Pressure Points – The Power of Words

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.” James 3: 8 – 10.

Greetings in the Precious and Matchless Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Within six months of married life, the young couple stepped into our Counseling Room. The young girl, below 25 years of age, said, “My husband is OK. But I am not able to bear the bad language his mother uses on me. I don’t want to live in such a house.” Our words are very powerful; we harm the others with our words. We need wisdom from above to use our words wisely. Our words also reveal the state of our hearts.

Time and again the Scriptures address the tongue. James devotes an entire chapter to controlling the tongue. When we consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 12:34, “(You brood of vipers, how can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.)”, we see why the tongue is given such extensive treatment. How we handle the tongue is a great indicator of our hearts before God.

Our words give us away. In James 3:1-18 we see that the tongue has power; that it is by nature hypocritical; and that it can only be transformed from above.

I. We must know the power of the tongue (3:1-8)

James urges us to consider the power of the tongue. We must not be hasty in propelling ourselves into a position where the tongue is constantly used. It is powerful and as such will incur a “stricter judgment.”

A. Control the tongue, control the man

James argues from greater to lesser in verse 2. If one can control their tongue then they will be able to control the rest of the body as well. “For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” Says verse 2.

B. Big things come from the tiny tongue

Words can build or destroy. Better than anything else the tongue displays the state of our hearts. Humanity alone cannot control the tongue. “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose” says the Message Bible in Proverbs 18:21.

II. We must know the hypocrisy of the tongue

The powerful tongue can be used for great good or great evil. It will only tear down and destroy. Perhaps better than anything else the tongue reveals the Christian sanctification. Wise words bring many benefits (Pr.12:14)

A. The tongue can worship or curse (verse 10-12)

And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.
James is saying that such duplicity is inconsistent with a life redeemed by Christ. Believers ought to be growing more consistent in their speech. Redeemed speech only comes from godly wisdom being imparted to us. Worldly wisdom will lead to a tongue infused with bitterness that will show itself through bragging and a denial of truth. Godly wisdom will lead to pure and peaceable speech. Worldly wisdom is earthly, nonspiritual, and demonic.. Godly wisdom comes from above, characterized by all that is pure and peaceful. It leads to peace.

This type of wisdom only comes from God’s redeeming grace.The type of wisdom and speech that governs our life displays the work of God in our hearts. Where our speech and wisdom is worldly we see that the earthly, nonspiritual, and demonic is the governing authority. Where our speech and wisdom is characterized by purity and peace we see that something “from above” has taken root and is spreading through our lives.

Our speech and the type of wisdom that governs our lives display the state of our heart. What does your tongue reveal about your heart? Are you increasingly maturing in your speech? Or do you find your tongue a “restless evil” that you cannot control? James has taught us that apart from Christ, such an exhortation is impossible. Redeemed speech and wisdom only come from the work of the Redeemer. Let us cast ourselves on the mercy of our Redeemer and pray that He will continue His work of overthrowing the demonic words that occasionally flow from our mouths.

Prayer: Lord, fill my heart with Your love so that may speak only words of love, words of affection and words of encouragement. Give me the capacity to control my tongue. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.