Mensa Otabil - By Your Words (09/27/2025)
Faith is expressed through words. Similarly, fear is also expressed through words. Fear brings bad things into our lives, while faith brings good things into our lives. The words we say are very important to how our lives turn out; they can either justify us or condemn us. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 12, verse 37, «For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.»
Very powerful: by your words, you will be justified; by your words, you will be condemned. Your words can either lift you up or bring you down. Every time you speak, you’re using words that are either lifting you up or taking you down. Many of the things we experience in life are the outcomes of what we speak into our lives, often without realizing it. Sometimes we think it’s a joke; sometimes we hear others say something, and we also join in. But your words are either justifying you or condemning you. For example, during this time of great difficulty, there are those who say things like, «I’m going to die,» «We’re all going to die,» or «I don’t think we’re going to make it.»
Those words are very important because, through them, you are determining whether you’ll be justified or condemned. You may think you are just expressing your thoughts or reality, but the Scripture says in Proverbs chapter 18, verse 21, «Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and he who loves it will eat its fruit.» Death and life are in the power of your tongue, and the power of the tongue refers to the words you speak. Jesus said the words we speak are either making us whole, justifying us, or condemning us, diminishing us. We eat the fruits of what we say. The words of your mouth rule your life.
One of the most important disciplines we must develop is the discipline of our tongue and what we say. We must use our words to bless all the time—not to bless and curse, not to speak good and evil, not to destroy ourselves but to build ourselves up. Throughout this season, learn to speak words that are faith-loaded, faith-affirming words that will encourage your spirit. When you speak them, you will rise and reach a higher level.
Today, let us master the use of our words to bring life and not death, to bring hope and not despair, to bring victory and not defeat. So I say to you that you will win this battle. I say to you that you will emerge from this stronger and better. I say to you that your best days are ahead of you. I say to you that you are the head and not the tail. I say to you that God will restore everything you have lost. I say to you that you are strong and healed in Christ. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.