Barbra Gentry-Pugh

From Words to Wholeness

August 24, 2025

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

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24 (NIV)

“In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” James 3:5-6 (NLT)

“Have you ever spoken words and, the moment they left your lips, wished you could take them back? I would venture to say, we all have.” Words can wound deeply or bring profound healing. Either way, they reveal just how powerful our tongues are. Every time we speak, we either breathe life or release death into situations, relationships, and even our own souls.

This past week, I shared seven daily declarations in my Facebook group (Spiritual & Emotional Healing For Women of Faith), speaking God’s Word over our lives. It was more than a ritual; it was an invitation to divine alignment, where we intentionally speak God’s truth into every part of our lives. The declarations were not empty affirmations; they are rooted in Scripture, saturated with truth, and designed to silence the lies that threaten our identity, interrupt our healing, peace, and purpose. When we speak God’s Truth, His Word, our hearts align with Heaven. These truths remind us who God is, who we are in Him, and they reflect His healing, purpose, and peace.

Words Carry Life or Death. Scripture emphasizes the power of the tongue. James calls it “a small part of the body” James 3:5 yet Proverbs 18:21 declares it “has the power of life and death.” This is true spiritually, physically, emotionally, and even relationally.

Words create responses. A judge can sentence to life or death with a word. A doctor can advise life-saving treatment. A counselor can give hope to the hopeless. Yet words can also destroy, murders are often sparked by arguments, relationships torn apart by lies or anger. Words are never neutral; they carry power. Dr. J Vernon McGee, a noted Pastor, Bible teacher, theologian, and radio minister, once said, “God bugs your conversation.” He reminded us that God hears every word we speak. It’s estimated that we say about 30,000 words daily, enough to fill a book. In a lifetime, our words could fill a library. And God has them all recorded. In my early years of nursing and ministry, I saw firsthand that life and death are more than physical. This truth touches every part of human existence.

“The tongue” is used throughout Scripture in both literal and metaphorical ways, especially in Psalms, Proverbs, and James. Again, the tongue is a “small part of the body” James 3:5, and Proverbs 18:21 says it “has the power of life and death.” Words create a response, good and bad. A judge or jury, by simply saying a word, can cause a person to be killed or to live. Words often save lives: a doctor advises surgery, a weatherman issues a tornado warning, a counselor gives hope to a suicidal person. Conversely, words can also kill; murders are often initiated because of arguments or verbalized hatred. In the sense of causing action, then, the tongue does indeed have the power of life and death.

Dr. Larry Crabb, a Christian counselor, psychotherapist, and author, in his book, Encouragement, The Unexpected Power of Building Others Up. In chapter 2, he speaks about death words and life words and the power of a well-timed word. He emphasizes the power of words, and as Believers in Christ, we are to encourage one another and move past small talk and polite interactions, and he invites us into spaces where fear and anxiety are acknowledged and transformed by grace.

Dr. Crabb further says that without the encouragement of a caring community, biblical truth taught in church tends to just thicken people’s defense layers. But authenticity, freedom, and greater love for God and others are the fruit of encouragement and evidence of the tremendous power God invests in individuals who practice it. It’s only in those deeper encounters that true encouragement, words rooted in vulnerability and truth, can uplift and transform lives.

Proverbs 18:21 is both a warning and a promise. It warns us that careless words can lead to destruction, but it promises that intentional, Spirit-led words bring healing, growth, and wholeness.

A Closer Look at Proverbs 18:21

The Power of the Tongue
The Hebrew word for power also means authority or strength. Words carry weight. They can:

Build up: encouragement, hope, blessing, healing.

Tear down: criticism, lies, curses, shame.

God created the universe with words: “And God said… and it was so” Genesis 1.

Our words echo creative or destructive power. Every time we open our mouths, we are shaping an atmosphere, either one of life or one of death.

Life and Death

This isn’t only about physical life or death, but also:

Spiritual: Words can point people toward Christ or away from Him.

Emotional: A kind word can bring peace and healing; a cruel one can leave deep scars.

Relational: Words can strengthen marriages, families, friendships, or destroy them.

Internal: What you say to yourself becomes the script you live by. Negative words breed fear and defeat; life-giving words rooted in Scripture produce faith and hope.

“Those Who Love It”
This phrase refers to those who value the influence of words. They will “eat its fruit.”

Speak life → reap blessing and peace.

Speak death → reap bitterness and regret. It’s sowing and reaping applied to speech, Galatians 6:7.

Eating the Fruit

Fruit is the natural result of what’s planted.

The harvest takes time. Words spoken today may shape years ahead.

Fruit is shared. Our words affect not only us, but others.

Practical Application

Every word you speak is a seed. What harvest are you planting or want to eat later?

Pause before speaking: “Will this plant life or death?”

Speak God’s promises aloud, Isaiah 55:11.

Sometimes silence is life-giving, too, when it prevents harm.

Intentionally speak God’s Word aloud. His promises always bear fruit (Isaiah 55:11).

YOUR HEART CHECK:

What words have I been speaking over myself lately?

Do my words bring life to those around me, or do they quietly drain them?

What one declaration from God’s Word can I choose to speak daily this week to sow life?

What kind of seeds have I been planting with my words this week—life or death?

How have my words shaped my own heart, my family, or my relationships?

Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption. Isaiah 59:1-3 (NLT)

YOUR HEART CHALLENGE: From Words to Transformation and Wholeness

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

Life-Giving vs. Death-Dealing Words: Proverbs 18:21 in action!

Life-Giving Words (Speak LIFE):

Encouragement: “You can do this.”
Truth: “God’s Word says you are loved and chosen.”
Hope: “This may be hard, but God is faithful.”
Affirmation: “I see the good in you.”
Peace: “Let’s pray and trust God together.”
Healing: “I forgive you.” / “I’m sorry.”
Faith: “With God, all things are possible.”

Death-Dealing Words (Speak DEATH):

Criticism: “You’ll never get it right.”
Lies: “God doesn’t care about you.”
Hopelessness: “Things will never change.”
Condemnation: “You’re worthless.”
Strife: “I hate you.” / harsh words spoken in anger.
Bitterness: “I’ll never forgive you.”
Doubt: “God won’t come through for you.”

A TRUTH SPEAKING HEART: A heart that has been healed from within. It is a heart that has been properly diagnosed and treated with God’s Truth. Because healing from within means being honest about what’s going on beneath the surface. There is no longer a desire to “get people told, or attempt to damage one’s reputation, or manipulate or twist the truth in an attempt to make you appear something you are not. Manipulation has no place in the life of the Believer in Christ. Instead, it reflects Christ, whose words are spirit and life as noted in John 6:63.

Moving Toward WHOLENESS

Healing Begins Where Truth Meets Grace

Healing is not just about feeling better; it’s about becoming whole. But real, lasting healing, whether emotional, spiritual, or relational, doesn’t begin with denial. It begins with truth.

Speaking Truth is what reveals the wound, and Grace is what covers it while it heals.

Speaking Truth without grace can be harsh, exposing what’s wrong without offering hope.
Grace without truth can feel good, but leave the root untouched.

But when truth and grace meet, they create a sacred space where healing can begin.

In Biblical Treatment Terms:

Truth is the Diagnosis: “This is what’s really going on.”

Grace is the Care Plan: “Here’s how we’ll walk you toward wholeness.”

Jesus modeled this perfectly. In John 1:14, He came “full of grace and truth.”
Not one or the other, but both, in perfect balance.

God will regularly test your heart, but not for His benefit; He already knows its condition. His tests show you what He already sees. He will allow pressure, criticism, temptation, and pain to bear upon you, so you see what lies within you. Such tests reveal what you are really like.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

PRAYER:    Father God, thank You for Your authoritative, inerrant, and inspired Word that reminds us that our words carry power. Teach us to speak life, words that align with Your truth, faith, hope, and healing. Guard our tongues so that our speech reflects Your love and grace. May our speech always reflect the truth of Your Word and bring wholeness from the inside out. Forgive us for the times we have spoken death instead of life, over ourselves, our families, or others. Let our words be instruments of grace, bearing fruit that glorifies You, in the precious, powerful, and preeminent name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.