Over the weekend I was thinking about declarations and the power in our words, I simply could not get Proverbs 18:21 off my mind. Most of us are very familiar with this scripture and many of us realize the importance of the words that come out of our mouth.
However, as I meditated on this scripture, the Lord opened up to me a new depth to these words and I want to share that insight with you today.
Proverbs 18:21 says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. As I read those words over the weekend, the word that jumped out at me was POWER. Death and life are in the POWER of the tongue.
I decided to look up that word and find the meaning, fully expecting it to be dunamis which is the word for power quite often in the bible. However, I found the word for power in this scripture is YAD. It means strength, power, repetition, and axle. Ahhh…interesting
An axle is a piece of iron, fitted for insertion in the hobs or naves of wheels, on which the wheels turn. The power in our words is therefore defined as the piece of iron on which everything else turns. Isn’t that interesting? Our words cause everything else in our life to turn and to begin motion or movement.
Are there things in your life that feel stuck? What are you speaking over those situations? Are there things in your life that are not going the way you want them to go? What are you speaking over them?
It has been my experience in ministry that many people will begin speaking the right thing but then as time passes and they become weary. Once they become weary, their words often change.
Can you imagine a vehicle going down the road, gaining momentum and then something happens that damages the axle, or the axle comes off? Suddenly there is no movement, and everything comes to a screeching halt. No more movement. No more momentum.
This is what happens when we start out speaking the Word of God in faith. Our wheels of destiny begin to turn. And turn. Taking us to our desired destination. However, if mid-way our words change, what happens?
What takes place if we begin to murmur and complain and speak the opposite of what we want to see? Simple. It stops our wheel from turning and we have no more movement, no more momentum.
Our axle is broken. When our axle is broken, we can no longer move. Why? The power is in the tongue. The movement, the power, comes from the words that are spoken from our mouth.
James 1:26 says, If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
In the Amplified Bible, James 3:4-5 says, Likewise, look at the ships: though they are so great and are driven by rough winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the impulse of the helmsman determines. Even so the tongue is a little member, and it can boast of great things. See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark can set ablaze!
Our tongue has the power, the axle, the strength, to create or to burn down. The choice is up to us entirely. I pray you think about this truth for the next few days and be aware of what is coming out of your mouth. Use your power for good. Use the power of your words to create and build up, not to burn up or tear down. And certainly not to stop momentum.
On a final note, if you recall, one meaning of the word power in the verse in Proverbs was repetition. Speak God’s Word over your situation, over and over again, until it is so engrained in you that you can’t imagine the outcome being any other way. Friends, there is great power in what comes out of your mouth, use that power for your advantage, not your destruction
