Words have power. They can hurt and they can bless. But the power of words reaches much further than the way they make us feel. Our words have supernatural power—power that changes circumstances and shapes destinies.

In fact, it is our unique ability to choose and speak words that distinguishes man from the rest of God’s creation.

Look at how this principle is revealed in the very act of man’s creation in Genesis 2:7. There we are told, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”  Notes in one of the oldest Jewish commentaries on this verse say man became “a living, speaking spirit like God.”

This should not be a total surprise. After all, man is created in the image of the One who used not just thoughts but words to create us and the universe in which we live. When He said, “Light be,” light was.

In the same way, when He looked in the face of the highest object of His creation, we are told: “God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:28). And man came alive with a purpose and a destiny that even sin, the devil and all his demons could not change!

How was Adam supposed to subdue the earth and take dominion? Not through external force or manipulation, but by speaking words of faith. Words are spiritual; they carry power.  Proverbs 12:14 tells us that we shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of our mouths.

Abraham lived this way. Childless and about 100 years old, he believed “according to what was spoken, ‘So shall your descendants be’” and became the father of many nations (see Romans 4:17-20). David lived this way, too:  “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm 91:2). Our first step of acting on our faith in His Word is to agree with and say the thing He has said.

Words reveal what we truly believe. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. By your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34, 37). That is why it is so important to say what God has said. When you do, your mind will begin to believe and agree with God’s Word instead of agreeing with the symptoms in your body, situations in your life and what you hear from others around you.