Let’s look at the two verses that these quotes are based on and see if they justify the claim that “we can speak things into existence.” The first verse is Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” This is a solemn verse that teaches us that OUR WORDS can either be a BLESSING to those who hear us speak or bring HARM to them. This verse is NOT teaching us that we can literally “speak a word and one will die or speak a word and one will live.” Yet our words do produce a result, for what we say will either be for GOOD or for EVIL. We read in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but THAT WHICH IS GOOD TO THE USED OF EDIFYING, that it may MINISTER GRACE UNTO THE HEARERS.” Our words will either be used to “build someone up” or to “tear someone down.” The latter part of this verse (“those who love it will eat its fruit”) speaks of those who “love to talk” and they are warned that they are responsible for what they say and will “bear the consequences of their words.” If they “sow good words” for one’s blessing they will “reap the Lord’s approval and blessing.” If they “sow bad words” for one’s harm they will “reap the Lord’s disapproval and lose out on His blessing.” In short, we will be JUDGED for the words we say as we see in James 2:12, “So speak and so do as those who will be JUDGED by the law of liberty.”

The next verse is Matthew 17:20 but we will read verses 14-21: “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him there to Me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from the very hours. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, IF YOU HAVE FAITH AS A MUSTARD SEED, YOU WILL SAY TO THIS MOUNTAIN, “MOVE FROM HERE THERE,” AND IT WILL MOVE; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.’” The lesson here is clearly one of “faith.” The disciples “lacked faith” and were unable to heal the man’s son by casting out the demon. So, the Lord rebukes His disciples for their “faithlessness” and then uses a very strong example to teach them how powerful “a little faith can be.” The example of being able to “tell a mountain to move and it will move” is what we would call “hyperbole” (exaggeration), for the Lord was using it to teach them that what might seem like a “HUGE and impossible OBSTACLE” can be removed if we have faith. Yet “nothing is impossible” IF we know God’s will and we have the faith to act on His will. For the record, I have never heard of a believer telling a literal mountain to be moved, for it has never been God’s will for a believer to do this.

In closing, I know that are those who use this verse to teach we can “speak the word of faith” and whatever we command will be done. A preacher by the name of Kenneth E. Hagin started “The Word of Faith Movement” and he used Matthew 17:20 to teach that believers can use “verbal declarations” to produce any result, and God must then honor that “declaration” by granting them their request. But as I mentioned above, FAITH does produces results, but it must be God’s will. Romans 10:17 declares, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” God will make His will know to us through His Word and only then will we have “FAITH to act according to His will.”  (DO)  (679.1)