One of the most important things we can discuss as believers are the power of the tongue, or that is the power of our words. Man was made in the image of God. A comparison of men and animals will reveal numerous similarities in anatomy and even in the ability to exhibit emotions. But there is one striking difference between men and animals. Men were given the ability to form words and speak them into the natural world. No animal can to that.
God has communicated with men by the way of words since the beginning. But we also understand that God used His words to create all things. God said and it was so, the book of Genesis tells us.
Genesis 1:3: “And God said, “Let there blight: and there was light.“
Genesis 1:6: And God said, “Let there be a firmament amid the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Genesis 1:9: And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.”
Let us understand the power of the tongue and the ability to speak. Is a God-like characteristic that men are endowed with by the Creator. It’s the thing that makes us be in His image and His likeness and separates us from the animal kingdom. Man is a spirit who has a soul and lives in a body. Man was made a speaking spirit like unto God Himself.
Proverbs 18:21: “Life and Death are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
We can easily see four things in the scripture:
Our words have power of some kind. We can either speak death or life. Our words produce fruit. And we are required to eat that fruit of our words whether good or bad.
Proverbs 10:19 “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he refrains his lips is wise.
Translation: when we take too much we sin. In the multitude of words, there is no lack of sin. Most sin, actually all sin, begins with words.
Matthew 15:18: “But those things with proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and the defile a man.
What things proceed out of the mouth? Words come out of the mouth. Words are the things that defile a man. Does it matter what we say? Yes, very much so.
James 1:26: “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridle not your tongue, but deceived his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.
James 3:2 “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and also to bridle the whole body
James 3:3 “Behold, we put bits in the horse’s mouths that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.”
James 3:4: “Behold also the ships which though they are so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small help, which so ever the governor listen.
There are two points that we can immediately see from these scriptures. The first is that if we don’t stumble in what we say we are mature, and we are able to bridle the whole body, which is a picture represents our whole life. A mature person, one who is grown up in Christ, had brought his tongue under control.
The second point is that our words determine the direction of our life. Out tongue is like the bit in the horse’s mouth and like the rudder that steers the ship.
The captain of a ship must change the direction of the rudder to change the direction of the ship. In the same way we must change the direction of our words to change our direction.. Out life follows our words. So what does this say to us? We need to guard our lips against saying wrong things. And we need to put the right words in our mouth at all times.
James 3:8: “But the tongue can no man tame: it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
If the tongue cannot be tamed then why are we discussing the bridling of the tongue? God will give us the ability to take our tongues by His grace, but we are not able to tame someone else’s tongue. The taming of the tongue is a personal matter and must be done by a quality decision made by an individual. The tongue can be tamed, but only by personal decision and commitment.
Example: A woman who is severely depressed asked me. Why is my life so awful “nothing ever turns out good for me” Being negative all the time results in negative situations and negative thoughts. How can a person be happy if they speak negatively over their lives all the time? It’s the power of her words.
From Pity to Praise 