Your Words Plant Seeds That Shape Your Life

Have you ever stopped to think about what is coming out of your mouth? Not just what you say in church, but what you say at home, at work, and when you're upset with somebody. Some of us are reaping a harvest today from words we spoke years ago, and we don't even realize it.

Let me tell you something. Your words are not just sounds. They are seeds. And you need to be careful what kind of seeds you're planting.

What Does the Bible Say About the Power of Your Words?

The Bible teaches that death and life are in the power of the tongue, which means the words we speak have consequences.

In Proverbs 18:21, the Bible says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." I want you to understand that. Death and life. Both are connected to what comes out of your mouth.

So let me ask you a question. What is coming out of your mouth lately?

What are you saying about your children? What are you saying about your wife, your husband, your friends, or your boss? Are you speaking words that bring life, or are you speaking things that you don't want to see happen?

You have to be careful. Because when something comes out of your mouth, whether good or bad, it is a seed.

I'm very careful lately about what I say to people. Why? Because I want the best for you. If you have life coming through your veins and breath coming out of your mouth, I want God's best for you.

And as a pastor, I know that one day I must give an account to God for the people He has placed under my care. We will also give an account for the words we have spoken.

So our words matter to God.

How Do Our Words Become Spiritual Seeds?

Our words become spiritual seeds because what we speak can produce a harvest, whether good or bad, long after those words have left our mouths.

Some of us are reaping a harvest from something we said twenty years ago. For others, it was ten years ago. And for somebody else, it might have been yesterday.

You see, people often talk about planting seeds when they give money to the church. But I want you to understand something. Giving is giving. Yes, giving can be seed, but the real seed I'm talking about is what comes out of your mouth.

When you speak, you are planting something.

And sometimes we plant things without thinking about what they will produce. We get angry with somebody, and we say something we shouldn't say. We get frustrated with our children, and we speak things over them that we ought not to speak.

Then we forget about it.

But what happens to that seed?

That's why I'm telling you to be careful. Don't allow your mouth to plant something that you don't want to harvest later.

How Can We Stop Negative Words From Producing a Harvest?

We must recognize the harmful words we have spoken and use the Word of God to deal with those seeds before they grow.

Sometimes I say things that are not good. And when I recognize it, I have to go back and deal with what I said.

I use an illustration about something called Ground Round. Some of you who grew up in the city may not know what I'm talking about. It's something used to kill weeds.

And that's what some of us need to do spiritually.

There are seeds you planted with your mouth that you need to go back and kill. Take the Word of God and deal with those things through the fire of God.

Maybe you spoke something wrong about your son. Maybe it was your friend or your boss. Whatever it was, don't just leave it there.

Kill that seed before it grows, because you don't want that harvest.

And understand this. The same mouth that spoke those negative things can begin speaking the Word of God.

How Does Speaking God's Word Connect to Abraham's Blessing?

Speaking God's Word is connected to faith, and through faith in Jesus Christ we become partakers of the blessing God promised Abraham.

Look at Galatians 3:7-9. The Bible teaches that those who are of faith are children of Abraham and are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Now, Abraham's descendants came through a natural seed. From Abraham came Isaac, then Jacob, and then the generations that followed.

But how does that blessing come to us who are Gentiles?

Through Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:13-14 teaches that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law so that the blessing of Abraham could come to the Gentiles and we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

And when the Holy Ghost came on the day of Pentecost, what happened? The people began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Words came out of their mouths!

You see why I'm making this connection? The Holy Ghost is working in us, and what comes out of our mouths matters.

So I want to leave you with this question. What have you been speaking lately?

Don't keep planting words that hurt the people around you. Speak God's Word. Speak life over your children, your family, and the people God has placed in your life.

Because what comes out of your mouth is seed. And you need to be careful what kind of harvest you're preparing.