Saturday Motivation! Power of the Tongue!

July 18th 2020
Text:
James 3 v 8; But the Tongue can no man tame. It is an unruly evil filled with deadly poison.
Romans 10 v 10; with the heart man believes and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Proverbs 12 v 18; There is one who speaks like the piercing of the sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.

What is the Tongue?
Literally, the tongue is a muscular organ in the mouth anchored by webs of tough tissue and mucosa.
The tongue has many nerves that help detect and transmit taste signals to the brain.
The major function of the tongue is the enabling of speech in humans and vocalization in other animals.
The tongue is a mighty flexible organ that enables licking, breathing, tasting, swallowing and speaking.
The tongue is a small part of the body but it possesses unspeakable power.
The tongue is a powerful instrument. Without it, we will be unable to speak.

What is the Tongue According To Scriptures?
The tongue of believers is an indicator of their spiritual health. The speech of believers indicates who they are.
The tongue is a little member and boasts great things (James 3 v 5). This verse of scripture tells us how powerful the tongue is.
The tongue can be used for the glory of God and for the blessing of others but it can also be misused and can bring sorrow and tears to others.
The tongue has power to direct others into the right or the wrong path. With this knowledge at hand, we must beware of idle words.
We must avoid stories that are questionable, half-truths, deliberate lies and everything that can change the course of a life and lead it to destruction.
We must learn to use right words that can direct someone out of sin and into salvation.
An evil tongue is like a viper that spreads poison. A spiritual tongue on the other hand is medicine (Proverbs 12 v 18).
Our tongue is not supposed to speak both blessings and curses. As a result of this, we must reflect on our thoughts before we speak. We must keep in mind that a tiny spark can set a whole forest on fire.
We must cultivate the habit of speaking positive, encouraging words which will bless and not curse because the words we speak as believers must not contradict scriptures. We must ensure that our words complement and reinforces scriptures.
It is our responsibility as Christians to speak forth positive life-giving words. The words of our mouth have control over our lives. What comes out of our mouth will determine our future. Our words control the direction of our life just as the rudder controls the direction of a ship. We are own prophets and the words we speak today impacts out tomorrow.
The level that a man attains in life is as a result of the words spoken by him. The words we speak day by day carry the same degree of force behind them just like the word that came out of the mouth of God when He created the universe. Just as God spoke words into existence, we as believers have the power to speak our future into existence. God`s Word is a compass that will guide us into making the right decisions, so we must believe the word, pray the word, meditate on the word and speak the word.
Our confession is our profession. We must therefore claim the promises that God has spoken to us in His Word. Romans 10 v 10 says; with the heart man believes and with our mouth, confession is made. Whatever we receive from God, we receive it by confession.
In other to control our mouth, we must control our thoughts. Evil thoughts lead to evil words, impure thoughts lead to impure talks, fearful thoughts leads to fear and discouraging words leads to discouragement.
It is the Holy Spirit that helps us to control our tongue. We must surrender our tongue to the Lord for Him to control it. James 3 v 8-9 says; but the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil filled with deadly poison.
As believers, we face a power tussle between God and the devil. As a result of this revelation we must cast down every wrong thinking and replace bad thoughts with good ones. Proverbs 23 v 7 says; as a man thinks in his heart so is he.

Power of the Tongue
The tongue has power to do the following;

1. Power to heal: The words we speak can either be life-giving or destructive. Our words have the power to heal but it can also cause a great deal of trouble. The tongue of the perverse stirs up dissension and gossip which separates friends. Gossip has the power to break-up friendships. It is very important for us as believers to tame our tongue. Moderation is better than muscle and self-control is better than physical strength. We are responsible not only for the words we speak but also for the words of others that we listen to. We should not relish malicious conversations and dirty gossips. We should keep in mind that whoever gossips to us will also gossip about us. Listening to gossips is as damaging as gossiping. How we speak and the words we listen to will affect the atmosphere in our home, office and amongst friends.
2. Power to Effect Spiritual Change: Our words can lead others to Christ. The words we speak can transform people`s lives if we speak like children of God. The more of the word of God we know, the more we retain and prophesy with our tongue. When our words are focused on God and His words, our words become powerful. The central theme of our speaking or teaching must be the word of God.
3. Power to Effect National Change: Our words can have a powerful effect on our nation. We should strive to lead others into a season of spiritual renewal. We must by our words emphasize the need for having a personal relationship with God. God does not only speak to us by his word, he also speaks to us through prophecy.

Let`s look at some examples on how the tongue can be used;
Negative Use of the Tongue

1. Speaking Hypocritically; James 1 v 26
2. Expressing discrimination between the rich and the poor; Discriminating between people of color, background, race and status in life is ungodly. James 2 v 1-4
3. Speaking without sympathy to those in need (James 2 v 15-16) we must speak words that can edify others.
4. Boasting and flattering; doing this can be destructive as one word can cause a family upset or division amongst brethren
5. Grumbling against one another and judging one another; James 4 v 12, James 5 v9; Romans 14 v 12-13. Everybody will answer to God individually and not collectively, so we must stop criticizing one another.
6. Blaming God when we are tempted to do wrong; James 1 v 13 – 14. God is not guilty of our temptation to sin. A man falls into temptation when he is lured away by his own lust. Positive Use of the Tongue
7. To praise God; We are created to sing God`s praise and should therefore cultivate the habit of doing this more.
8. To pray to God; Prayer is the key. There is no limit to what we can pray about. We must pray fervently and must make prayer part of our daily routine.
9. To prophesy healing; James 5 v 14 – 15
10. To sing to the Lord; James 5 v 13, Psalm 51 v 14
11. To witness to the Lord

What to do to continue using your tongue positively?

1. Let your words be few: We should avoid flattery. Ecclesiastes 5 v 2 says let your words be few; In Joshua 6 v 10, the men were instructed not to make a sound with their mouth until the 7th day of the 7th round. Also in Luke 1 v 18-20; Zacharias could not be trusted to speak because he did not believe that his wife could give birth to John the Baptist. Due to Zacharias unbelief, he became mute until the naming of his child. Even Jesus kept quiet to bring to pass the plan of God for his crucifixion. Acts 8 v 32 says; Like lamb, dumb (silent) before his shearers, he opened not his mouth.
2. Guard the words you speak; We must watch the words we speak as believers. Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles. Our words must be in tandem with God`s word. We must meditate on the truth of the word of God and not on the lies of the devil. We are all anointed to be prophets over our own lives and as such, we must speak positive. Psalm 23 v 1 says; The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
3. Be single-minded; Most believers are unable to receive from the Lord because of double-mindedness. James 1v 8 says; a double-minded man who wavers in his faith cannot receive anything from God.
4. Live by Faith; Romans 4 v 17 encourages us to walk by faith. Habakkuk 2 v 4 says; the just shall live by faith. 2 Timothy 4 v 6-7 says; Words of faith nourishes but idle words starve the spirit and make it weak. Satan operates through fear but God operates through faith. As believers, we must fight our battles with the word of God and not run away from our troubles.
5. Avoid Jesting; Ephesians 5 v 4 prohibits jesting (joking) and foolish and silly talking. Joke can easily be turned to mean something else. Jesting is witty speech. It is sarcastic and often exaggerated, acute nonsense, unaccountable and unnecessary. Matthew 5 v 26 says; Let your yes be yes and your no, no, whatever is more than this comes from the devil.
6. Hear The Words of Life; When we listen to words of life, we receive life in abundance but when we listen to the world, we have zero or fall from hero to zero. What we hear and what we speak impacts our lives greatly. Psalm 19 v 14 says; Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord! Positive thinking and positive talking leads to positive lifestyle.

Let`s look at some Scriptures on The Tongue

1. 1 Peter 3 v 10: For He that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.
2. Proverbs 15 v1: A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stirs up anger.
3. Psalm 141 v 3: Set a watch oh Lord before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4. Matthew 12 v 36-37: But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof on the Day of Judgment.
5. Proverbs 12 v 18: There is one that speaks like the piercings of a sword but the tongue of the wise is health.
6. Proverbs 15 v 4: A wholeseome tongue is a tree of life but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.
7. Psalm 19 v 14: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, o Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
8. James 1 v 9: Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
9. Philippians 2 v 4: Do all things without murmuring and disputing.
10. Ecclesiastes 5 v 2: Let your words be few.
11. Proverbs 21 v 23: Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
12. Proverbs 16 v 23; The heart of the wise teaches his mouth and adds learning to his lips.
13. Proverbs 17 v 28: Even a fool when he holds his peace is counted wise and he who shuts his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
14. Proverbs 10 v 19; In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking but he who restrains his lips is wise.
15. Luke 6 v 45c: Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
16. 1 Timothy 4 v 6-7: Words of faith nourish but idle words starve the spirit and make it weak.
17. Matthew 5 v 26: Let your yes be yes and your no be no, whatever is more than this comes from the devil.
18. Proverbs 13 v 3: He that keeps his mouth keeps his life but he that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
19. Proverbs 23 v 7: As a man thinks in his heart so is he.

May the Lord give us the grace to use our tongues wisely. May our words always edify and bless, in Jesus Most Holy Name! Amen!
Shalom