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What Are You Speaking?

As you read and study what has been written here, do not just blindly accept it. Please check the Scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you His truth. The Scriptures quoted are from the King James version with the words of Jesus in red.

What things are you speaking? Are they words of support and comfort to build up your hearer or are they condemnation and belittlement? Our tongue is a mighty tool. It can be used as a weapon to bring destruction or as a instrument of healing and encouragement.

The spoken word is powerful. We don't really realize just how much power there is in the spoken word. We can make people extremely happy as we offer encouragement to them. We can also cause enormous pain as we verbally attack them.

God speaking, said "let there be light" and it was. He also spoke into existance the firmament, the moon, sun, stars, grass, earth, seas, all creatures on land and in the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. (Genesis 1:3)

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament ... (Genesis 1:6-7a)

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. (Genesis 1:9)

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. (Genesis 1:11)

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. (Genesis 1:14-16)

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. (Genesis 1:20)

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:24-28)

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:29-31)

As you can see from the above Scriptures God merely spoke and things were created. He didn't need to have a design team draw blue-prints and then some factory to manufacture it. He just spoke, and it came into existence! He also created man in His image. That means we, who are born-again, have not only His appearance (image) but are also like Him.

Repeating again the opening statement "The spoken word is powerful" to emphasize the fact that we hold an immense power with our tongue. We can bless or kill with what we say. In fact, James had quite a bit to say about the power of the tongue.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:1-8)
According to what is written in James 3:1-8, our tongue is an unruly instrument over which we have little control. More than that, it says, it is an "unruly evil" and "full of poison." This passage of James continues, in verses 9 through 12, asking the questions whether fresh and salt water can flow from the same source as well as figs from a vine or olives from a fig tree. We know these things are not to be found so why do we continue to issue both blessings and curses from our mouth?

Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. (James 3:9-12)
We are also told, in James 1:26, that when we do not keep our tongue in check and deceive ourselves our religion is in vain.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. (James 1:26)

The positive side of this is in Psalms 34, where we are counseled to "keep our tongue from evil" that we may have a life of many days."

Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. (Psalm 34:11-14)

James 1:19 through 21 instructs us to hear well but to be slow to be angry and to speak. In other words, we are to think carefully before we speak and not issue forth ungodly words. Then in James 4:11 we are told we should not speak evil of or judge our brother.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:19-21)

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. (James 4:11)

Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, tells them to be kind to one another and to refrain from speaking bitterness, wrath, anger, and evil talk.

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:30-32)

He continues this instruction in the following chapter where he tells them how they should speak to each other.

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:18-21)
Jesus, in Matthew chapter 8, praised the centurion for his understanding of the power of the spoken word. The centurion being a man under authority was well acquainted with giving orders and expecting them to carried out. When he spoke it was done for him.

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.  (Matthew 8:8-10)
One of the names of God is "I AM." We don't often think of Him by that name but it was who God said He was when Moses asked "who shall I say sent me?" "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14)

Jehovah God called Himself "I AM" when telling Moses who it was that was sending him, therefore, when we speak the words "i am" we are actually calling out the name of God. When we then use that phrase in a sentence, we are really calling out to God with our speech. It is my firm conviction that what we speak may actually be a prayer.

When we speak negatively we often, if not always, proclaim a self-fulfilling prophecy. Those words promote doubt and disbelief in what God has said about us and others.

With that in mind it is important for us to speak God's Word - to say what He has said - about us and for us. God has provided such a rich blessing upon us and for our future. We should continually offer up praise to Him for this wonderful gift that goes well beyond basic salvation. He has also included in that gift of salvation our healing, [mental, spiritual and physical] our protection, a comforter to give counsel and directions for our life, and so much more. We should speak these promises to remind ourselves of them but also to remind God of His promise to us.

We must always remember that our tongue is a very powerful tool which is to be used wisely. It like any other sharp edged tool is useful for accomplishing the task for which it was designed. But, it like other tools, when used improperly can inflict great damage and hurt. How many times have we uttered some comment in haste or anger that created a riff between us and another person? Speaking for myself, it is way too often.

We should endeavor to build up our brethren, encouraging them in the Lord with every word that passes over our lips. We should also refrain from saying things which kill, destroy and tear down ourselves and others. As is pointed out in the book of James, this is an almost insurmountable task for us but as we enlist the help of the Holy Spirit, it then becomes possible.

Our prayer then should be something like this: "Heavenly Father, by Your Holy Spirit help us to speak only those words that are pleasing in Your sight."

Included here are some scriptures that tell us what God has said about us. These are the types of statements we should be thinking and saying to ourselves and others to remember how God views us. Doing this is part of the process of "Renewing our minds" spoken of in the 26th verse of chapter five of Ephesians. (That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,) and verses 1 & 2 of the 12th chapter of Romans. (I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.)

I encourage you to meditate on these scriptures committing them first to memory and then hiding them in your heart where I pray they will take root and become a living part of you.

 

Bill Liddle
March 4, 2004
Revised April 17, 2008

 If you desire additional information you may contact me:  Bill

 

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