Are You Speaking Blessings or Curses Over Your Life?
There is power of life and of death in our tongue as Proverbs 18:21 says. Our words are powerful, and through them we can either bless or curse, affecting all areas in our life if we’re not careful.
“[The tongue] is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?” (James 3:8-11).
I know that scripture specifically speaks about cursing people – but I believe that it’s not only what we say to each other that matters, but what we speak over our life as well. What are we saying about our finances, health, cities, country, etc.? What are we declaring over our current struggles?
‘For he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.” (1 Peter 3:10)
Meaning, we can either see good days or bad days in our job, families, income, health, and surroundings, depending on what we say about them! We can have a blessed or cursed future by the things which we speak today!
“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” (Psalm 21:23)
Now why is this so important?
(1) Because Jesus is Truth (John 14:6).
We are to walk in Him (Truth), and this includes speaking truthful things. When we speak things opposite to the truth (who Jesus is and what He says) in and over our life, we actually hinder His presence, work, and plans for us. Ephesians 4:15 says, “…but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” Our words are like seeds. What we plant with them will grow (whether in our hearts or in our surroundings) and can either produce the truth of Jesus in and around us, or everything that He is not.
(2) Because when God speaks, it comes into existence (Gen. 1:1-31; Ezekiel 12:25).
Likewise, we, who are made in His similitude, and are being purified into the likeness of His Son, can speak things into existence. Jesus said, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:23)
But what if we speak doubtful things into our circumstances? When we say things contrary to His Spirit (bitter words, complaints, defeats, rejections, humiliations, fear), we’re not bringing light into them but darkness!
Are you praying for restoration in your marriage, but speaking critically about your spouse elsewhere? Are you reaching out to better your community, and yet complaining about its disadvantages and flaws? Are you going through a season of difficulties, saying that you’ll never be delivered from them? Are you walking forward in your life’s calling, yet inwardly declaring what a failure you are?
We could learn something from our words. Essentially, what we speak is what we believe in our heart. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34)
Years ago I walked into a doctor’s office only to discover that the severe pain I had been experiencing in my abdomen was Ulcerative Colitis (UC). I was totally unaware of what UC was at the time, but after returning home, and doing lots of research, I became mortified (think “no cure,” “lifelong,” and “colon cancer”). Not only did it seem like I would be living in pain for the rest of my life, but my mind roamed wildly as I thought of the possibility of it worsening into something more life-threatening. The bewilderment took hold of me and not only did I entertain fearful thoughts constantly, but I spoke out loud all of the terrors of Ulcerative Colitis.
Strangely, the more I spoke about the power UC had over my body, the worse my symptoms became. While the pain I had been in before was terrible, now it seemed like what I had believed about UC was actually coming to pass.
I was praying about my health – I knew the Bible said that God was my Healer. But I spent so much time thinking about UC’s hold over my life that my heart wasn’t acknowledging that Truth. Essentially, I was refuting His ability to heal me through the choice of my words. God gently pointed this out to me one day, revealing that I was speaking disease and powerless defeat over my health, rather than healing and victory.
Once I learned how to believe and speak Truth into my health rather than lies, things started changing. There were moments when the pain was unbearable, and yet through His grace, I declared victory and healing over my body continuously. Over time, the pain began to lessen, the symptoms grew weaker. Ulcerative Colitis no longer had authority over my body – God did!
I’ll never forget the day that I touched my stomach, feeling no pain. I hadn’t realized that I wasn’t having any symptoms anymore, and while I was aware of the flare-ups and remission of UC, I knew something greater had happened: I had declared healing over my body and God had brought it.
So what are you speaking over your life’s situations right now – blessings or curses?
