by Chadwick Brewer<\/p>\n
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits<\/em>” (Proverbs 18:21).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Our words are more powerful than we often realize. They can bring life or deal death. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue<\/em>,” and every word we speak carries eternal weight. A single sentence can uplift a person for years or wound them for a lifetime. The tongue may be small, but its impact is enormous, shaping relationships, reputations, and even our own character.<\/p>\n
God demonstrates the ultimate power of words. Through His speech, creation came into being, and Jesus Himself is called “The Word” (John 1:1). Words are not just tools; they are instruments of life and truth. Our words reveal the condition of our hearts and the character of our faith (Luke 6:45). They are mirrors of what we treasure inside and instruments through which we serve God and others.<\/p>\n
We are entrusted with a sacred power, and because God has entrusted us with this gift, we must wield it wisely. Every word we speak is a chance to give life, to encourage, and to honor God, or to destroy, discourage, and harm. Our tongues carry immense responsibility, and the choice is ours: to speak life or death. We are entrusted with a sacred power.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Chadwick Brewer “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits” (Proverbs 18:21). Our words are more powerful than we often realize. They can bring life or deal death. Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that “death and life are in the power of the tongue,”…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1558,96],"class_list":["post-89569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-speech","tag-tongue"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":35726,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-wise-teacher-guards-his-tongue\/","url_meta":{"origin":89569,"position":0},"title":"The Wise Teacher Guards His Tongue","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant \"He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding\" (Proverbs 17:27). Those who preach and teach are people of words. That's obvious, as that's how we proclaim the message. But how we use our tongue can\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/guard-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":572,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/in-word-and-deed\/","url_meta":{"origin":89569,"position":1},"title":"In Word and Deed","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Colossians 3:12-17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There needs to be a consistency between the things we say and the things we do \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u201cYou can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0People understand that it is one thing to talk about something, but often something else to actually to it.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":93776,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/tired-of-the-filthy-mouths\/","url_meta":{"origin":89569,"position":2},"title":"Tired of the Filthy Mouths","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Brad Harrub, Ph.D. One of the clearest indicators of cultural decline is not found in court rulings or political debates, but in everyday speech. Profanity has exploded in our culture-not only in conversations, but emblazoned across clothing, plastered on car decals, and casually promoted as humor or \"being real.\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mouthing-off-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":85620,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/words-hurt-words-heal\/","url_meta":{"origin":89569,"position":3},"title":"Words Hurt, Words Heal","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer \"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing\" (Proverbs 12:18). Words can hurt. They can be like sword thrusts, cutting deeply and hurting people in ways we may not even consider. Because \"what comes out of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/hand-and-flower-300x200.avif","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23996,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-words-we-speak\/","url_meta":{"origin":89569,"position":4},"title":"The Words We Speak","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 4:17-24 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is a Proverb that stands out in my mind - Proverbs 26:18-19 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0You cannot cover up lies with a claim that you were making a joke. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We are judged by what we say, even the casual things said without much thought\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59577,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sin-of-jesting\/","url_meta":{"origin":89569,"position":5},"title":"The Sin of Jesting","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kent Heaton \"Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children: And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89569\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}