Proverbs 18:21 says “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
There’s something I’ve noticed in parenting that I want to share with every mum and dad who follows this journey; a divine principle I’ve watched come alive right before my eyes: whenever I celebrate the good I see in my children, it multiplies. it’s like they blossom right before my eyes.
It’s as though the moment I shine a light on a strength, even a seed of a strength, it grows.
They do it more.
They believe it more.
They become it more.
But here’s the real wonder: it works not only with what they already do, but also with what they’ve not yet fully become, it works when I celebrate what could be; even their potential responds to celebration.
Dear parent, it’s up to you to see beyond the physical and name what you see or hope to see in your child, according to God’s Word. When God brought the animals to Adam, He didn’t tell him what to call them. Instead, whatever Adam named each one, that was its name (Genesis 2:19).
To me, this means if Adam had called a lion “cat,” then “cat” it would have been. That’s how much authority God placed in his mouth.
That same power of naming, of declaring identity and destiny, still rests with you. Your words are not mere observations; they are prophetic seeds. You will eat the fruit of them.
The choice is yours: will you speak fear or faith? Struggle or strength? Timidity or triumph?
Your child will rise to the words you plant.
Story Story…
I’ve seen this firsthand, in different ways with both my boys.
Does this mean I don’t get upset?
Of course not. I do.
There are moments when I’m so upset, when my patience feels like it has ‘japa‘ from me, like it just packed up and left the room, and I’m tempted to blurt out words, not necessarily curses, but certainly not blessings either. But by the help of the Holy Spirit, I’ve learned to say something else instead.
You’d hear me saying things like:
“I know you. I know you’re intelligent. I know you’re kind. I know you’re wise. I know you listen when I talk, so I honestly don’t understand what you’re doing right now.”
And by the time I’m done speaking those words, I kid you not, the anger has melted. The storm settles, and I find myself in a space where I can actually guide and correct from a place of love and clarity.
Is it easy? Not initially.
But with constant reliance on the Holy Spirit, it can become your second nature too.
When John, my second son, started saying a few words, I was a bit surprised. Unlike his older brother, Ezekiel, who was already doing so much by age two, John just wasn’t interested in all that. He’d rather play and keep moving.
But when I noticed him saying a few words, I decided to celebrate every single one. Every new word, no matter how simple, became a family event. I’d repeat the word back with excitement, talk about it, magnify it, and guess what? The entire household caught on. The more we celebrated, the more John lit up, and he started saying even more. Now, at 2 years and 2 months, he’s speaking full sentences that honestly blow all our minds and He hasn’t even started school yet.
That’s when it truly hit me:
Children Rise Or Fall to the Words We Speak Over Them.
Call Out the Man of Valour and the Woman of Virtue and They Will Rise. Especially when those words are soaked in love, belief, and the breath of the Holy Spirit. God has always done this. Remember Gideon?
When the angel of the Lord found him hiding in fear, the angel didn’t say, “Scared Gideon.” He said, “The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor.” Even though Gideon was shaking in his sandals, hiding behind the winepress, those words named him according to heaven’s view, not earth’s moment.
In time, Gideon became what was spoken over him. Was Gideon acting valorous at the time? Definitely not, but God called him according to the potential within him, he called out the mighty man in Gideon!
Those God-breathed words began to build Gideon from the inside out till he matched up to those words spoken over him by the angel. He grew into them. (Judges 6:14-16).
It’s a principle we must embrace as parents: our words are seeds.
Root Work Takes Time
The declarations we make over our children, the potentials we celebrate, the promises of God we affirm, they are not wasted.
Yes, it can feel frustrating sometimes. Like you’re saying the same thing over and over again. But think of it like this: when you plant a tree, you don’t see fruit the next morning.
First, the root must take hold.
Then the shoot appears.
Then comes the stem, the leaves, the budding and finally the fruit. Imagine if a farmer got impatient and yanked out the seed because he wasn’t seeing any surface progress. That would be the end of a harvest already underway.
Give it time.
The root is working its way down first, anchoring deep, doing the slow and steady work of grounding. It might look like nothing is happening, but root work always comes before fruit work.
If it’s going to hold up a mighty oak, then it has to dig deep enough to survive the winds.
It has to go all the way down before it ever grows upward.
It’s like talking to a newborn and getting frustrated because they don’t respond yet.
Then one day, a few months or years later, that same child starts saying things that leave you in awe. That’s when you realise they were listening. Absorbing. Rooting.
Galatians 6:9 “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”
Dear parent, our words work like seeds. Holy Spirit-led words or scriptures are powerful, but also require patience. Seeds don’t sprout overnight.
Don’t yank out your words.
Don’t stop watering the seeds of God’s word that you have planted.
Don’t stop celebrating the little things or even the invisible things.
Your children are listening.
Their spirits are responding.
And their futures are forming.
They will grow into it.
They will rise to meet the words you’ve spoken.
Keep speaking life.
Keep calling them what God has called them.
Keep celebrating what’s growing, even when it’s still beneath the surface.
Just like a tree, the roots are working.
And in time, the fruit will be undeniable.
Don’t uproot what you’ve planted in your child just because it looks like nothing’s happening. Don’t torch it up with the fire of negative words from your mouth. Keep watering it. Keep celebrating their growth. Keep declaring God’s promises over them. Even when you’re upset, when things don’t make sense, we must take a step back and choose our words carefully. Because those words, whether they’re harsh criticisms or frustrated outbursts, can linger in the spirit of our children long after the moment has passed.
Parent’s Declaration Over Their Child
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the precious gift of my child(ren).
They are not only mine, they are Yours first.
You formed them, called them, and filled them with purpose.
I speak life over them today.
I declare that:
- My child is a sign and a wonder (Isaiah 8:18).
- They are mighty in spirit, wise beyond their years, and full of understanding like Jesus (Luke 2:40, 52).
- They will grow in favor with God and with people.
- They are taught of the Lord, and great shall be their peace (Isaiah 54:13).
- They will fulfill every word God has spoken concerning them.
Even when I don’t yet see the fruit, I will water the seeds.
Even when growth feels slow, I will wait in faith.
I will not yank out the roots with impatience or harshness.
I will nurture with love, speak with belief, and celebrate the little signs of progress.
Because I know that every word from You, Lord, never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).
My child will rise.
My child will shine.
My child will walk in the fullness of God’s call, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
