“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 NIV

Your words are powerful, whether written or spoken. More so, with your words, you can communicate your thoughts, emotions and ideas to others. In Hebrews 11:3, we are made to understand that God spoke this world into existence with his words. 

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”

The world we live in today came into being by the words spoken by God himself. You will always remember these words from the account of creation in the book of Genesis. “And God said, let there be and there was.” What God spoke became. You must realize that your words are powerful as a child of God. 

Meaning of Proverbs 18:21

The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom nuggets that can be applied in everyday life. It is a book of the bible that is rich in wisdom, counsel, teachings about life, work, parenting and almost every aspect of life.

Proverbs 18: 21 lets us into this powerful truth about our words. It says:” Your words are so powerful that they will kill or give life and the talkative person will reap the consequences.”

Three things can be extracted from this verse of scripture about your words.

1. Your words are powerful.

2. Your words will kill or give life.

3. There are consequences for those that love to use the tongue either in a good or bad way.

 Simply put, the words you speak have the capacity to build up or destroy lives. And as mothers, we must constantly ask ourselves this. Are my words building up others or destroying them?

Bible Verses on The Power of Words

Ephesians 4:29 states, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Proverbs 21:23 – Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

Proverbs 13:3 – Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. 

Proverbs 18:4 – A person’s words can be a source of wisdom, deep as the ocean, fresh as a flowing stream.

Proverbs 10:19 – When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Colossians 3:8 – But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Proverbs 11:12 – It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.

Proverbs 15: 1 – A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up. 

Proverbs 15:4 – Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound and maim.

How Proverbs 18:21 Applies to Motherhood

The life of a mother can get overwhelming many times. There are days when running the home and caring for the kids can take a toll on you mentally, emotionally and physically. Your emotions run wild in some of these moments, and you hear yourself speaking words that are harsh, unwholesome and not Christ-like. 

I have had my fair share of some of those moments when I have spoken harshly to my kids. And many times, I have also had to restrain myself and watch the kind of words that flow out from my mouth. I know that words can build confidence, boost or damage a child’s self-esteem.

Sometimes as mothers, you may even begin to speak negative words to yourself and about your challenges out of pain, frustration and anger. Think about a woman who grew up hearing damaging words spoken to her. She goes on to repeat that same cycle of speaking hurtful and damaging words to her own children.

Proverbs 18:21 tells us that our words are powerful as mothers. The words we speak daily to our children will have positive or negative effects in their lives. So, you must always ask yourself this – Am I building or breaking my child with my words? 

Here are some quick tips to help you become more conscious of the power of the words you speak as a mother.

1. Think before you speak. 

Words once spoken cannot be taken back. Think about the effects the words you speak can have. You can always pause and ask – will these words that I am about to speak crush this person’s spirit or encourage him/her? Remember that cutting and hurtful words can leave deep wounds.

2. Ask God to touch your tongue and help you guard your words.

You have the Holy Spirit living inside you as a mother. He is our helper and can help you right the wrongs in your life, especially with your words. Do you have a loose tongue? Do you speak without self-control? Are you caught in a cycle and generational pattern of negative self-talk and speaking damaging words to your children? Today is a great day to go to God in prayer and ask him to touch your tongue with his power and love. 

Ask him to heal you from every hurtful and evil word spoken over your life. Break that generational pattern today and choose to speak only words that are helpful, encouraging, wise and loving to your children. God will give you a mouth that speaks only life-giving words.

3. Speak Affirmations

Create a list of your own personal affirmations. You can write out affirmations from scriptures that talk about the power of words. Also, make it a habit to speak life-giving affirmations to yourself and with your children.

I will only speak words that are helpful in building up and encouraging others.

I will not speak unwholesome, obscene and filthy words from my mouth.

I will speak only wise and helpful words.

I will preserve my life by guarding my mouth. I refuse to open my mouth wide to speak out words that can crush the spirit of another.

I create peace, joy, hope and abundance in my life and home with the words I speak every single day.

My words will always be a rich source of wisdom and healing to my husband, children, family and friends.

Closing Prayer

Lord, I acknowledge those times when my words have brought pain and deep hurt to others. Help me to be a Christ-like example with the words that flow out of my lips. Father, renew my speech that I maybe a worthy ambassador of Christ. 

May I always be conscious of how powerful my words are as a wife and mother. I receive grace today to always speak life-building words to my children. Help me, Lord, to heal, strengthen, encourage and support others with my words. Amen!

Find more Wisdom in Proverbs for Moms devotions here.

Guest Blogger Bio

Ufuoma Fijabi writes on her blog www.oneinspiredmum.com where she shares God inspired articles that focus on motherhood, faith, hope and spirituality. Her passion is to inspire, encourage, support and build up faith in the heart of moms in their motherhood journey. She is wife to an amazing man and mom to two children. She currently lives in Lagos, Nigeria with her family.