The Power of the Tongue

1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Indeed, we put bits in horses mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 4 Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members taht it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. 8 But no man can tame the tongue. it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.

James 3: 1-12

God brought these scriptures to my attention recently and I have constantly been thinking about the power of the tongue since this. Such a small part of our being holds so much power. We have the ability to build someone up or drag them down. We can encourage them or discourage them. We can speak life of them or death over them.

Our words hold so much power. An example is in Joshua 6. This is when Joshua and his army were preparing to march around the walls of Jericho.

Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout.

Joshua 6:10

Joshua understood the power of the tongue. He instructed his army to not make a noise until he told them to because he understood that the tongue could get in God's way. If Joshua did not instruct his army to not make a noise until he said what do you think they would have said? I believe they would have spoken out much disbelief. They would have said things like this is crazy, what are we doing here, this isn't going to work, and so on. When they finally were instructed to shout the walls fell and they were victorious.

I just want to encourage you to remember the power of your tongue and the words that you speak every time you open your mouth. Speak life into people! Speak out your faith! Guard your tongue and your words.