The Power of the Tongue

BY BETH SKANDERUP
VGP CHIOR DIRECTOR 

You may not realize that you have tremendous power in your tongue.  The power of speech. We were created in the image of God, and part of that image is the ability to speak.  No other created thing has that gift.  Only we humans.  God created the world and everything in it with the spoken Word.  

Gen. 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  NASB
Gen.1:6   Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters  NASB
Gen. 1:9   Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place  NASB
Gen. 1:11   Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation,   NASB
Gen. 1:14   Then God said, “Let there be alights in the bexpanse of the heavens   NASB
Gen. 1:20   Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.”   NASB
Gen. 1:26   Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;   NASB 
God said it, and it was so.

Prov. 18:21  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.1”NASB

Wow!  According to this, our words can kill or bring life!  And, we will have to eat the fruit of either one, good or bad.

Prov. 10:19 “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.”   NASB
Prove you're wise from the very start— just bite your tongue and be strong!”  Passion Bible


Simply put, when we talk too much, and listen less, we will sin.  No ifs, ands, or buts, we just will.  So, does it matter what you say?  It surely does!  

James 3: 3-10 “A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship
in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it!

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.
his is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same moutH2” The Message, Bible in Contemporary Language


Years ago, we visited with one of of Gerald’s coworkers. He and his wife heard and believed the Gospel, they were wonderfully born again with genuine repentance and godly changes in their lives. The couple had 2 children, a little boy aged 2 and a girl about 4.  The little boy, let’s call him Billy, was a very active, perpetual motion little guy. The first time Mom had him come to meet and greet us, she asked him who he was and he replied, “I’m a monster!” His mom laughed at the reply and agreed with his declaration. “We have tried to get him to listen and obey but it’s hopeless, he is a little monster.” Billy seemed to have no fear or limits built into him.  He would walk on the railing over the basement stairs and laugh when mom or dad rushed to get him down. He would stand at the top step and throw himself down the stairs. Sometimes he would be hurt and cry, but he would do it again a short time later. Toys in a toy box had to be hurled in all directions until the box was empty. Nothing was off limits. We were puzzled and concerned at his wild and even dangerous behavior. Mom and Dad tried to correct him and achieve better behavior and compliance with their instructions, but without apparent success.  
We became friends with this family and noticed that even extended family would greet the boy as “Billy the monster.” There was no doubt he was a boy!  Gadgets drew him like a magnet.  If there was any possibility of there being danger, thrill, destruction or a response from his parents, he would try it! He was not unhappy but seemed gleeful when pulling his outrageous stunts. As we spent more time with them, we observed that they rarely said anything about Billy, except to reference or attempt to correct his strange and dangerous behavior. (Which they thought was terrible and were quite embarrassed about.) In contrast the little girl, Sally, was very quiet, almost shy, and to all appearances, a happy and well-behaved child.  Well, we spent quite a bit of time with them, and this picture, never changed.  Billy, oh he is just a monster, we can’t do anything with him, but, the monster bit was the most popular!  It seemed likely to us that Billy was living out exactly what everyone kept proclaiming about him!  So, one day, we decided, after much prayer, that we needed to talk to them.  The best way to lose friends is to criticize their child rearing! ” However, we felt that for the good of Billy and the family as a whole it was important to speak to them about the power of their tongue, the power of the words they spoke over their kids.  So, with prayer, humility and caution we privately suggested to them that they could change their son by giving him and speaking over him a new identity.  We discussed the principles of identity and declaring God’s intention for their children. (We later heard that extended family were much offended by our
“meddling” and asked, “Who do they think they are?” Wisdom will not often create universal approval.)  We didn’t see them for quite a while, as farming hit the busy season. When we next saw them, there was a marked change in things.  Billy, was no longer running at high speed, everywhere all the time, with disasters all around him.  His parents were no longer calling him the little monster. Mom called him over and said. “Billy, tell Gerald and Beth who you are.” With a sweet smile, his reply was: “I’m Billy, I’m a little gentleman.” Then he took off running to play with his sister. In a couple of short weeks the “monster” had been transformed into a regular, energetic 2 year old boy! A little gentleman! Still active, still busy, but not the little monster that he had been called for so long.  To make a long story short, they thanked us for the input, and were amazed at the changes in Billy and their household.

So, what about you?  When you fail at something, or mess up at work, or can’t quite do what you planned, do you say, Oh, I am stupid, I am so clumsy, I am so forgetful, I always do that, I can’t do that, I only , etc. etc. etc.  Or do you say, I am the righteousness of Christ!  I can do all things though Him who made me, I am made perfect in His sight.  What is the language you are speaking into existence?   There is a verse that for me, scared me into putting this into practice in my life.

Matt. 12:36-37  ”But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned”3  NASB 

Wow!  I cringe at the number of careless words I have spoken!  The number of curses I may have brought down on myself and others. But, Praise be to God, I am also forgiven!  I can and have repented of those things, and made an about face, turn around, go in opposite direction, and now I am way more conscious of what comes out of my mouth.  Do I still mess up?  You bet I do.  But, again, repent, turn around and keep on going!  
 
So, I encourage you, put a guard on your tongue.  Speak less, listen more!