Today’s Open Heavens devotional, 22 March 2026, is YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL
The daily devotion guide is written by Pastor E. A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
OPEN HEAVENS 22 MARCH 2026 DEVOTIONAL
TOPIC: YOUR WORDS ARE POWERFUL
MEMORISE
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Proverbs 18:21
READ: Acts 5:1-11
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
RCCG OPEN HEAVENS 22 MARCH 2026 MESSAGE TODAY
Today’s memory verse tells us that death and life are in the power of the tongue. Psalm 107:20 also tells us that God sent His word, and His word healed and delivered the Israelites from their destruction.
Words can heal and deliver; however, as we see in today’s Bible reading, they can also kill and destroy. Ananias and Sapphira died instantly after hearing the words that Peter, God’s servant, spoke to them.
There is mighty power in the spoken word of God. God’s word is so powerful that the Bible says it is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). When this living word mixes with the living faith of a child of God, there is no limit to the miracles that can happen.
Several years ago, a man, who was seriously sick, came to the RCCG Headquarters in Ebute-Metta, Lagos. He had hypertension and a host of other ailments. As the Sunday School session started, the teacher said, “Today, we are going to study the crossing of the Red Sea. We are going to see the power of the One who can cause the sea to freeze. We are going to see the power of the One who can ask every storm to fall asleep.”
On hearing that, the man knew immediately that God had sent the word for his healing to him specifically through the mouth of the Sunday School teacher. He thought to himself, “Ah, my day has come!” He was so sure about it that he started crying for joy. Somehow, he knew that the Sunday School session was not just going to be about discussing the story of the Red Sea; he knew it was the set time for his healing.
Before the Sunday School lesson ended, he was healed! His living faith mixed with the living word of God to produce his healing.
When you want to know a believer who has faith in God’s word, you will hear it in his or her words.
When others keep confessing negatively because of the negative situations surrounding them, he or she will keep declaring and believing God’s word.
When people say that there is a casting down because of unpleasant experiences, the fellow will boldly declare that there is a lifting up (Job 22:29).
Soon, the believer’s reality will start aligning with his or her confession.
Beloved, speak God’s word over the situations in your life with faith. Your words become powerful to heal and deliver when they are spoken in faith.
REFLECTION
Have you been speaking faith-filled words of life or faithless words of death?
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 Samuel 1-3
Open Heavens HYMN 49: STANDING ON THE PROMISES OF GOD
OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 22 MARCH 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
This verse establishes the tongue as the most powerful member of the human body. It is a vehicle of spiritual transmission. The words we speak carry either the seeds of death or the seeds of life. The phrase “they that love it” refers to those who are addicted to talk—whether for good or ill. Such people will inevitably “eat the fruit” of their speech. You cannot speak death and harvest life. You cannot confess failure and reap success. The tongue is a farmer, and words are seeds.
BIBLE READING: Acts 5:1-11
This passage, revisited now through the lens of spoken words, reveals the terrifying power of divinely authorized speech:
v. 3-5: Peter speaks: “Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?… thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” The words are spoken. Ananias hears them—and falls dead.
v. 7-10: Sapphira enters, unaware. Peter questions her, gives her opportunity to tell the truth. She lies. Peter pronounces judgment: “Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.” She falls dead.
v. 11: “Great fear came upon all the church.” The church learned that the words of God’s servants, when spoken under divine unction, carry the weight of divine authority. They can heal—and they can kill.
The Creative and Destructive Power of Spoken Words
Pastor E.A. Adeboye returns to the foundational theme of the tongue’s power, but now with a specific emphasis: words spoken in faith, especially God’s words spoken by God’s servants, carry creative and destructive capacity. Using the testimony of a man healed during a Sunday School lesson and the warning of Ananias and Sapphira’s sudden death, he demonstrates that our words are not merely sounds but spiritual forces that shape reality.
1. The Dual Capacity of Words
Words That Kill and Destroy:
- The account of Ananias and Sapphira is the New Testament’s most vivid demonstration that words can terminate life. Peter did not physically attack them; he spoke truth in the power of the Spirit, and their bodies could not withstand the collision with divine reality.
- The Principle: When God’s word confronts unrepentant sin, it does not negotiate; it judges. The same word that heals the humble kills the hypocrite. The difference is not in the word but in the receiver’s posture.
Words That Heal and Deliver:
- Psalm 107:20: “He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” God’s preferred method of intervention is through His spoken word. He does not always send angels; He sends words. And those words, when received by faith, accomplish exactly what they were sent to do.
Hebrews 4:12: The Living Word:
- “For the word of God is quick [living], and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword.” The word is not a dead letter but a living entity. It carries the DNA of its Speaker. When it enters a human heart, it begins to work—cutting, healing, dividing, uniting, killing, making alive.
2. The Miracle of Mixed Faith
The Sunday School Testimony:
- A man critically ill with hypertension and other ailments attends a routine Sunday School class. The teacher announces the topic: the crossing of the Red Sea. He speaks of “the power of the One who can cause the sea to freeze” and “the power of the One who can ask every storm to fall asleep.”
- The Man’s Response: “He knew immediately that God had sent the word for his healing to him specifically.” This was not intellectual assent but revelation knowledge. The Spirit bore witness that this word was for him, now.
- The Result: He began to cry for joy. Before the lesson ended, he was healed. The word spoken by the teacher mixed with the faith activated in the listener produced instantaneous transformation.
The Alchemy of Faith and Word:
- The word alone is seed; faith alone is soil. When seed meets soil, growth is inevitable. The man did not pray a long prayer; he simply recognized that the word was for him, believed it, and received it. His healing was not the result of effort but of alignment.
3. The Confession of Faith
The Believer’s Dialect:
- “When you want to know a believer who has faith in God’s word, you will hear it in his or her words.” Faith is not invisible; it is audible. It leaks out of the mouth. A person filled with faith cannot help but speak faith, just as a person filled with fear cannot help but speak fear.
The Counter-Cultural Confession:
- When others say “casting down,” the believer says “lifting up” (Job 22:29). When the world reports recession, the believer declares provision. When circumstances scream impossibility, the believer whispers, “With God all things are possible.”
- The Principle: The believer’s confession is not denial of reality but declaration of a higher reality. It is not pretending that the storm does not exist; it is declaring that the Storm-Calmer is present.
The Alignment Process:
- “Soon, the believer’s reality will start aligning with his or her confession.” This is not mind-science or positive thinking; it is the spiritual law of agreement. When we agree with God’s word, creation itself begins to reorganize around that agreement. Faith-filled words create faith-filled realities.
4. The Testimony of Job 22:29
The Divine Paradox:
- “When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.” This verse reveals that our confession can actually reverse our condition. The one who is cast down but declares lifting up is not lying; they are prophesying their future into existence by aligning with God’s character.
How to Speak Words That Heal and Deliver
Cultivate a Word-Saturated Heart:
- Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). If your heart is filled with Scripture, your mouth will overflow with Scripture. If your heart is filled with news reports, your mouth will overflow with anxiety. Feed on the Word until it becomes your native language.
Develop the Discipline of Revelation Recognition:
- Like the healed man, learn to recognize when a spoken word is “for you.” The Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit. When a Scripture leaps off the page, when a sermon phrase arrests your attention, pause and receive it. Say: “Lord, this word is for me. I receive it now.”
Speak to Your Situation, Not About It:
- There is a difference between describing your problem and addressing it. The Israelites described the Red Sea as an impossibility; Moses addressed it with the rod of God. Stop describing your mountain; start speaking to it (Mark 11:23).
Confess God’s Word Aloud Daily:
- Make it a habit to speak specific Scriptures over your life, your family, your health, and your finances. Do not merely think them; say them. Your ears hear what your mouth speaks, and hearing builds faith (Romans 10:17).
Surround Yourself with Faith-Filled Speakers:
- The Sunday School teacher’s words healed the man. Your associations matter. Spend time with people whose words carry faith, not fear; life, not death. Their words will nourish your spirit and shape your confession.
Warning: The Danger of Negative Confession
Speaking Death Over Your Life:
- Every time you say “I can’t,” you are cursing your potential. Every time you say “I’m always sick,” you are establishing a covenant with infirmity. Every time you agree with the enemy’s diagnosis, you are signing his prescription.
The Ananias and Sapphira Principle:
- Their words killed them because their words were lies spoken to the Holy Spirit. You may not drop dead physically for every wrong word, but spiritually, negative confession produces spiritual atrophy. Death begins in the mouth.
Conclusion: Your Words, Your World
Pray this:
“Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that death and life are in the power of my tongue. Forgive me for every negative confession I have spoken over my life, my family, and my future. Forgive me for agreeing with the enemy’s diagnosis instead of Your word. Today, I commit to speaking Your word over every situation. I declare that Your word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. I receive the Sunday School testimony as my portion. As Your word goes forth, let it mix with my faith and produce healing, deliverance, and breakthrough. I speak life to my body. I speak health to my finances. I speak peace to my home. I speak salvation to my loved ones. Let my words align with Your will, and let my reality align with my confession. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.”
Action Steps:
- The 30-Day Confession Challenge: Select 10-12 key Scriptures that address your specific needs (healing, provision, protection, family). Write them on cards. Speak them aloud every morning and evening for 30 days. Journal the changes you observe.
- The Negative Confession Fast: For one week, commit to speaking no negative words about your circumstances. Every time you are tempted to complain, replace the complaint with a Scripture-based declaration.
- The Word Recognition Practice: During sermons, Bible reading, or even casual Christian conversation, train yourself to pause when a word “jumps out” at you. Ask: “Lord, is this for me right now?” Receive it by faith.
- The Faith-Filled Community Audit: Evaluate your primary relationships. Do the people around you speak faith or fear? Life or death? Adjust your associations if necessary to protect your confession.
Remember: The same God who spoke worlds into existence has deposited His word in your mouth. When you speak His word in faith, you are not merely making noise; you are releasing creative power into your circumstances. Your words are your womb; they will give birth to whatever they carry.
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11). When you speak His word, He backs it with His power. Speak boldly. Your healing is in your mouth.
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