficult. This is not about ignoring reality, but about aligning our thoughts and words with God’s truth rather than our fears or doubts.

Secondly, the words we speak to others create the atmosphere around us. In our marriages, families, friendships, and church, our words can either bring unity and encouragement or division and discouragement. Proverbs teaches that the mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, and we are called to be people whose words nourish, uplift, and bring wisdom. As parents, especially, we have the responsibility to speak life over our children, calling out their gifts and affirming their worth, rather than focusing on their shortcomings.

Finally, what we say after we pray reveals the true state of our faith. It’s not enough to pray for God’s will and have faith in our hearts; we must also speak words of faith and conviction, trusting that God will do what He has promised. Jesus taught that even faith as small as a mustard seed, when expressed in words, can move mountains. Doubt, when voiced, grows stronger, but faith, when spoken, brings life and aligns us with God’s supernatural work.

The challenge is clear: choose words that bring life, not death. Speak in alignment with God’s truth, both to yourself and to others, and let your words set in motion the blessings and victories God desires for you and those around you.

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Key Takeaways

1. The Power of Self-Talk: The words we speak to ourselves are not harmless; they either strengthen or weaken us. When we continually rehearse negative, self-defeating thoughts, we undermine our ability to respond to life’s challenges and even resist God’s work in us. Instead, we must learn to speak God’s truth to our souls, commanding our inner selves to hope in Him and remember His faithfulness, just as the psalmists did. [12:21]
2. Words Shape Relationships: The way we speak to others, especially in our closest relationships, sets the tone for unity, joy, and growth—or for division and discouragement. Our words can either build up or tear down, and we are called to be intentional about speaking life, encouragement, and wisdom, especially in our families and church communities. [19:50]
3. Speaking Life Over Our Children: As parents, our words have a unique power to shape our children’s identities and futures. It is not enough to assume our children know we love them; we must tell them, affirm their gifts, and call out their potential. Speaking life over our children is a spiritual responsibility that can bless them for a lifetime. [24:30]
4. Faith Must Be Spoken, Not Just Felt: After we pray, the words we speak reveal whether we truly believe God will act. Real faith is not just internal conviction but is expressed in confident, faith-filled words that align with God’s will. Voicing doubt can neutralize our prayers, but speaking faith sets God’s promises in motion. [38:43]
5. Choosing Life or Death with Our Words: Every day, we face the choice to speak words that bring life or words that bring death. Our words are spiritual seeds that set things in motion, affecting our circumstances, relationships, and even our own hearts. By choosing to speak life, we partner with God in bringing about His purposes in our lives and the lives of those around us. [40:03]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:07] - God’s Desire to Work in Our Lives
[02:14] - The Power of Words: Historical Examples
[03:16] - Created in God’s Image: Creative Authority
[04:31] - Words Shape Our World and Relationships
[05:34] - Three Key Conversations: Introduction
[06:53] - Self-Talk Demonstration: The Strength Test
[09:47] - Aligning Self-Talk with God’s Word
[12:21] - Speaking to Your Soul: Lessons from the Psalms
[15:29] - The Source of Negative Self-Talk
[18:36] - Taking Thoughts Captive and Renewing the Mind
[19:50] - The Power of Words in Relationships
[24:30] - Speaking Life Over Our Children
[29:10] - The Conversation After Prayer
[31:29] - Knowing God’s Will Before You Speak
[32:48] - Jesus Teaches on Faith and Words
[36:21] - Real Faith: Mustard Seed and Moving Mountains
[38:43] - The Impact of Spoken Faith vs. Spoken Doubt
[40:03] - Life or Death: The Daily Choice of Words
[40:56] - Prayer for Alignment and Speaking Life
[42:34] - Closing and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: The Power of Words

Bible Reading

- Genesis 1:27 – "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
- Proverbs 18:21 – "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."
- Psalm 103:1-2 – "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits."
- Mark 11:22-24 – "And Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.'"

Observation Questions

According to Genesis 1:27, what does it mean that we are created in God’s image, especially in relation to the words we speak?
In Proverbs 18:21, what two outcomes does the writer say our words can produce?
In Psalm 103:1-2, what is the psalmist doing when he says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul”? Who is he talking to?
In Mark 11:22-24, what does Jesus say is necessary for our words to have power when we speak to a “mountain”?

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says that God created the world by speaking, and that we have a similar authority in our words. What does it look like for a person to use their words with “creative authority” in everyday life? ([03:16])
The psalmist talks to his own soul, commanding it to hope in God and remember His faithfulness. Why is it important to speak God’s truth to ourselves, especially when we feel discouraged or afraid? ([12:21])
The sermon describes how words can either build up or tear down relationships, especially in families and church. What are some ways that words can create unity or division in these settings? ([19:50])
Jesus teaches that faith must be spoken, not just felt. Why do you think voicing doubt can “neutralize” our prayers, while speaking faith can set God’s promises in motion? ([38:43])

Application Questions

Think about the things you say to yourself when you’re alone or facing a challenge. Are your words usually encouraging or discouraging? What is one negative phrase you often repeat to yourself, and how could you replace it with God’s truth this week? ([09:47])
The sermon gave examples from the Psalms of speaking to your own soul. Is there a specific area in your life where you need to “command your soul” to hope in God? What would it look like to do that practically? ([12:21])
In your closest relationships (marriage, family, friends, church), what is one recent example where your words either built someone up or tore them down? How could you be more intentional about speaking life and encouragement? ([19:50])
For parents: What is something positive, true, or affirming you can say to your child this week that you haven’t said before? For those without children, think of someone younger or someone you influence—how can you speak life into them? ([24:30])
After you pray about something important, what do you usually say or think? Do your words line up with faith in God’s promises, or do you tend to voice doubt? What is one way you can start speaking faith after you pray this week? ([38:43])
The sermon said our words are like seeds that set things in motion. Is there a situation in your home, workplace, or church where you need to start planting “life” with your words? What would be a first step? ([40:03])
Looking back at the past week, can you identify a moment where you wish you had chosen your words differently? What would you do or say if you could have that moment again? ([19:50])

Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Ask God to help you align your words with His truth, to speak life over yourself and others, and to give you faith to declare His promises even when it’s hard.

Sermon Clips

“So when we're actively engaged and equipped with God's word, it leads us and guides us effectively through every area of our lives, and it becomes alive to us.”

“When I speak and you speak, there's something that gets unleashed supernaturally, guys. It could be...for good, and hopefully it is, or it could be for not so good stuff, depending on the words that we're speaking. But words have power that sets things in motion. They act as like an ignition spark for what's to come.”

“Now, when God creates, he's a creative God, God creates by speaking. He says, let there be light and there's light. And if we are created in his image, I think we carry a similar authority in what we say. Okay? And even through man's fallenness and sinful nature, there's still power and creative power in our words.”

“Every day, you and I create, we create much of the context based on how we speak. How you speak affects your home. It affects your world. workplace, it affects your marriage, it affects your children, it affects the environment that you're in. Words can divide and they can discourage, they can create unity and create synergy, and words can destroy a situation.”

“As a parent, our words that we speak of our children will either contribute to blessing in their lives or could contribute to destruction in their lives. And there's some of you today that you're still living in a context and you're doing life based on words that might have been spoken over you decades ago.”

“If you're sitting here guys telling yourself negative things about yourself saying I'm not as good as that person I can't do this I don't know how I'm going to make it through and you're saying one negative thing after the other what you're actually doing is you're weakening yourself you're diminishing your ability to respond to life situations and in fact most importantly what you're doing is you're working against the work that god is doing in your life and against god's will for your life you are actually out of alignment with god and you're out of alignment with his word.”

“Words either bring life or they bring death our words are weapons in a spiritual battle and what satan wants more than anything is to see you weak what does god want the bible instructs us that we've got to learn to control our soul.”

“We have to be careful that we don't let our mind, we don't let this inner man, this person inside of us, talk to us and instruct us. Instead, it needs to be the opposite way. We have to instruct it, and we have to challenge our inner self and bring it into conformity with Christ.”

“Sometimes we have to talk to ourselves and we have to say, listen, what we're thinking and what worrying and all of that kind of stuff is not helping. Be quiet. I won't be shaken because God is my rock. God is my fortress and God is going to pull me through this.”

“You have to talk to yourself and you have to say, you know what? I'm going to be whole heart, whole soul, whole body, whole mind, all my strength. I'm going to dial into God.”

“There's some of you here today, and don't get me wrong, I'm not diminishing the depth or the hurt or the sorrow of your circumstance or the difficulty of the situation that you're in. But there's some of you that are sitting here today and you're saying, you know what? I just want to give up. I wish I wasn't here. And what you're saying is, and that's what you're telling yourself. And I think we need to stop and think, you know, what could possibly be the source of those words? How about the devil?”

“Just because you feel it doesn't mean that it's true and there's times where you have to talk to yourself just like the psalmist is doing and he does it multiple times this is an ongoing battle it's something that we have to do on a daily basis we have to take our thoughts captive and we have to talk to ourselves repeatedly and say i'm not going there i'm not going to have that and replace that those negative thoughts replace it with the word of god and this is how we start living in victory guys.”

“The main art of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself you have to take yourself in hand you have to address yourself preach to yourself question yourself you must say to your soul why are you cast down what business have you to be disquieted you must turn on yourself upbraid yourself exhort yourself and say to yourself hope thou in god instead of mattering in this depressed depressed unhappy way and then you must go on to remind yourself of god who god is what god has done and what god has pledged himself to do.”

“The essence of this matter is to understand that this self of ours, this other man within us, has got to be handled. Do not listen to him, turn on him, speak to him, upbraid him, exhort him, encourage him, reminding of what you know instead of listening placidly to him, and allowing him to drag you down and depress you.”

“Words set an environment. They can bring people together. They can drive people apart. Anybody who's married knows this to be true, that when you talk to one another, the way that you talk to one another determines the health and the vitality and the joy that you have in your marriage or any relationship.”

“If you love the work of god and you love what god is doing in this church or any church you're a part of then you uplift and you encourage and yes there might be problems and yes we want to know what those problems are and tell us but don't sit and dissect things and do that in home group or gossip amongst each other because these words that we say have got power to destroy.”

“Have you ever been around somebody that when they speak whatever comes up out of their mouth just builds you up there's no tearing down they uplift you they and when they speak it's like wow I just want to hear what this person has to say because their words have wisdom their words have truth their words honor God their words lift an environment they lift a situation and they have the ability to clear the air.”

“The words we speak guys frames a life and it frames the lives of the people that are around us in many respects.”

“God's will plus real faith plus proclaiming it in spoken words equals answered prayer.”

“If anyone says, and we're not talking about prayers necessarily, we're talking about life situations, we're talking about if somebody speaks the will of God, and they have faith without any doubt, God's will will happen.”

“If you have faith, sounds of a mustard seed, you can say, move to this mountain, move, and it will be done.”

“If you have real faith, you can say to the mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea and it will obey you. And the teaching and the lesson that Jesus is trying to say is, he's trying to say, if I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, just believe wholeheartedly that you have received it.”

“If you're here and you're like, God help me, and then you walk outside these walls and you're like, I don't know if you will, you've just neutralized your prayer. And Jesus is saying, you have to believe that you've received it.”

“If you give voice to your faith, it starts to change your life. It strengthens you, and it strengthens the people around you. It builds you, and the more you say it, the more you line up with God's word, the more you line up with God's will, the more you speak faith, the more it results in God's supernatural work in your life.”

“What conversation are you having with yourself? What conversation are you having with others? What conversation are you having after you've prayed? Do you realize that our words have got everything to do with what we see God do in our lives?”

“Words either bring death or words bring life. They're either poison or they're fruit. You choose. Are you going to bring poison to your circumstance, to your situation, to your life, to your marriage, to your home, to your job, or are you going to give life to it? And a lot of it has to do with the words that we speak. We need to speak life because our words set things in motion.”

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