The Power of the Tongue: Blessing or Cursing?
“The Power of the Tongue: Blessing or Cursing?” Proverbs 18-21-”Death and life are in the power of the tongue”
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”-Proverbs 18:21
The tongue is a powerful part of the body. The New Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the tongue as the organ of taste and speech. The word “tongue” can also refer to a particular language or dialect, or even a race of people who share a common language. But today, I want to focus on the tongue as an instrument of speech. Our tongue can be used to bless or to curse, to encourage or discourage, to build up or tear down, to speak life or to speak death. Figuratively speaking, the tongue can be sharpened like a sword.
Psalm 64:3 says, “Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.” Psalm 140: 3 says, “They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips.” These scriptures remind us that the tongue can become a deadly weapon. Words may not leave a physical wound that we can see, but they can leave deep wounds in a person’s heart and spirit.
We must be careful what we say. The Bible tells us plainly, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: (Proverbs 18:21). That means our words matter. What we say can bring encouragement, hope, and healing, but our words can also cause pain, division, discouragement, and destruction. Jeremiah 9:8 describes the tongue as a weapon that can deceive and harm others. There are many ways people misuse their tongues: flattery, backbiting, lying, unrestrained speech, speaking without thinking, blurting out things about others, creating strife, causing destruction, and using craftiness to manipulate or set people up. Sadly, this can happen anywhere-even in the church.
There may be times when someone believes one person is more qualified than another for a certain position or elevation. Instead of allowing God to have His way, someone may use their words and craftiness to tear another person down. But this behavior is not limited to the church. It happens in workplaces, families, friendships, and throughout the world. As believers, we must be careful that we are not using our tongues to sin against others. How can we say that we love God while continually speaking evil about people whom God created? Psalm 34:13 gives us clear instructions: “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”
We are called to use our tongues differently. Our words should edify, encourage, strengthen, and build others up. We should let people know that we love them and care about them. We should use our mouths to praise and worship God and to speak words that bring peace rather than division. David understood the importance of having a clean heart. He prayed in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” That should be our prayer too.
As born-again believers, we must guard our mouths. Our words can discourage someone who is already struggling. Our words can cause someone to fall away from the faith. Our words can destroy a person’s confidence and wound their spirit. Our conversations should reflect Christ. How can we say that Christ lives in us while evil, hatred, bitterness, and destruction continually come out of our mouths? The tongue can be an indicator of what is happening inside of us. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” What is in our hearts eventually finds its way out of our mouths. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
What is in the heart comes out through our words. We can pour out good or evil, encouragement, love or hate, peace or strife. Our words reveal what is taking place within us. This is why we need God to change not only our mouths but also our hearts. We must ask the Holy Spirit to help us guard our mouths, especially when we are angry. Think about the consequences of speaking while angry. Once words are spoken, we cannot always take them back. We may apologize, but the person may still remember the hurt our words caused. Ephesians 4:26 says, “Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Being angry does not give us permission to say whatever comes to our minds. We can be angry without becoming hateful. We can be hurt without becoming hurtful. We can disagree without destroying someone with our words.
Think before you speak. James understood the seriousness of the tongue. In James 3, he compares the tongue to a small part of the body that can cause great damage. He knew that controlling our speech would be a struggle for God’s people. How should we live as born again believers? We should pray more and speak idle words less. We should become more focused on God. We should desire for our lives to be pleasing and blameless before Him. Our tongues should bless others, encourage others, and give praise and worship to God. God created our ability to speak, and our speech should exemplify Christ. We should be found speaking kind words, edifying one another, lifting one another up, and building each other up. Philippians 2:3 reminds us, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory: but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.”
Our hearts and minds need to be fixed on God daily. We cannot rely on our own strength. We need the Lord to help us control our words, our emotions, our thoughts, and our responses. We don’t want our speech to betray us. Let us ask God to give us hearts that are tender toward Him and toward others. Let us speak blessings instead of curses, peace instead of war, and love instead of hate.
We all need God to continue changing us. We all need our hearts changed, our minds changed, and sometimes, even our mouths changed. There are times when we can be sharp with others. We can say things that wound someone’s spirit without realizing how deeply our words have affected them. But are are living to please God. So let us season our words and be gentle in the things we say. As the saying goes, “Think before you talk.” If you have a problem controlling your mouth, ask God to help you develop self-control. He sees your heart, and He knows whether you truly desire to change. Let us become more like Christ.
Let us lift one another up and encourage each other because we are all striving to make heaven our home. We don’t want to tear anyone down, whether they are in the church or outside of the church. We are called to be examples for others to follow. If we truly love one another, how can we continually tear each other down? Today, let us be mindful and prayerful about what we say. Before you speak, ask yourself; Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? Will it build someone up or tear them down? Does it represent Christ?
Our words have consequences. Once they leave our mouths, we cannot simply pull them back. Therefore, let us choose our words carefully. Let our tongues be instruments of blessing, encouragement, love, peace, and worship. Let our mouths speak life.. Let our words bring healing instead of hurt. Let our conversations glorify God. And when we find ourselves struggling with our tongues, let us go back to God and pray: “Lord, create in me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Help me to guard my mouth, control my words, and use my tongue to bless others. Let everything I say bring glory to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Remember: The tongue has power. Choose to use yours to speak life.
