TODAY’S DEVOTION (TUESDAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2024)
“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 324TH DAY OF OUR YEAR OF IMPACT.
Blessed be the name of the LORD for dying on the cross, shedding his blood, and making us the sheep of His pasture. He has also ordained these devotionals to be a rich pasture for His sheep to feed from and graze in from time to time.
As our shepherd, He has been defending us from the paw of the lion and the activities of wolves in sheep clothing.
He has indeed been the light of not just the general world, but the light of our personal worlds. Shining through the darkness of our hearts to fill it with a Heavenly light, and refining our thoughts to be like His own thoughts for our lives. To Him belong the glory. Amen and amen!!!
Yesterday we gleaned on scriptural truths that taught us how to control our mouths after the mouth of the LORD has spoken. We discovered that if what god say to us will come to pass, or if His promises will be fulfilled, we must take faith positions that will make it happen, because He that comes to Him must believe.
One of the faith positions to take is the proper use of the tongue. Yes, we must put scriptural controls over our mouth, and use our tongues properly.
Let me say this, sometimes when things are not okay with us, especially after God may have spoken to us, it’s not our enemies that we should blame. We should just pause a little and check the things that have been coming out of our mouth.
Sometimes things that comes out of a man’s mouth, are more dangerous to the man’s life or more destructive to the man, than things that comes out of the gates of hell towards the man. In such circumstances, you read the Bible saying, “their mouths must be stopped.”
WHEN YOUR DESTRUCTION IS TRACEABLE TO YOUR MOUTH, AND YOU GO TRACING IT IN YOUR FATHER’S HOUSE, YOU ARE DOOMED.
People do not know that our words, good or bad, affect us first before the people who hear them. The easiest way to know this is through preaching or praying.
You see, whenever a preacher finish preaching, he may have spent time speaking to the people, but when he leaves the platform, a presence remains upon him. He leaves cleansed by the word he just preached.
That is ONE sign that the words he spoke, though targeted at the audience, affected him first before those who heard him.
Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:16, “Be careful in your life and in your teaching. Continue to live and teach rightly. Then you will save yourself and those who listen to your teaching” because whatever he preaches will affect him first before the people.
This is one reason you should not preach a perverted or mutilated gospel. The perversion or mutilation in what you are saying is affecting you first. You are first the partaker of the words; even if it is a curse on the people. It is first a curse on you who said them.
This is one reason why a wise Christian will not allow curses to unjustly come out of his or her mouths. Some will not let it come out, even when it is just. The Bible says,
“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.” James 3:10-12 NKJV
Yes, it ought not to be so. Our mouths ought not to be spewing out cursing and blessings, fresh or blessed words and bitter words, no!
That mixture is not the work of the LORD, but the work of the flesh. And do not forget, the works of the flesh are the breeding grounds of the works of the devil. In other words, when we allow the flesh to influence what we say, we open the doors for successful spiritual attacks to be launched against us.
That is why wise Christians follow what this scripture teaches meticulously, in the use of their tongues.
They make sure only blessings come out of their mouth, even if in the toughest times of life. In fact, like Paul and Barnabas in prison, they will prefer singing praises to the LORD than allowing their tough times detect what comes out of their mouth.
FRIEND, PART OF APOSTOLIC CULTURE IS WHAT WE FIND IN THIS SCRIPTURE.
A culture of right use of the tongue that tells one to allow just blessed words, instead of bitter words, faith filled fresh words, instead of frustration filled demoralizing words, to come out of their mouth.
The Holy Spirit in us will always make sure our mouths do not flow out two kinds of words if we listen or yield to Him. He does not want our lives ruined by what we say. He wants our lives blessed. Hallelujah!!
Now, it is important to note that, apart from hindering or ruining God’s promise made to you, what comes out of your mouth is doing four basic things to you. It is dividing something about you, adding something to you, subtracting something from you, or multiplying you in one way or the other.
That is why the Bible says death and life are in the power of the tongue.
For instance, if what is coming out of your mouth is evil, demonic, and ungodly, it will divide you negatively, add to you negatively, subtract from you negatively, or multiply you negatively. But if what is coming out of your mouth is good, peaceful, and godly, it will divide your life positively, add to you positively, subtract you positively, and multiply you positively.
Child of God, it does not matter how prayerful you are, it does not matter the glorious promises that might have been spoken over your life, if you are not mindful of what comes out of your mouth, you will still be living a miserable life.
Your tongue can set your life on fire with the fires of hell, if you do not allow the word of the LORD to guide your use of it. Our devotional text says,
“Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6 NKJV
IF SCRIPTURES LIKE THIS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GUIDE US IN THE USE OF OUR TONGUES, THEN WE WILL BE DOOMED ONE DAY.
It is Bible words like this that helps a man not to be the reason for his ruin or destruction. It is scriptures like this that tells us how destructive our tongues can be if not sanctified by the Spirit of the LORD and His word.
Friend, hidden in your mouth could be the reason for your failed or successful marriage, ministry, life vision, dreams, projects, prospects and etc. Hidden in your mouth could be the reason for all kinds of losses you have seen in life.
The Bible teaches that with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We have used that to lead people to Christ but we have not used it for keeping our mouths under check.
The easiest way to defeat a prophecy is to speak contrary to what God has promised you, because with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Satan knows that a lot of our salvation, success, deliverance, distinction and etc. depends on our tongue, hence mounting pressure on people to say things that build walls against them, instead of open doors for them.
He will create situations to make sure things that look different from what God may have said to you, are happening around. He will do that so that you will use your words against your life unknowingly, to truncate the works of the LORD in your life like those who left Egypt did.
You must be aware of this and always bring your tongues under control no matter what. The Bible says, “to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God”( Psalm 50:23).
Indeed, the salvation of the LORD belongs to those who use their tongues properly, not those who do not. They could be spending their days in fasting and praying, or serving God in one way or the other, the blessing of their faithfulness will only come if they are also faithful in using their tongues properly.
That is the word of the LORD for us today. Run with it and you will see all you have hindered by saying the wrong things released to you by the mercies of the LORD. Amen and amen!!!
Finally, I want to admonish that as you pass through this day, make a covenant with your mouth. Yes, we do not just make covenants with God, we can also make covenants with our mouths, our eyes, and etc. We can make covenants with any unruly part of our bodies to align the use of it with God’s word.
Make a covenant with your tongue not to allow any evil, demonic, or ungodly word to proceed out of your mouth. If you can bring your tongue under control, you will bring the power of God against all that is against you, and unleash the good days you may have hindered with the wrong use of your tongue. Amen!!!
MAKE THIS SCRIPTURE AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY
“Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalm 34:12-13 NKJV