Our words are more powerful than many of us know. The Bible tells us this over and over. More than eighty Scriptures address the power of the tongue. This is because we are made in the image of God, and God uses His words to create. In fact, the very first thing we see God doing in the Bible is speaking the world into existence (see Gen. 1:1–3). God created the world and every living thing in it with His words. When He spoke in Genesis 1, nothing became something. The word for created in Genesis 1:1 literally means “something from nothing.” God said it, and it was so. It is hard for us to wrap our minds around this reality, but this is the power of God’s voice. When God speaks, He creates. The author of Hebrews describes it like this: “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible” (Heb. 11:3). God created the tangible universe using nothing but the power of His words.
Not only that, but when He created humanity He made us in His image. He made us to be creators in imitation of Him as the Creator. We are made to create realities just like He does. This is why our words carry so much power. The words we speak over our circumstances, the people around us, and ourselves carry tremendous weight. Each word that comes from our mouths has the opportunity to create life or to create death. Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” This is not just a metaphor for how our words affect the hearts of others. Yes, that is true. We can choose to either heal or hurt with our words. But, this is more than an emotional reality. Our words carry spiritual impact and can literally impart life or death to people and situations. This is why what we say matters so much. We can choose to speak victory over ourselves or victory over our giants.
We see this in the example of Jesus. One of the names the Bible uses for Jesus is the Word:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. JOHN 1:1-3
As the Word, Jesus often used His words to release the power of God and create Heaven’s realities on earth. When He spoke, things happened. For example, when He spoke to diseases, they were healed (see Luke 4:40). When He spoke to demons, they had to leave (see Luke 4:41). And even when He spoke to death, it had to release its hold on people (see John 11:43). Jesus repeatedly demonstrated the power of the spoken word, and He challenged His followers to do the same.
extract from “Giant Slayers” by Leif Hetland