Proverbs 18:21: Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.
A classic example of an application of this Proverb is found in Numbers 13 and 14. The Hebrew nation had been miraculously freed from Egyptian bondage by God. At this point they are at edge of the land promised to them by God. Twelve men are sent to spy out the land. After 40 days they return with their report. Here is where the truth of this Proverb is so clearly illustrated.
All 12 men acknowledged that the land was “flowing with milk and honey”, (it was a prosperous and fertile land), but the focus of ten of the men was on the inhabitants in the land. So much so, that they projected and imagined how they appeared to the inhabitants and how they saw themselves among them, like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33).
The focus of Caleb and Joshua was on God and His ability to deliver. But so powerful were the words of the other ten spies that “all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night” (Numbers 14:1)…2 to 3 million people. They even talked of stoning Moses and Aaron, choosing a new leader and going back to Egypt. On top of that, they questioned the intent and character of God who delivered them. The future of 2 to 3 million people was affected by the words of ten men. The consequences of believing and acting on negative words more than God, caused them to experience death in the desert over 40 years, instead of life in the Promised Land.
What has been the consequences of your words lately? Have you damaged relationships with your words, or have you built them up? Have you killed the aspirations of a child by what you constantly tell them, or have you built up their self esteem? Have you brought death to a promise of God because you focused more on the circumstances than on Him? Even worse, have you questioned the character, nature and heart of the One who loves you most…forgetting everything He’s done in your life?
Your words are powerful…so powerful that there are consequences to what you speak. Speak life and focus on the power, faithfulness and goodness of the Divine.