iSpeech

The tongue is one of the smallest parts of the body, yet it carries one of the greatest powers. It is visible in weight but heavy in consequences. Many destinies have been lifted or buried not by actions alone but by words. The tragedy is that many believers pray powerfully, fast regularly, and serve faithfully, yet still destroy what they build because they have not learned to manage their tongues.

James 3:2 says, “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”. As a believer, your spiritual maturity is not first proven by your gift, but by your speech.

Your tongue as a child of God is not only for communication, it is also for creation, like your father in heaven. Proverbs 18:21. This book of proverbs says death and life are in the power of the tongue. This means you can speak life into a dead situation, and such a situation will receive life; and you can also kill something alive through your tongue. God, in the book of Genesis, Chapter One, created the world by speaking. You are made in his image; your words carry creative authority. The truth is, many people are living today in the world they created yesterday through their spoken words.

There is also something very important you must know: as a youth and as a child of God, you need to know that you can use your tongue to destroy what God is building for you. James 3:5-6 confirmed this; it says, “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 members, that is defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire of hell”. What this Bible passage is saying is that one careless statement can ruin relationships, it can destroy trust, it can scatter a church or a family. A careless word can abort divine opportunities. Ecclesiastes 5:6.

Some prayers are delayed; they go to voicemail, not because God is silent, but because your mouth contradicts your prayer. For instance, you say “God will bless me,” but you keep telling people around you that “Nothing works or is working in your life.”  That means you are tearing down with your mouth what you are building with your faith, and it also means you have an uncontrolled tongue.

There are many signs of an uncontrolled tongue; speaking without thinking is one of the signs of an uncontrolled tongue. Proverbs 29:20 says there is more hope for a fool than for a person who has an uncontrolled tongue. Gossip and backbiting are other signs of an uncontrolled tongue. A tongue that gossips and backbites scatters things. Proverbs 16:28. An uncontrolled tongue is always loaded with harsh and destructive words; their words are to kill and not to give life. Proverbs 15:1. Another sign is that an uncontrolled tongue exhibits double-tongued speech; such a person will say one thing to Mr. A about Mr. B, and when confronted, he will say something different. James 3vs:10. Such a tongue can switch from blessing a soul to cursing it.

FOUR REASONS MANY BELIEVERS (MOST ESPECIALLY YOUTH) STRUGGLE WITH THEIR TONGUE

  1. Lack of Discipline: Many youths of this generation are undisciplined; many a Christian of my generation lacks self-discipline and spiritual discipline. The majority talk the way they feel; such an act is nothing but a lack of discipline. Not everything you feel should be said.
  2. Ignorance of the power of words: many of us Christians (Children of God) do not know that all words from our mouths carry life or death; many do not know that their words are seeds, and seeds will produce fruit. Do not be ignorant, your words carry power as a child of God, which is more reason you have to be careful of how you are making use of the power in your tongue.
  3. Emotional instability: As a child of God, one of the first things you must master is how to control your emotions. This is because a man or woman who cannot control his or her emotions will continue to endanger his or her life and the lives of those around him. Anger, jealousy, and pride will often find expression through the tongue of a person who lacks power over their own emotions.
  4. An unrenewed heart: a heart that is not renewed, a heart that has not been crucified with Jesus Christ, will be struggling with its tongue; this is because a heart that has not been regenerated will speak deadly things. Luke 6:45. A man’s mouth reveals his spiritual condition; what he says and how he says it tells people about the condition of his heart and his spiritual status.

...to be continued