Framing Your World: Your Mouth

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit.

(Proverbs 18:21)

The worlds — the heavens and the earth — are framed by the Word of God (Hebrews 11:3). Your world — the realm of your existence and the sphere of your influence — is framed by your words. God created you with that capacity. He created you and me in His likeness, that is, to be like Him. He breathed His breath into us and made us “speaking spirits.”

Just as God ordered the worlds by His words, you also have the authority to bring the world into the order of God by your words. You also have the ability to bring things into disorder by your words.

The Bible says that death and life are in the power of the tongue. That is, your words can be death-dealing or life-giving. They are both under the direction of whatever you say.

“Those who love it will eat its fruit.” Every word you speak is a seed that will bring forth fruit and come back to you, and you will have to eat that fruit. The verse previous to this says, “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled” (Proverbs 18:20). As someone else wisely counseled, “Be careful of the words you speak today, for you will have to eat them tomorrow.”

Do you like to babble? You will eat the worthless fruit of idle chatter. Do you indulge in gossip? Destructive rumors will come back on you, and leave a bitter taste in your mouth. If your words are filled with fear and darkness, that is what will follow you wherever you go. Some people go around damning this and damning that, and then wonder why things are not going well for them. Go figure.

On the other hand, if you respect the power of your words enough to carefully guard what you say, you will enjoy of pleasant harvest. For as you speak, so shall you eat. If you speak faith-filled words, you will bring forth a faith-filled harvest. Sow words that offer life and light and blessing to the world around you, then stand back and watch as life and light and blessing comes multiplied back to you in rich harvest.

Think back. What were the words you spoke yesterday? What is the harvest you are reaping today? Now think forward. What is the harvest you want for tomorrow? So what are the words you will speak today?