More Help From Proverbs – The Power of the Tongue –

Proverbs 18:21 says:

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

Speak and it will happen! That is what Word-Faith proponents teach. They declare that if you say it, you are not merely speaking life to that person but you are speaking life into that person. But let’s be clear. No one is denying the effects of positive thinking, but Word-Faith proponents take it across lines that it was never intended to cross. Like Samantha on, “Bewitched”, who wiggled her nose and it happened, they want us to believe that we can say it and it will happen. Oh, if it was just that simple, we would all have more money.

I just taught a class called “Word-Faith” exposed where this Scripture came up. It was raised by a very dear brother who seemed to be sympathetic to the Word-Faith interpreters. But is the key: “The text was lifted out of a book of poetry!“ The Book of Proverbs is a poetical book. Poetry is almost never to be taken literally. There is an idea that underlies the symbolic words, phrases, and sentences. And sometimes poetry uses life’s extremes, as I believe it does in this case, in order to pull us to the point that it is actually trying to make.

So, what is the point? This is not voodoo! You cannot wiggle your nose and it will happen any more than you can speak it and it will happen. The point is that Solomon was using the two extremes of life and death in order to pull us to the center and understand the importance of being kind with our words, because they can effect us for good and bad. We can use kind words, understanding words, encouraging words, truthful and beneficial words as we go about our day and improve each other’s lives. Solomon says that we who enjoy using our tongues for that purpose will eat of its fruit, which means that we ourselves will benefit from doing it. So I say, “Let’s do it.”

Let me close with a play on words.

“You can’t say it and it will happen but you can pray it and it will happen… i.e., if it is in accordance with His will.”

As for the things that are not happening for you, my advice is to keep praying and keep trusting Him as you forge ahead.

Have a great godly day.