Power of Words (Part 1 of 2)
What does the Bible teach about words? In almost every New Age belief system, words are the source of power and in many of the new movements within the church there is a strong emphasis on the power that words give to the believer. There is also a popular book out called ‘The Two Minute Miracle’ which has the following statement:
God created the universe by speaking it into existence. Seven times He said, "Let there be..." and there was! This ability to speak things into existence is how we are like God.
How does this match up with passages like 1 Corinthians 4:20?
20 For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
Does God give us, the individual Christian the power to create? Are we like God? If we master the spoken word will we be able to speak things into existence and be like the Most High? I believe the Bible gives us unmistakably clear instructions on how we use words, what power words carry and how we apply this understanding to our individual lives.
Do Words Contain Power?
A doctrine that is rapidly growing in popularity is that words are containers that we either fill with positive energy through speaking positively or words carry negative energy that will fulfill our negative confessions. This has been taught in New Age and mystical circles for thousands of years, but recently has been modified to make it palatable to Christians by substituting in the words ‘faith’, ‘fear’, and ‘doubt’ as the substance that fills the containers. Misconceptions of the power of words has led many people into the realm of superstition and fear. Many people live in fear thinking that they have created negative circumstances by a slip of the tongue. Others have bought into the original lie Satan used to tempt Eve into rebellion by claiming ‘You will be like God’.
There are scriptures that address the power of our words which we will look into as we go through this study, but first we will look at the misconceptions about the power of words that find their origins in religions that are contrary to Christianity. If you take the time to search the scriptures, you will find that there is not one passage that even begins to support the claim that words are containers. On the other hand, there are many, many scriptures that refute this concept expressly. One of the most clear examples is found in 1 Thessalonians 5:3-4
3 For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
Notice the confession of their mouths, “Peace and safety”, but what was created? Nothing, for sudden destruction came upon them. This scripture is speaking of the end times when the church has departed from the Lord and the day of Judgment has come. The false prophets will be speaking good words and comforting those who are in rebellion against God. The scripture makes it clear that we are blessed if we obey and cursed if we disobey the commandments of God – regardless of the words we speak. We can say all the positive words we want, but if we are living contrary to God’s word, our positive words mean nothing.
The Blessing of Balaam
A good example of this principle is found in Numbers 22. Balak, the king of Moab feared the nation of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land. Fearing that Israel would become a strong nation, he sought a prophet of God to curse Israel. No doubt he and his pagan priests tried to curse them with no success. He determined that since the words of a prophet of God must come to pass, the way to curse this nation was to get a true prophet to curse for him. He offered Balaam silver, gold and honor if he would curse Israel. As Balaam journeyed to Moab, an angel of God met him along the way and spoke to him through his donkey before opening his eyes to see the path he was to cross with an angel of God standing before him. The angel had his sword drawn and was ready to strike down Balaam. God’s warning was clear, if Balaam spoke any other word that God did not put into his mouth, he would be struck down before he could make a false curse in the Lord’s name against Israel.
It is often said that this is proof that our words have power; however, there is much more to this than the power of Balaam’s words. Balaam was a prophet of God. He was well known so that his name was known by a king in a foreign nation. Since Balaam was a prophet, the words he spoke were the words of the Lord. The Bible makes it clear that the qualifications of a prophet is that the words they say will come to pass. A false prophet will be proven to be a false prophet because the words he says will not come to pass. A prophet of God is 100% accurate for his words are given to him from God. Failed prophecies only prove that the man has spoken presumptuously in the name of the Lord and that he is a liar.
Since God has used Balaam to communicate His word, God could not allow Balaam to speak a lying prophecy. Otherwise all Balaam’s words prior would be nullified and there would be confusion about what was true and what was a lie. For this reason, God first warned Balaam not to say anything that God did not give to him to speak and God would not allow Israel to be cursed by Balaam. The curse would have done nothing to Israel for it would have been a lie. Balaam had no power to curse for God had already blessed. When King Balak was enraged because Balaam could not curse, Balaam explained in Numbers 23:
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
God has blessed and Balaam could not reverse it. This should give the Christian great confidence for no man, spirit or even Satan himself can curse you if God has blessed. God has indeed blessed us as long as we stand in agreement with God’s word. The same was true for Israel. They were blessed in their obedience but cursed when they disobeyed. First consider the blessing of Balaam described in Numbers 24:
10 Then Balak's anger was aroused against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times!
Let’s follow the chain of events here to gain an understanding of this subject. God first blessed Israel as He sent them to enter into the Promised Land. Balak was unable to curse them so he hired Balaam to curse them in the name of the Lord. God put a blessing in the mouth of Balaam and he pronounced three blessings upon Israel. Since the doctrine of ‘power words’ or ‘Word of Faith’ claims that what we say must be fulfilled, the next thing that should have happened to Israel should be for them to inherit the blessing – right? Wrong. Immediately after Balaam blessed Israel, the very next verse unfolds a dramatic turn of events. Look at Numbers 25:1-3
Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. 2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.
If words create reality, Israel should have been blessed after the three blessings that came directly from the word of the Lord, but this is not what happened. A plague was sent into the camp and 24,000 people died because of the judgment of the Lord. The plague was not removed until those who sinned were judged and slain for their idolatry and the people repented and returned to the Lord. So you can see that the blessing was not created by the words of Balaam, but by the obedience of God’s people, for God said from the beginning that they would be blessed if they obeyed all that God commanded and cursed if they disobeyed.
Balaam could not curse the people but he showed King Balak how to make the people curse themselves by sinning against God (Revelation 2:14). Balaam taught Balak that if he seduced the people with the Moabite women so that they were drawn out of God’s will, they would no longer be walking in God’s blessing. The power of the blessing or curse is not in the power of words, but in our obedience to God which puts us in His will so that we inherit His promises. The message hasn’t changed since the beginning; if we walk in obedience, we will inherit the promises and God’s blessings, but if we rebel against God’s command we are cursed by our own sins.
The Blessing of Zedekiah.
Perhaps one example is not enough to be persuasive on this topic of words. Another example of the lack of power of words is the confession of Zedekiah and the 400 men claiming to be prophets of the Lord. Look at this account in 1 Kings 22:10-28
10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them. 12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king's hand. 13 And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. 14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.
…
19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. 20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. 24 But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? 25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; 27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. 28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.
Whose word prevailed? The four hundred prophets proclaiming peace, safety and success in one accord? Did the unity of the prophets prevail by their positive confession and faith filled words? No, the word of the Lord spoken by one man proved to be true. How could one man’s word overcome the positive confessions of 400? It couldn’t. It does not matter what we proclaim to be true; it only matters what God proclaims to be true. Positive, faith filled words cannot prevail to produce good or bad. Ahab was judged because of his wickedness and even the encouragement of the masses speaking in the name of the Lord could not change the judgment against him for his sins. He was cursed because he disobeyed God and even the blessings of 400 ‘prophets’ could not change the curse into a blessing. So you can see that when God blesses, no one can curse and when God curses, no one can bless. God’s word will stand and He has already revealed how we are blessed – the one who fears the Lord and walks in His ways will be blessed.
The Blessing of Hananiah
There are plenty of examples throughout scripture that contradict the power of words, but the final example I will use is from Jeremiah. Israel had continued in its descent away from the Lord. God continued to warn the remaining cities of Israel that they must turn away from their idols or God would remove them from the land. Even until the end, God continued to promise that He would deliver Israel from the hand of Nebuchadnezzar if they would turn from their sins and return to the Lord. The people continued to turn to Baal and the Queen of Heaven for deliverance until finally God removed His protection and sent the armies of Babylon to overthrow it. By this point all of Israel has been captured and taken captive except the region of Judah. God proclaimed that He would overthrow the city and send them as captives to Babylon and as the cities around them fell, the people greatly feared. God sent Jeremiah to prophesy to the people and God had him put a yoke around his neck to represent the bondage and servitude the people would experience when Babylon overthrew the city. Soon the prophets began to proclaim positive confessions for Israel as we see in Jeremiah 28:1-4
And it came to pass the same year, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the fourth year, and in the fifth month, that Hananiah the son of Azur the prophet, which was of Gibeon, spake unto me in the house of the LORD, in the presence of the priests and of all the people, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the vessels of the LORD'S house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from this place, and carried them to Babylon: 4 And I will bring again to this place Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah, that went into Babylon, saith the LORD: for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.
Also note that Zedekiah is not the same false prophet from 1 Kings. This is a common name and this Zedekiah is the son of Josiah. The false prophet Zedekiah was the son of Chenaanah.
In this passage, another prophet proclaims good news and deliverance. Hananiah even went as far as to remove the yoke that God had commanded Jeremiah to wear and he broke it in pieces as he proclaimed that the Lord spoke to him to proclaim deliverance from Babylon and even went as far as to claim that all the people already taken captive would be returned and all the gold and silver taken would be returned. All the people rejoiced at this word and even Jeremiah said, “Amen – (or may it be so)”. Yet this contradicted the true word of the Lord. Look at Jeremiah 28:12-17
12 Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13 Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. 14 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15 Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 16 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. 17 So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month.
If you read the book of Jeremiah you will see that there were countless prophets in Judah proclaiming good news, but they were all false prophets. When God speaks, what has been said will come to pass. Two months after God foretold of Hananiah’s death as judgment, he died. All the prophets and the people proclaimed peace, safety and prosperity, but none of their positive confessions changed the course of the future – judgment still came.
Here is the problem with the positive confession doctrine. What is being taught is that our words can create a blessing regardless of our obedience or spiritual condition. This dangerous doctrine teaches people that they can rebel against the commandments of God and live according to their own sinful desires and still be blessed if they proclaim good news and believe their own words. They become their own prophets and their own god. The same is true for the similar doctrine of so-called ‘seeds of faith’. I listened to a religious radio station that promised that seeds of faith planted into their ‘ministry’ would produce results. I listened to people call in and make donations so that God would give their children the supernatural ability to pass final exams; husbands and wives ‘sowed’ financial donations to improve their marriages; donations were given to gain success in business and the promises go on and on. Students are given false hope that they can pass a test without studying if they give God money through a radio station? Can a marriage be built by a financial donation without making any changes in their behaviors? Can we buy God off by a donation regardless of our spiritual condition or obedience to His word? There is an example in the scriptures where the words ‘money’ and ‘the gift of God’ is used in the same statement. Look at Acts 8:20-22
20 But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 "You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 "Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you.
The blessings of God cannot be bought with money or spoken into existence by our own mouths. Nothing spiritual can be created by human effort. Look at Jesus’ statement in John 3:6
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Anything that has its origin in the flesh is flesh and cannot be of the Spirit. The flesh cannot produce things of the Spirit. This is true for your words and for your works. Speaking words of faith cannot make God act, nor can sowing seeds by human works make God act. This passage shows the results of the so-called seeds of faith sown by our superstitious beliefs that God will obey our commands if it is made with money:
Galatians 6:8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
The blessing is if you obey through dying to the flesh and by walking in the Spirit. Anyone who walks in obedience by faith will be blessed even if the world curses. We obey out of faith – trusting God and believing His promises. The Spirit of God works within us to draw us into obedience by faith and we either obey and inherit the promises of God or we seek the flesh and are outside of God’s promises. Words do indeed have a role and in the next few sections we will examine the passages that instruct us according to our words.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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