The Power of the Tongue

Throughout Scripture we are warned about our tongue.  Did you ever bite your tongue?  Hurts don't it.  It can also hurt others.  Once something hurtful is spoken to another person it cannot be taken back.  Oh, you may say, "I didn't mean that" ... but the damage is already done.

In Scripture, when the tongue is referenced, it is usually referring to a language or words spoken, some type of communication through speech.  At other times the mouth is spoken of, but it is with the meaning ... words formed by the tongue, spoken by the mouth through our lips.  So in essence, all three have virtually the same meaning in Scripture.

Way back in the Old Testament, God was speaking to His people about the dangers that the power of the tongue can wield.  Look what the Holy Spirit had Solomon declare in his book of wisdom ...

Proverbs 13:3 ... "He who guards his mouth keeps his life ..."  It has been said that God has given us two eyes that we may see much; two ears that we may hear much; but only one tongue, fenced in with teeth to indicate that though we hear and see much ... we should speak but little.

And why is that?  According to Proverbs 18:21 ... "Death and life are in the power of the tongue ..."  Although we are not God, we can still bless those around us when we speak and declare "life" over them.  This "life blessing" may include health, safety, prosperity and perhaps even the number of their days, how long they will live.  So speak blessing unto your family and friends in the name of Jesus.

David, the shepherd boy who became King, who the Scripture speaks of as a man after God's own heart, declared in Psalms 34:12-13 ...

"What man is he who desires life and longs for many days ... Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit."

 Albert Barnes (1798-1870) an American Presbyterian biblical scholar and theologian that I often quote said this about David's instruction ...

"Keep your tongue from evil ... From speaking wrong things.  Always give utterance to truth.  The meaning is, that this is one of the methods of lengthening out life.  Speak the truth; avoid all falsehood, slander and deceit, and it will contribute to, or will be a means which will tend to prolong life, and make it happy.

And your lips from speaking deceit ... Do not deceive others by your words.  Do not make any statements which are not true, or any promises which you cannot and will not keep.  Let all your words convey truth.  It cannot be doubted that this, like all other virtues, would tend to lengthen life, and to make it prosperous and peaceful.  There is no vice which does not tend to abridge human life, as there is no virtue which does not tend to lengthen it.

It is also true that God will bless a life of virtue and uprightness, and though there is no absolute certainty that anyone, however virtuous he may be, may not be cut off in early life, yet it is also true that, other things being equal, a man of truth and integrity will be more likely to live long ... as he will be more certain to make the most of life ... than one who is false and corrupt."

We need to guard not only what we say ... but how we say it.  Men cannot spit forth poison without feeling some of the venom burning their own flesh.

David understood the importance of his words, otherwise he wouldn't have prayed as he did in Psalms 19:14 when he said ... "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD ..."

I have shared some of David's heart as far as his words are recorded in Scripture concerning the power of the tongue.  The Scripture also records in Matthew 12:34-37 the words of Jesus about how mankind as a whole speaks.

"... out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  A good man, out of a good heart brings forth good things; and an evil man, out of a evil heart brings forth evil things.  I say unto you, every idle word that men speak, they shall give an account of in the day of judgment.  For by the words you shall be justified, and by thy words you shall be condemned."

Jesus doesn't mess around with words does He.  He cuts right to the chase, to the heart of the matter.  Then a little later in Matthew 15:18, He says almost the same thing but adds a clarifying point at the end ...

"Those things which proceed out of the mouth, come from the heart ... (speaking of evil things spoken) ... and they defile the man."

John Gill's Commentary addresses the problem of an evil man's heart speaking ... "He is not the man his mouth declares him to be, but what his heart thinks; which is discovered by his actions, by which he is to be judged of, and not by his words."

What is in the heart ... will come out ... sooner or later.  Solomon puts it this way in Proverbs 23:7 ... "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he."

I love the words of Solomon ... usually ... so here are a few of his thoughts concerning what and how we speak. 

"You are snared with the words of your mouth ... He that hath knowledge spares his words ... See a man that is hasty in his words, there is more hope in a fool than in him ... The words of a wise man are gracious ... Be not rash with your mouth nor let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you are on the earth; therefore let thy words be few."  (edited for clarity)

My final thoughts are from James 3:6-11 and what he thinks about the power of the tongue.  He says ...

"The tongue is a fire, it's undisciplined evil, full of deadly poison.  With it we bless God and with it we curse men made in His likeness.  Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing.  These things ought not to be.  Does a fountain send forth fresh water and bitter water from the same opening?"  (Amplified, edited)

James also said ... "No man can tame his tongue."

Prove him wrong.



Comments welcome.

Who Should We Pray To

The question has been asked, as Christians ... who should we pray to ... Jesus, or God the Father?  Does it really matter?  God, or (the Godhead) is made up of three distinct beings or persons, the Father, the Son (the Word) and the Holy Spirit.  The usual title of the Godhead, (referred to as the three in one) is the Trinity.

Let's first consider Jesus, as the Word, who would later become the Son of God.

John 1:1-2 says ... "In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself.  He was present originally with God."

Before time itself became a reality, Jesus was with God as the Word.  In fact John's words ... "the Word was God" ... clarifies who Jesus was before He became man.

John 1:14 ... "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us ..."

Truthfully, I find I have a small difficulty wrapping my mind around the fact that Jesus was ... let me put it this way ... normal human flesh as a man on the outside, while at the same time, He was God on the inside.  You could also say it this way ... Jesus was God just wrapped in human flesh.

Because theology, the study of God teaches that ... God cannot be less than He is ... even when veiled in human flesh; the writer of Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus, "... He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature ..."

The Apostle Paul also makes a revealing statement about Jesus in Colossians 1:15 ... "He is the exact likeness of the unseen God, the visible representation of the invisible ..."

Jesus is the express image of God's person.  The word "image" in Hebrews 1:3 is not the same Greek word used in 1st Corinthians 11:7 where it says, "... man is the image of God ..."  The word image used of man in Corinthians ... "suggests" ... God, as our shadow suggests us.  In Hebrews, speaking of Jesus, the word image means that He is ... "visibly exactly" ... what God is in essence.

Jesus, being the express image of God, is why He could say in John 14:9 ... "He that has seen me, has seen the Father."  They are one in the same ... and no, I can't explain it, except to say that Jesus now has the resurrected, glorified body of a man forever, having willingly given up His former position in Heaven to become the Son of God.

In Hebrews 1:6, God the Father said, "Let all the angels of God worship Him," meaning Jesus the Son.  So from this I say, if God wanted His angels to worship Jesus, I do not believe it would displease the Father if we also worship and give praise unto His Son.

Notice what God the Father said to His Son in Hebrews 1:8 ... "Your throne, O God, is forever ..."  The Father called Jesus, "God."  And He is.

In Philippians 2:6-11, Paul makes this statement speaking of Jesus ...

"Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant, in that He became like men and was born a human being.

And after He had appeared in human form, He abased and humbled Himself [still further] and carried His obedience to the extreme of death, even the death of the cross!

Therefore [because He stooped so low] God has highly exalted Him and has freely bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, And every tongue [frankly and openly] confess and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

What more can be said by anyone that describes the position or rank Jesus holds within the Trinity Godhead as well as the Apostle Paul has here?  Paul may have penned the words, but it was the Holy Spirit that was the author.

Concerning the question ... who should we pray to?

In Matthew 6:9, Jesus taught His disciples to pray saying ... "Our Father ..."  As Jews, the disciples were used to praying to God, but now Jesus introduced God to them as their Heavenly Father, which alludes to God as no longer being untouchable.  

Jesus also said in John 14:13 ... "And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

Jesus, knowing He would physically leave this earth said in John 16:23, "... when that time comes, you will ask Me nothing ..." (since I won't be here personally) "... ask the Father in my Name ..."

I believe we are to pray to the Father, in the Name of Jesus.  But, we don't want to get all bent out of shape if we hear someone start praying to Jesus.  He is ... Lord ... you know.

The danger then is being caught up in legalism trying to follow all the man made rules of prayer and worship ... such as how to pray or when to pray.  What about our bodily position?  Do we kneel, stand, sit or pace during prayer?  Do we lift our face to Heaven?  Should we pray out loud or silently?

Do not get caught up in legalism.

The Apostle Paul addresses this subject in Colossians 2:4-22 ... (edited for clarity)

"I say this in order that no one may mislead you ... See to it that no one carries you off or makes you captive by so-called philosophy and intellectualism following human tradition ... Having cancelled and blotted out the handwriting of the note with its legal regulations, decrees, and demands ... Jesus set aside and completely cleared it out of our way by nailing it to His cross.

Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath.  Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire over you ... then why do you submit to rules and regulations such as ... do not handle this ... do not taste that ... do not even touch them ... referring to things all of which perish with being used.  To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines."

In all of Paul's letters to the churches, he mentions both, God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Here in Colossians, Paul singles out Jesus with the phrase "in Him" which he uses more than once.

"For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature]."

"And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead ... Father, Son and Holy Spirit ... and reach full spiritual stature].  And He is the Head of all rule and authority ..."

Have I answered the question ... "who should we pray to" ... to your satisfaction?  Honestly, I'm not sure it matters ... as long as you realize you are going to the Father through Jesus.   

I believe in the Godhead, the Trinity, the three in one.  But as I have said before ... the One I am trusting in and looking for is my Lord ... and His name is Jesus.  And that doesn't bother the Father or the Holy Spirit at all.  They don't have a problem with Jesus.  It's man that has the problem. 

Well ... some men do.




All Scripture References ... Amplified Bible.


Comments welcome.

Where Did Evil Come From

Evil.  Did you know there are two types of evil?  And the fact is, both types of evil abounds in the world.  It is mentioned often in the Word of God.  In general, evil is described and defined by my dictionary as ... "profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity; in the supernatural realm it is associated with the forces of the devil." 

This describes the most common perception of evil ... the evil of sin.  But evil is sometimes described as ... "something that is harmful or undesirable" ... which I will call ... the evil of nature. 

Most people instinctively know and recognize evil when they see it.  But what does the Scripture say about evil. 

Isaiah 45:7 ... "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things."

Now remember, this is God making a statement about Himself through His servant Isaiah.  What's He saying?  I believe it is this ... He is declaring that as the creator of the universe, He is the author of all things of every kind, which also includes this word, "evil" as used in this scripture. 

But let me clarify one thing ... God is not the author of sin, so the word "evil" as used here ... is not speaking of the evil of sin.

The evil of sin is always either of men or Satan.  Man's sin is allowed (or if you prefer) permitted by the Lord because of man's free will.  When I say that sin is allowed or permitted, I am in no way saying that God wants or desires man to sin.  He does not.  God hates all sin.  This scripture does not prove that God is the author of moral evil or sin, and such a sentiment is abhorrent to the general strain of the Bible and to all just views of the character of God.  He is simply honor bound to let man choose the evil of sin because He gave man free will.

The Hebrew meaning of the word "evil" in the above scripture is simply ... something bad ... which may allude to the following: adversity, affliction, calamity and distress.

God can bring punishment for sin.  He did all the time in the Old Testament.  Does He yet today?  What about famine, pestilence, natural disasters or even war which is usually brought on by the effects of sin ... all of which are permitted by God.  All afflictions, adversities, and dare I say, diseases, come under the same name ... "evil" ... and can be of God.  These are some of the things that the word evil in this scripture was speaking of.

Augustine said ... "Evil, which is sin, the Lord hath not done; evil, which is punishment for sin, the Lord bringeth."

"I the Lord do all these things."  Does God direct judgments, disappointments, trials, and calamities?  Does He have power to afflict nations with war?  Does He preside over adverse as well as prosperous events?

Amos 3:6 ... "Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid?  Shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?"

I think Amos is saying basically this ... "If it happens, God has done it."

Amos evidently believed that the "so called evil," the things that life in general brings our way were directed from the hand of God.  And personally ... I have no problem with that belief.

"Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it" ... which is not to be understood as the evil of sin, of which God is not the author, because it's contrary to His nature and will; and though He permits it to be done by others ... He never does it Himself.

Evidently the Apostle Paul also believed this because he said ... "God works all things ..."

Ephesians 1:11 ... "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will."

The word "worketh" in Greek is "energo" (pronounced en-erg-eh' -o) and means ... "to be active, involved in all things."

The word for "all" is really all things; it's the Greek "pas" and means ... "all, any, every, the whole thing, with nothing left out."

The affirmation here is not merely that God accomplishes the designs of salvation according to the counsel of His own will, but that He does everything.  God's work is not confined to only people and their salvation.  Every object and event ... is under His control ... and is in accordance with His eternal plan.

God is the author of all things but sin; of the works of creation and providence, of grace and salvation; and who works all these things according to His will, as He pleases.  Am I repeating myself?  Yes I am ... I intend too.  God is good, but God is also Holy.  We tend to forget that sometimes.

In the Providence of God, (governing and controlling all things) man is allowed to do that which he wills, but suffers evil because of his actions.  It has been said ... "Natural evil is the punishment of moral evil.  God sends the former when the latter is persisted in."  So by this we see the difference between sinful evil and some of the things in nature that we think of as evil.

Job once said to his wife ... "What, shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?  In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

Let me say that the source of all these dealings with Job is not related to Satan's accusations, but rather came from God Himself.  God sets all things in motion.  When God demands of Satan the question ... "Have you considered my servant Job" ... it was because He Himself had.  Satan was but an instrument to bring about God's purposes with Job, and still is today.

Solomon was also a wise man who asked this question as a statement of fact in ...

Lamentations 3:38 ... "Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?"

The Amplified says it this way ... "Is it not out of the mouth of the Most High that evil and good both proceed [adversity and prosperity, physical evil or misfortune and physical good or happiness]?"

Does not evil or trouble come out of God's mouth from His direction, thru providence ... as well as good?  Certainly they do; they both come to pass as God and His will have determined, either immediately by His own hand, or by the hands of those He employs.  Whoever are the instruments, God is the principal agent.  Out of His mouth both good and evil proceed.

According to the Word, these things are all by His appointment; He determines what kind and nature they shall be; how far they shall go; and their duration ... how long they shall last.

And so all things come from God, even all temporal things.  Everything in God's providence have their purpose and being ... even nature's evil ... meant to be for our good.  These are all according to the appointment of God, and the determination of His will.

John Wesley says ... "God by his wise and holy providence governs all the actions of men and devils, and the affairs of earth are much the subject of the counsels of the unseen world.  That world is dark to us, but we lie open to it."

I know this isn't a popular teaching anymore, but it's Scripture ... and at least for me ... it makes me learn to trust God in all things.

To Be Jewish

Once again I find I want to post the thoughts of Dr. David Yeagley, a Comanche Indian and fellow Christian.  Dr. Yeagley is the great-great-grandson of Comanche leader Bad Eagle.  He created BadEagle.com, the sole voice of conservative thought among American Indian intellectuals.  I've shared some of his thoughts before, such as this statement ... "The rise and fall of nations is something God tends to.  Nations are on probation." 

This time, he has been thinking about the Jewish race ... and says that out of all the variety of races in the world, God chose this one race to be His people.  Why?  He continues with ...  

"And then comes the idea of the right race, the superior race, the race to be.  This thought naturally occurs.  Of the ethnicities of the world, which one is the right one?  Which one is the best, the superior, the most desirable?

Those of us mad in our ambitions, those of us whose unbridled spirits are so insane as to seek God, the supreme Being, must have a sense of superiority ... if but in thought.  Our very language demands it: good, better, best.  We are prone forever to the superlative.  It is the nature of human consciousness.

I will admit that I have found the Jewish identity, the Jewish race and all its accoutrements, the quintessence of consciousness.  Of course, I am not Jewish.  I am Indian (Comanche) and white (German and English), so that my quest was jaded from the start.  As I have aged, I have realized how difficult it is for me even to acknowledge my plight.  A Supreme Being requires a supreme race.  To believe in one is to face the other.

To me, it seems that if God revealed Himself, or otherwise identified Himself with a particular race or ethnicity, that people have a mark of phenomenological superiority.  No other race can claim that same distinction.  In this distinction, chosen of God, and all that implies, is found the untouchable, immutable superiority.  Never mind the character of the individual Jew.  This 'chosenness' is a transcendent distinction that neither I nor he can alter.  Nor are either of us to be faulted for these circumstances and conditions."

Let me pause here with my own thoughts.  I've never been accused of being too smart, so I better keep it simple if I'm going to understand it myself.  In my own words, what I think Dr. Yeagley is saying or perhaps asking is ...

If God chooses a race of people, is it because they are superior?  Has God placed His stamp of approval on them in a special way?  Is it not true that the Nation of Israel has had this distinction of being chosen alone?  Does a Supreme Being require a supreme race? 

He goes on to say, if so ... "Such distinction is something only to be desired, never possessed."

In the past Dr. Yeagley has talked about race often because he is a Comanche.  He says any race or nationality can come to the United States and become an American, but they can never become a Comanche.  You have to be born Comanche to be a Comanche.  God made the different races to be different with their own identities.  If the different races were a good thing in God's eyes in the beginning, shouldn't race still be a good thing today?

So, hold on to this thought from Dr. Yeagley.  "I desire God.  I desire that which I am not."

Okay ... now we are getting to the point he is making.  If being a part of the Jewish race is best, then he wants to pursue being Jewish.  But he will never become Jewish.  But a young Jewish woman explains to him ... well, read the following as he continues his pursuit.

"Sara Eisner, offered me something that I could never have hoped to find, though searching earnestly.  I met Sara in Caesarea, Israel, in 1998.  I never expected that the most precious thought I could ever think would come from a Jewish woman, or that it would come 14 years later.

Sara, a nice Jewish girl from Bialystok (Poland), like many Eastern European women, has a very intense personality, thinks and talks ninety-miles a minute, and Sara knows a dozen languages fluently, she has been everywhere in the world it seems, and she is generally liable to say anything ... in great humor, to boot.  It is an extraordinary experience to talk with her, but, I should say, always a pleasant ordeal.  She sees to that.

Sara knows all about my preoccupations with religion, Bible, art, and ethnicity.  She’s well aware of the Jesus story, and my peculiar writhings therewith and therein.  We speak freely.  Recently, in a bout of profundity, she said, as a matter of course ... 'David, you don’t have to be Jewish.  Jesus was Jewish for you.'

My soul was silenced.

After a life of sermons and intense study, a Yale Divinity degree, four other degrees in arts and letters, I believe I finally heard what my soul needed to hear.  And I heard it from the right person.

Just a simple word, from a Jewish girl, a Jewish woman.  Can it be?  Is eternity on the tongue of a Jewish woman?

Had it been any other person, would I have heard?

If there is virtue in human concourse, in the exchange between one human being with another, I have now owned it.  My soul has been watered, exquisitely.

Ah, the depth of desire, how wondrously the right words find it!  How incidental, the gates of Heaven.  How easily opened.  How nonchalant the entrance therein.  Thus appears the earthly peace, in any case.

Jesus is many things, but, Jewish, for me, is the gold of Ophir.  This is the reward of a life of searching.  Jesus, Jewish for me, is the theological triumph of my long and arduous journey ... and it was handed to me, freely, without cost, by the simple words of a lovely, and surely beloved Jewish girl from Bialystok.

Ain’t life great?  We all have a multitude of needs, but there are moments when at least some of those needs are indeed met.  A bit of a surprise, yes, but, perhaps that is the charm of truth in itself.  I just wonder how many other heathen out there could be relieved, would be blessed, by Sara’s words.  This isn’t about humility, pride, or character.  It is about naked desire.  It is about being honest in that desire.  I fear most of us have never faced clearly what we desire.  We perhaps don’t even understand it, or know it.  I know I did not.  Sara told me.

I desire the superlative, the best, the ultimate.  I desire God.  I desire that which I am not.  Her words bespoke a deeper understanding of Christ than I have ever heard in my entire life of religious pursuits.

She knew what I wanted.  She knew me.

Sara Eisner, nice Jewish girl from Bialystok.  Do angels come from Poland?  Just to meet Comanches in Israel?"




Dr. David Yeagley


Reprinted by permission. 

(Content edited.)