Tongue Talk
The Power of Your Words: Life, Death, and Everything In Between
There's a small member of your body that holds extraordinary power. It's not your heart, though it's vital. It's not your brain, though it directs so much. It's your tongue—a tiny muscle that can shape destinies, alter circumstances, and literally determine whether you experience life or death.
"The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21). Not influence over life and death. Not a slight impact on life and death. The actual power of life and death resides in the words we speak.
The Untamable Member
James chapter 3 paints a startling picture of the tongue's nature. It describes it as "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" that no human can tame on their own. The same chapter points out the contradiction many of us live with daily: we use our mouths to bless God in worship, then turn around and curse people who were made in God's image.
Think about that tension for a moment. We sing songs of devotion on Sunday morning, declaring our love for our Creator, then spend the week tearing down His creation with criticism, gossip, and negativity. We lift our hands in worship while harboring offense in our hearts toward family members, coworkers, or fellow believers.
The Scripture asks pointedly: "Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter water from the same opening?" The expected answer is obvious—no, it doesn't. Yet somehow, we've normalized this contradiction in our spiritual lives.
Created to Speak
From the very beginning, words have held creative power. When God formed the heavens and the earth, He didn't use His hands—He used His words. "Let there be light," He declared, and light exploded into existence. The Holy Spirit hovered over the formless void, waiting for words to be released so He could bring them into reality.
This same God created humanity in His image and likeness. Part of that divine image includes the ability to speak words that carry creative power. We're not merely making sounds when we talk—we're releasing spiritual forces that shape our reality and the reality of those around us.
Consider how sound waves actually move particles in the atmosphere that we cannot see. Words aren't just abstract concepts; they're physical vibrations that impact the material world. When you speak, you're literally rearranging the atmosphere around you.
Three Keys to Taming the Tongue
If no human can tame the tongue on their own, what hope do we have? The answer lies in three essential practices:
Yield the Tongue
The first step is surrendering control to the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit descended on the 120 believers in the upper room at Pentecost, the first thing He did was take possession of their tongues. They began speaking in languages they'd never learned, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Why did God prioritize the tongue? Because He knew that everything else in their ministry would flow from what they spoke. Their success, their effectiveness, their ability to bless others—it all hinged on bringing their words under divine control.
Yielding isn't a one-time event. It's a moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour decision. It's stopping in the middle of a heated conversation and praying, "God, I want to say something right now that You don't want me to say. I yield my tongue to You." It's leaning into the grace and power of the Holy Spirit rather than relying on our own strength.
Shield the Tongue
The Book of Proverbs, filled with divine wisdom, returns again and again to the theme of guarding our speech. "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble" (Proverbs 21:23). The more we talk, the more opportunity we create for sin to slip out. Restraint becomes wisdom.
Think about the casual words we throw around without consideration. A parent tells a child, "Don't go outside without shoes or you'll catch a cold." The child does exactly that and catches a cold—not because of the bare feet, but because of the words spoken over them. We call this a coincidence, but Scripture suggests something more profound is happening.
We live in a culture that encourages us to say whatever we want, however we want, whenever we want. If we lack the courage to say it to someone's face, we post it on social media. We've lost the art of restraint, the discipline of thinking before speaking.
Shielding the tongue means asking crucial questions before words leave our mouths: Will this bring life or death? Will this build up or tear down? Will this honor God or dishonor His creation?
Wield the Tongue
To wield something means to use a weapon or tool effectively, with skill and control, exercising power and influence. Our tongue isn't just something to be controlled—it's a weapon to be strategically deployed.
Jesus said, "Whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mark 11:23). This isn't positive thinking or wishful speaking. This is exercising spiritual authority through words aligned with God's will.
Our tongue should be wielded to move mountains, to dismantle sickness and disease, to cast out fear, to destroy the enemy's works in people's lives. It's meant to bring salvation, healing, and restoration—not to destroy people, but to destroy what destroys people.
The Path Forward
As we move forward, the challenge is clear: take responsibility for the power residing in your mouth. Stop speaking sickness over your body. Stop prophesying failure over your children. Stop cursing what God has blessed.
Instead, look in the mirror and thank God for the beautiful person He created you to be. Speak life over your circumstances. Declare God's promises over your family. Use your words to build up the body of Christ rather than tearing it down with criticism and gossip.
If you've been offended by someone, don't bring your worship to God while harboring that bitterness. Hold onto your praise, go make things right, seek reconciliation, and then come back to lay your crown at His feet. True worship flows from a heart that honors both God and the people He created.
The tongue may be small, but with great power comes great responsibility. The question is: will you take responsibility for yours?
Your words today are creating your tomorrow. Choose them wisely.
There's a small member of your body that holds extraordinary power. It's not your heart, though it's vital. It's not your brain, though it directs so much. It's your tongue—a tiny muscle that can shape destinies, alter circumstances, and literally determine whether you experience life or death.
"The tongue has the power of life and death" (Proverbs 18:21). Not influence over life and death. Not a slight impact on life and death. The actual power of life and death resides in the words we speak.
The Untamable Member
James chapter 3 paints a startling picture of the tongue's nature. It describes it as "an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" that no human can tame on their own. The same chapter points out the contradiction many of us live with daily: we use our mouths to bless God in worship, then turn around and curse people who were made in God's image.
Think about that tension for a moment. We sing songs of devotion on Sunday morning, declaring our love for our Creator, then spend the week tearing down His creation with criticism, gossip, and negativity. We lift our hands in worship while harboring offense in our hearts toward family members, coworkers, or fellow believers.
The Scripture asks pointedly: "Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter water from the same opening?" The expected answer is obvious—no, it doesn't. Yet somehow, we've normalized this contradiction in our spiritual lives.
Created to Speak
From the very beginning, words have held creative power. When God formed the heavens and the earth, He didn't use His hands—He used His words. "Let there be light," He declared, and light exploded into existence. The Holy Spirit hovered over the formless void, waiting for words to be released so He could bring them into reality.
This same God created humanity in His image and likeness. Part of that divine image includes the ability to speak words that carry creative power. We're not merely making sounds when we talk—we're releasing spiritual forces that shape our reality and the reality of those around us.
Consider how sound waves actually move particles in the atmosphere that we cannot see. Words aren't just abstract concepts; they're physical vibrations that impact the material world. When you speak, you're literally rearranging the atmosphere around you.
Three Keys to Taming the Tongue
If no human can tame the tongue on their own, what hope do we have? The answer lies in three essential practices:
Yield the Tongue
The first step is surrendering control to the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit descended on the 120 believers in the upper room at Pentecost, the first thing He did was take possession of their tongues. They began speaking in languages they'd never learned, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Why did God prioritize the tongue? Because He knew that everything else in their ministry would flow from what they spoke. Their success, their effectiveness, their ability to bless others—it all hinged on bringing their words under divine control.
Yielding isn't a one-time event. It's a moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour decision. It's stopping in the middle of a heated conversation and praying, "God, I want to say something right now that You don't want me to say. I yield my tongue to You." It's leaning into the grace and power of the Holy Spirit rather than relying on our own strength.
Shield the Tongue
The Book of Proverbs, filled with divine wisdom, returns again and again to the theme of guarding our speech. "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from trouble" (Proverbs 21:23). The more we talk, the more opportunity we create for sin to slip out. Restraint becomes wisdom.
Think about the casual words we throw around without consideration. A parent tells a child, "Don't go outside without shoes or you'll catch a cold." The child does exactly that and catches a cold—not because of the bare feet, but because of the words spoken over them. We call this a coincidence, but Scripture suggests something more profound is happening.
We live in a culture that encourages us to say whatever we want, however we want, whenever we want. If we lack the courage to say it to someone's face, we post it on social media. We've lost the art of restraint, the discipline of thinking before speaking.
Shielding the tongue means asking crucial questions before words leave our mouths: Will this bring life or death? Will this build up or tear down? Will this honor God or dishonor His creation?
Wield the Tongue
To wield something means to use a weapon or tool effectively, with skill and control, exercising power and influence. Our tongue isn't just something to be controlled—it's a weapon to be strategically deployed.
Jesus said, "Whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says" (Mark 11:23). This isn't positive thinking or wishful speaking. This is exercising spiritual authority through words aligned with God's will.
Our tongue should be wielded to move mountains, to dismantle sickness and disease, to cast out fear, to destroy the enemy's works in people's lives. It's meant to bring salvation, healing, and restoration—not to destroy people, but to destroy what destroys people.
The Path Forward
As we move forward, the challenge is clear: take responsibility for the power residing in your mouth. Stop speaking sickness over your body. Stop prophesying failure over your children. Stop cursing what God has blessed.
Instead, look in the mirror and thank God for the beautiful person He created you to be. Speak life over your circumstances. Declare God's promises over your family. Use your words to build up the body of Christ rather than tearing it down with criticism and gossip.
If you've been offended by someone, don't bring your worship to God while harboring that bitterness. Hold onto your praise, go make things right, seek reconciliation, and then come back to lay your crown at His feet. True worship flows from a heart that honors both God and the people He created.
The tongue may be small, but with great power comes great responsibility. The question is: will you take responsibility for yours?
Your words today are creating your tomorrow. Choose them wisely.
Recent
Archive
2025
Categories
no categories
No Comments