We are in the series teaching about the power of words. It is important to understand that your words are not just words, but are seeds that will germinate and affect your health, family, marriage, spiritual life, ministry, church, and relationships.
Your life and the lives of those around you are affected and impacted by the words you speak.
“The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.” Proverbs 18:21 NLT
Your words are seeds of your destiny. Be careful with your words, comments, criticisms, and jokes because you will reap the consequences!
“The tongue also is a fire, a world of iniquity. It is set among our members, defiling the whole body and setting on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6 (NKJV)
What does this mean? It means the devil is after your tongue! Satan wants to inspire your speech because even if you don’t know the power of your words, he does!
Last week, we saw in 2 Corinthians 5:10 that the problem starts with what you let into your mind. If you do not reject these thoughts, they become strongholds, lies that oppose God’s word, and eventually become a position from which the enemy can operate. Everything starts with your thoughts, and you have to bring them captive. If you begin speaking those thoughts, they can destroy your life.
A thought comes:
- You will never get out of this depression. You shout just kill yourself; you are a burden.
- You should divorce; your spouse is not fulfilling your needs, and you have the right to be happy.
- You are young, single, and have the right to live your life, enjoy all pleasures, because life is short.
- Look at what she did, what she said, and how she did wrong . Now, go and tell others, spread the news, share it with other brothers about it!”
What is Satan after? He is after your tongue! What do you have to do? You have to resist him.
You take every thought captive and replace it with the Truth, just like Jesus did when He was tempted in the wilderness.
The last verse in Matthew chapter 3 was:
“God said: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17.
At the beginning of chapter 4, Satan tempts Him:
“Satan said: If You are the Son of God” Matthew 4:3.
Jesus did not agree with the temptation but said: “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone,” Matthew 4:4 and Satan persisted, and Jesus kept saying “it is written, it is written, it is written!”
Satan used the Bible against Jesus! Yes, Satan knows the Bible and can quote it out of context.
Jesus immediately took that thought captive, cast it down, and replaced it with the truth, and Satan left Him.
“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.” James 3:7-10 (NIV)
I remember some time ago we had a wonderful service, a powerful praise and worship, and I remember a person worshipping God, singing and expressing his praise. But on Monday, that person went to work with someone else (from the church) and started criticising and speaking ill of another sister from the church. On Sunday, blessing God, and the next day, cursing and criticising people made in God’s image. James said: My brothers and sisters, this should not be!
I have a question for you: Do you know which sin God hates the most? That is an abomination to Him?
Every sin is mortal because the wages of sin is death, but some sins are more serious in their consequences. Let’s read Proverbs 6.
“These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.”Proverbs 6:16-19 NKJV
There is no more serious sin in the eyes of God than this one: He who sows conflict between brothers and sisters, or who speaks behind others’ backs.
This is the person who provokes contention, who plays one person against another, who is always generating tension and conflicts with their words, aggravating the sin and failures of others, throwing poison into the situation, leading people to doubt their leader, brother, and sister.
The person who spreads contention among brethren, God abhors this attitude. Because our role is to be peacemakers. God gave us the ministry of reconciliation, and many have the ministry of fire! With their tongue, they are setting fire to relationships, destroying the body of Christ. This is the sin that God abhors and detest.
When people come to you to talk about your brother, sister, leader, or any authority, do not accept it; this is sin, and tell them: go talk to the person or your pastor!
Think twice before you speak once! James said: “Be slow to speak.”
Before you speak, think: 1- Is it true? If it’s not true, don’t say it.
2- Is it helpful?
Not everything that is true is helpful to repeat. Some people love to gossip, and some of the things they gossip about are true, but they are certainly not helpful.
Listen: in fact, it is always wrong to share private information with people who are not part of the problem or part of the solution. That is gossip, and it is a sin! (Sin of the tongue)
3- Is it true?
4- Is it helpful?
5- Is it inspiring?
6- Is it going to encourage and lift up people in any way?
7- Is it necessary?
8- Is it kind? If it’s not, then do not speak.
Think twice before you speak once!
“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:7-8 NKJV
The word “mankind” means “man in his natural ability.” Lions, elephants, monkeys have been tamed by man, but verse 8 says: “But no man can tame the tongue.”
In context, no man in his natural ability can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
We need and can find supernatural help for controlling our tongues. You cannot do it on your own! You need God’s help.
The only way to control your tongue is to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to walk in the Spirit!
On the day of Pentecost, 120 people were gathered in the upper room waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came like a rushing mighty wind, and divided tongues of fire sat on each of them.
The first thing the Holy Spirit did was inspire their speech, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance.
My beloved ones, your tongue and my tongue are waiting for inspiration.
You will find that inspiration from hell below or from heaven above. It will be set on fire by hell, or it will be set on fire by heaven!
If you get inspiration from heaven and let the Holy Spirit guide you, you will speak blessings, goodness, encouragement, and will speak in line with God’s Word, rather than taking those hellish flames and letting them destroy everything in your life, marriage, family, ministry, church, job.
Please, Don’t let Satan use your tongue, and you, my brother, don’t lend your ears to listen to gossip or criticism because it will destroy your life.
Every person is waiting for that inspiration!
“Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” Ephesians 4:29-31 (NKJV)
Be careful with every word that comes out of your mouth! Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification!
“He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.” Proverbs 13:3 (NKJV)
We all have people in our lives who need a good, uplifting word, and God is looking for someone to speak it through.
“When someone stumbles, weak and tired, your words encouraged him to stand.” Job 4:4 (GNT)
What do you do when you find someone stumbling, weak, tired, in pain, or suffering? I want to be that person whose words encourage them to stand.
The greatest illustration of the power of our speech comes right back to Salvation. The book of Romans says:
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)
With the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. When you put heart and lips together, it can change your eternal destiny.
Years ago, my life was destroyed, I was living a terrible and dirty life, and my friend, who was born again, preached the gospel to me for months, and in February 1994, on a Tuesday at 2:00 am, my friend challenged me to accept Jesus, and I remember that day when I said “Yes” to Jesus. I put my trust in Him and confessed Him as my Lord.
I knew something had radically changed in me that day! I could fell it!
It changed my eternal destination, from hell to heaven, when I put my heart and lips together.
I want to ask you who are listening to me today: Would you go to heaven if you died today? Are you 100% sure that you are saved?
If your answer was: I hope so, you cannot rest on “hope so,” you need to settle this thing. To hope is not good enough! The one who is saved and is truly born again knows for sure that he is saved and is going to heaven.
I remember when my friend led me in prayer, and I believed in my heart and confessed Jesus as my Lord, I felt in my heart that I was saved, I felt the Holy Spirit inside of me, I felt peace and joy in my heart, and I simply had this conviction in my heart that I had been saved and was going to heaven.
If you have not been clear about this before, I want you to be clear now!
First, you have to repent from your sins, abandon them, and say: “God I believe Jesus is your Son. I believe He was raised from the dead, and I embrace Him as my Lord and Saviour.”
If you do that, you will be saved, and you will feel it!
I don’t think we should base our salvation on feelings. However, John said:
“Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” 1 John 3:24 (NKJV)
By this “we know” that He abides in us! When we are born again, you ought to know it. When the creator of the universe takes residence inside of you, you know that you are saved!
That night when I gave my life to Jesus, I knew that I was changed. I still had a lot of questions that would get answered in the process of time, but I knew I was saved.
You that is listening to me today can know and can be 100% sure that you are saved!
To conclude, first, I want you to change your words, (stop gossiping and making jokes about your brethren and friends), don’t speak death over your family, relatives, brothers, sisters, leaders, boss, coworker, etc.
Don’t let fire from hell over your tongue, but fire from heaven’s altar.
God will use you to speak words of hope, comfort, salvation, and words of blessing over many lives.
There are many people who are about to collapse, and they need words that can bring them life and eternal life.
May the Lord bless and keep you.