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If you want power—real power—look no further than below your nose. Your words have power: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit,” Prov. 18:21. Have you ever considered this reality?

God speaks words. We speak words. No other species has this ability. According to God, our words are loaded. In His sovereignty, the Lord has given human beings the ability to speak words, and He has endowed those words with the power of life or death. When you think about it, establishing this law of words among humans was a risky thing to do, yet it is quite remarkable that the Lord would empower His people in such a way.

The Law of Words

Throughout Scripture, we can see the power of God’s words and the potential of our words. Let’s take a closer look at this principle of words—what I will refer to as the law of words.

In God’s kingdom, there are a variety of spiritual laws in operation. For example, the Bible describes the law of sowing and reaping. (Gal. 6:7-9.) This law works in a predictable fashion every time. In other words, this law of sowing and reaping, or seedtime and harvest, tells us we always reap what we sow after we sow; and we always reap more than we sow. If we plant good seeds into good ground, they will grow and produce fruit.

There are other kingdom laws: the law of faith, the law of the spirit of life in Christ, the law of love, the law of sin and death and so on. (Rom. 3:27; 8:2.) Each of these kingdom laws has predictable and reliable attributes. None of God’s laws works in a vacuum; rather, His spiritual laws work in tandem with other biblical principles. In other words, the law of faith won’t work effectively if separated from the law of love. The biblical principle of speaking faith-filled words does not work if it is separated from God’s principles of wisdom. In God’s kingdom, His principles overlap and complement one another. The spiritual kingdom laws are very much like natural physical laws.

Physical laws are working in tandem all around us, and it makes no difference whether we agree with the laws, like the laws or believe in the laws—they are working. It’s in our best interest to learn about physical laws so we don’t hurt ourselves and so we can benefit from them. For example, the law of gravity is a well-known law. The law of gravity works whether we believe in it or not. Our job is to cooperate with the law of gravity for our own enjoyment and safety. We can avoid danger, and we can experience flight if we learn how to cooperate with and maximize the law of gravity. Someone might say, “I don’t believe in all that law of gravity stuff.” It won’t take but one leap off a tall building to make a believer out of him. That law of gravity will work whether he believes in it or not.

One of the spiritual laws we see at work in the Bible is the law of words. The law of words is working in our lives right now. It doesn’t matter if we believe in it or not—it’s working. It’s in our best interest to learn about, cooperate with and maximize the law of words so we don’t hurt ourselves and so we can benefit in the ways God intended.

Satisfied With Words

If you’re looking for some satisfaction in life, put the law of words to work. Notice what Proverbs 18:20 says, “A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth.” It’s true. We eat the produce and fruit of the words we have spoken. If we were honest, we could look at the various compartments of our lives—our spiritual, mental, emotional, physical, relational, marital, ministerial and vocational lives—and see we are eating the fruit of words we have spoken. In fact, if the truth were known, we are where we are in life today in large part because of and as a result of our own words.

So, how is your fruit? Are you satisfied with the fruit of your words? Let’s look at a few practical ways this principle works in our lives.

Are you satisfied in your walk with God? Do you have a close relationship with the Lord? Does He speak to you from the Word? Is your spiritual life alive? Are you excited about sharing your faith and leading others to the Lord? If so, there’s a good chance your words of faith have played a role. If you’re feeling dissatisfied and distant from the Lord, you might want to consider what kind of words you have been saying. Have you been saying words like, “God never talks to me” or “when I read the Bible, I don’t understand it” or “I don’t feel God’s presence” or “I’m not any good at sharing my faith”? The fruit of these words won’t help to produce a satisfying experience with the Lord.

What about your mental, emotional or physical life? Are you satisfied with the fruit in those areas? Do you say things like, “I am strong and excited about life! I have the energy and mind of a person half my age”? If so, it’s likely you’re full of life and vitality. On the other hand, if you find yourself tired, sore and forgetful, have you heard yourself bring that fruit into being with words like, “I’m just so worn out these days”; “this old body is full of aches and pains”; or “I can’t remember anything anymore”? If you’ve been saying these types of things, it’s likely you are dissatisfied with the fruit of your words.

What about your relational fruit? What have you been saying about your relationships? Are you satisfied? Has your confession sounded like this: “I’m single and so lonely”; “I don’t have any friends”; “nobody calls me”; “this person is so irritating, and that person is so boring”; “I am so mad at so-and-so” and “you can’t trust anyone these days”? If so, you shouldn’t be surprised by the relational funk and dysfunction in your life. You’re eating the fruit.

Are you tasting good fruit or bad fruit in your marriage and family? What kind of words are you saying: “I don’t know why I ever married him. My husband is a lazy bum,” or “my wife is such a nag; I wish she’d leave me alone”? If so, you’re producing rotten fruit and killing your marriage with words. Additionally, what are you saying about your kids: “My kids are so disrespectful. They just don’t listen to me. These little monsters are running me ragged”? You don’t want that fruit, do you? The fruit of rebellion and exhaustion will never satisfy you.

How’s the fruit of your stability and success in life? If you’ve gotten in the habit of saying things like, “I am such a loser”; “I can’t do anything right”; “I mess everything up”; “I am so depressed and scared”; “this world is a crazy place” and “I am just terrified of this and that,” you will not be satisfied with the fruit of low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and failure.

On the other hand, if, throughout the years of your life you’ve said things like, “I am blessed”; “my marriage is strong”; “my kids are a blessing”; “the Lord is good to me”; “I can learn anything”; “I will succeed”; “I won’t be defeated”; “I can do all things through Christ”; ”the joy of the Lord is my strength”; “I know all things will work together for my good” and “God’s favor surrounds me like a shield,” you are likely eating the fruit of a consistently blessed, joyful and successful life.

I remember a season in my life when I heard myself saying, “I’m so stressed out. Everything is so stressful.” I said this for several days, and then on the inside, I heard the Holy Spirit ask, “Is that what you want?”

I knew what He was talking about. I realized what I was saying, and I didn’t want that fruit. I immediately changed my tune. I asked the Lord for a phrase I could say that would produce the fruit I desired. As I pondered the busy season I was in, I remembered a phrase I had heard; it bubbled up in my heart, “Grace for the pace, grace for the pace!” That’s exactly what I needed, so I began to say, “Thank You, Lord, for grace for the pace. Thank You, Lord, for grace for the pace.” And guess what fruit I began to taste? Grace.

Fruit Inspection

Sometimes we’re eating the fruit of words we weren’t even aware we were saying. We mindlessly say things like, “Oh, this weather depresses me” or “my neighbor is driving me nuts” or “I hate my job,” and then we find ourselves depressed, frustrated and unhappy. It’s fruit.

A young couple that attends our church began to get a hold of these truths, and they made an agreement to hold each other accountable for their words. They wanted to eat good fruit, so they decided to be the “words police” for each other.

When they started, their ears were opened to their words. They heard themselves say, “That makes me sick,” and “I’m so sick of this.” Then they began to notice a pattern of sickness in their lives, so they made an adjustment with their words, and things turned around.

At another time, the wife noticed she was having a hard time standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for a table at a restaurant. Then she began to hear a pattern in her words, “I can’t stand such and such,” and “I can’t stand that”; suddenly the dots connected for her. She quit saying those things and found her ability to literally stand improved.

On another occasion, she noticed she was more tearful and crying more often than usual. She didn’t know if it was her hormones or what was going on. Then one day while she was at work, she heard herself say, “Oh, for crying out loud.” She realized this was a phrase she said often, so she began to connect some more dots.

Of course, someone might think these are extreme, insignificant or coincidental things that don’t make any difference, but then again if we end up eating the fruit of our words, perhaps these kinds of little phrases are worth considering.

We’ve all been guilty of saying phrases that seemed trivial—off the cuff comments like, “That just scares me to death”; “she drives me crazy”; “that kills me”; “that makes me sick to my stomach”; “you’re killing me”; “I’m petrified”; “I’m just a worry wart”; “I can’t remember anything anymore”; “I feel like nervous Nilly”; “that child of mine is gonna get himself killed”; “I’m losing my mind”; “she just about gave me a heart attack”; “I’m panic stricken”; “I’m so heartbroken” or “this economy is going to break me.” These may seem like insignificant words, but the real test of their significance is in the fruit they produce.

Have you done a fruit inspection lately? Are you pleased with the fruit? Do you see a connection between words you’ve been saying and the fruit you are eating?

As you get a grip on your lip and speak words that carry the power of life, in due time, you will be satisfied with the fruit of your lips.