I’ve written a couple of posts in the past about whether or not Christians should be declaring or decreeing things over their lives. In summary, if we are only declaring things that the Bible already says are true, then it can be okay. Nevertheless, if these things are already true, then we don’t really need to declare them—we can just thank God for them.
Change Your Words, Change Your Destiny
At the same time, I’m concerned that many Christians are decreeing and declaring things that the Bible never promises and that they only wish for. Moreover, many think their decrees and declarations actually change their “destiny.” This I do not see in Scripture.
One might argue that the words that we speak about ourselves impact us, and, therefore, shape our destiny. This is very true. And I agree that we should be careful what we say about ourselves, both out loud and in our minds, because our self-talk does influence our actions, and therefore our words do affect our futures.
And yet, I don’t need the Bible to tell me this. Recognizing the impact of positive self-talk is simple psychology. And it is a far cry from saying that when we declare and decree things that we want to happen, they will happen (or at least should happen).
This doesn’t sound like something from the Bible, but more like something out of The Secret, a book that Oprah Winfrey was promoting in the early 2000s.
Speak Things into Being
When I point out that there is no verse in the Bible where anyone ever says, “I decree and declare X over my life,” one question Christians sometimes raise is, “But don’t you believe the Bible when it says there is power in the tongue?”
Yes, I do. But we have to ask, what does the Bible mean when it refers to the power of the tongue?
Some Christians claim that because we are created in the image of God, we, like God, have the power in our tongues to speak things into being.
This is poor reasoning. God spoke the world into being literally out of nothing. No human has ever done that. And this is why no theologian in church history has ever suggested that being created in the image of God means that human words have creative power. Well…this, plus the fact that this idea has no biblical support.
Another thing—if we have the ability to speak things into being simply because we are created in the image of God, then any human being can do this, not just Christians, because every person is made in the image of God.
So the comparison of the power of God’s words and our words is not really helpful in this discussion. But the tongue is still powerful.
Power in the Tongue
There are indeed a number of verses in the Bible that talk about the significance of the “tongue,” that is, the power of our words.
The one I usually see cited says this:
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21, NIV).
What does “power” mean here?
If you look at this chapter, you will see that verse 21 is surrounded by verses that are all about how we treat other people. So when verse 21 says “the tongue has the power of life and death,” it means that we can hurt or encourage others by how we speak.
The second part of this verse says “And those who love it [the tongue] will eat its fruit.” Other Bible translations bring clarity to the meaning of this statement. For example, the CEV translates this, “Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.” And the NLT translates this, “those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Or if you prefer the KJV, “they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Biblical Truth
So, overall, Proverbs 18:21 is not talking about Christians speaking things over their own lives, but about being careful about how we talk to other people.
The Bible is right.
Our tongues are powerful. Our words have great influence on others. So be careful what you say, because your tongue can tear a person down, or build them up.
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You might also be interested in these posts:
- 10 Bible Verses You Can Legitimately Declare Over Your Life
- Is God For You…Not Against You?
- Should Christians Declare or Decree Things over Their Lives?
Andrew K. Gabriel, Ph.D., is the author of Simply Spirit-Filled: Experiencing God in the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit as well as three academic books, including The Lord is the Spirit. He is a theology professor at Horizon College and Seminary and serves on the Theological Study Commission for the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. You can follow him on Facebook or on Twitter.
Very well put, so needed in the Pentecostal/Charismatic circle. Thanks for this article , am going to share in my church group. I am from India and this is what I hear from every Pentecostal and Charismatic churches there. The Word of faith movement is wholly based on this
I went to a service one time where they wanted to reach the community and their lost loved ones and they invited about 12 people to approach the pulpit and speak about it and all they done was got up there and said I decree and declare, I like the lost it, if Paul would have took this method to evangelize the Lost he would have never accomplished anything I think what we have here is taking a text more than one and taking it far beyond the intent of the writer
I am told Job 22:28 you shall decree a thing and it shall be established is the bible verse teaching decreeing. I am told to see we can rule like kings and issue decrees. Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree. and I am told that shows that this all works. Who is right?
Hi American Gentile, as per the commenting policy above, I don’t allow people to post hyperlinks here. Hence, I have edited them out of your comment. Nevertheless, you are welcome to summarize the key points you were wanting me and others to see from those links. I’ll respond to your comments when I have some time.
Thanks for your inquiry. I’m glad to see you are asking questions. Job 22:28 is not talking about decreeing, but praying. More importantly, if you check the context of your reference to Job 22:28, it isn’t really helpful here, because you are referring to words from Eliphaz. Later in Job God says to Eliphaz, ““My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have NOT spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). You will note, for example, that in the same chapter you cite, Eliphaz wrongly says that Job is suffering because of his sin (Job 22:5). Job is certainly a tricky book to read, but as with the rest of Scripture, each verse must be read in context, as I emphasis here: https://www.andrewkgabriel.com/2018/10/15/bible-verses-declare/. This includes Psalm 2:7 as well.
Well-stated Andrew! In Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, you are a biblical voice of reason and good sense, AGAIN. I pray this sound teaching has significant impact so that false teachers on Daystar TV and the internet will not be able to deceive naïve and biblically illiterate professing Christians. Blessings on you, Dr. Maurice Vellacott
Excellent, well written post Andrew, and I like the way (throughout your blog) you have replied to potentially argumentative comments in a kind, loving manner, while not swaying from your Biblical stance. 👏🏻
Thanks for the words of encouragement, Jill.
I have often wondered about all this stuff I have heard in all this Pentecostal/Charismatic/Word of Faith teaching I have listened to for so many years and, personally, I have yet to get any of this to work the way they say. I still have yet to speak my jet into existence. Thank you for your explanations in this post. It was so helpful. I have one question and I know you have the answer. Please explain Mark 11:23,24 as clearly to me as you did Proverbs 18:21. Thanks a bunch, in advance.
The previous verse, Mark 11:22, clarifies the main point of the passage: “Have faith in God.” And for those who have faith in God, the impossible is achievable.
“Speaking to a mountain,” as Jesus spoke to the fig tree, is very different than potentially declaring things that are not actually true in the hope that they will come to be. By contrast, when Jesus curses the fig tree, he says “may it happen” (Mark 11:14), not that it had already happened, when it obviously hadn’t. Note also that v. 24 specifically speaks of “asking in prayer” not “declaring in prayer.”
Is it is possible that the positive impact of self-talk is obvious to us today because of the influence of Christianity in our culture?
Is there a value or necessity to “speak out” the plans that God communicates to us (see Amos 3:7)?
Re 1, I doubt it.
Re 2, is that the right verse? It doesn’t say “speak out” in it.
“Indeed, the Sovereign Lord never does anything
until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.” Amos 3:7
He didn’t reveal it to them to “keep it to themselves.” No?
Ah. I see what you mean now. In most cases, true. But the verse isn’t making a specific point about speaking, so I don’t think we can make much of it here. Regardless, the verse does talk about God revealing things to individuals, which God still does today. My concern, in contrast, is to people going around declaring all kinds of things they want but that God hasn’t revealed.
There’s a book called “Beauty Care For The Tongue “. This book deals with the comprehensive study of the Tongue from the old and new testament. A small book but loaded with scriptures
Regards
John Hague
I am attempting to make the shift away from saying the things that I FEEL versus saying things that are biblically true. For example instead of saying “my kids are annoying” I would say “my kids are a blessing from the Lord!”.
Thanks and blessings to you Dr Andrew for clarifying this issue.
Our Pastor preached ‘declaring’ last night and I immediately had concerns.
It means that if someone is sick, their faith is weak.
My first thought was “Why not pray for God’s will?”
I wonder what your thoughts are on Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, Post-Trib rapture.
Andrew, it’s been 2 years and up in the Pacific Northwest all this decreeing and declaring has done absolutely NOTHING! If anything things are worse. I want to make a suggestion, that perhaps all this decreeing and declaring is borderline spell casting and inching towards witchcraft. I believe that it has quietly crept into the church and now since we’ve been asleep we are senseless to detect it. I actually heard one person ordering the Holy Spirit around!! This person said “I decree that the Holy Spirit fall upon this place!” If we were in our right minds, we’d hit the floor in abject humility and repentence, if we realized how BIG and POWERFUL God really is. Our spiritual pride is completely out of control, when we start decreeing commands that God must obey (right now!!!) This idea that we’re superior to God and He must obey our decrees is pride right from the heart of satan
Every time we repeating a Written Word is a decreeing and declaration and PROPHESYING…
Especially when it’s spoken by a righteous Apostlic or Prophetic utterance then repeating is a two punch in the enemy…
That’s why Elohim says…
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 55:11. …so is My Word that goes forth from My mouth – it does not return to Me empty, but shall do what I please, and shall certainly accomplish what I sent it for…
It’s utilizing YHWH’s power when every believer utters/decreeing and declaring and prophesying it…
That’s why YAHshua said EVERY WORD in…
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 4:4
…But He answering, said, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of יהוה…’ ”
Not just talking but BELIEVING utterances decreeing and declaring and prophesying needs repeated so that you adding your voice into the Synergy of AGES…
Religious stupidity is synonymous ignorance and “silent prayers” doctrines of demons and religious unbelief thriving in uneducated spiritual…
Genesis to Revelation is a declaration…
Repeating Psalms 24 the whole year…
Be Blessed…
Thanks for sharing your perspective. It seems to me that you are assuming that human words have the same power as the word of God. I think that is a false assumption. For example, I can not speak the world into existence, like God did. One might say this is an extreme example, but I think it only illustrates the point. That is, our words do not have the same power that God’s words do.
Okay.
Thanks for sharing the word of God.
I have a question, kindly.
Where is the place for delegated authority as we receive it in Christ Jesus, to be His witnesses? Because I tend to believe that once He anoints us, as He is, so are we in this world. Like when He says in Mark 16:17 and 18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” If we didn’t believe that our words, inspired by the word of God and anointed by His Holy Spirit do have the same power as God’s to heal and deliver, who would ever be healed or saved? “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation,” (Romans 10:10). I would rather declare that I will live and not die (Psalm 118:17) and offend theologians, than walk around afraid of some killer diseases, accidents or spirits killing me before my time, because it is a “Pentecostal thing.” Just saying.
Shalom to you.