The words we speak are powerful. The tongue actually has the power to bless or curse, tell the truth or to twist words into lies. In reality, our tongues reveal whom or what we worship. Knowing that the tongue possesses this kind of power, we learn that only the power given by the Holy Spirit can tame it; otherwise, the tongue remains a slave to sin and is a ‘restless evil.’ James writes extensively about the tongue. James 3:7-10 states:
““Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it.””
As James tells us, the tongue actually has the capacity to bless or to curse; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. A person is not able to control nor command their tongue. Rather, the tongue is an instrument given to serve what we worship. In essence, our spoken words reveal our hearts. James goes on to say:
“ “Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.””
James is showing us that, because sin has broken our relationship with the heart of God; it has also caused our hearts and tongues to produce evil with our words. But when we receive salvation and our hearts are brought into alignment with God’s heart, by submission to the Holy Spirit, then we will produce words consistent with the Holy Spirit. In essence: the fig tree will produce figs, because, at its root, it is a fig tree. If our hearts are rooted in God’s grace, mercy, and love, then our tongues will be the branches that produce fruit consistent with our hearts.
DISCUSS
Talk about a time when someone blessed you with their words.
Who is someone you can bless with your words this week?
In this time of quarantine, the art of letter writing could be a powerful tool your family could use to bless others.
Kids, check out this video to learn more about words:
Though we use our lips and tongues to speak words, it’s our hearts that make the words. Though we cannot always see our hearts produce the words we say, the Lord knows what we mean when we speak to Him or to others. Psalm 139:4 teaches us that:
““Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord.” ”
Realizing the Lord knows our hearts, it is vital that we ask the Lord to keep command of our heart and its motivations. When the Lord remains upon the throne of our hearts, then the words that we speak will be from His Spirit, not our flesh. The Holy Spirit’s conviction then continually tames our tongues, leading to our heart’s meditations and tongue’s words to be of His Spirit. Notice David’s request in Psalm 19 is both for his heart and his tongue:
““May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.””
David realizes the connection between his tongue and his heart. He asks the Lord to maintain control of both.
DISCUSS
Is there a specific situation in your life where you are needing God to control both the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart? If you are able, talk about the situation with your family.
PRAY
Ask the Lord to take control that He might use your tongue to bring blessing in that situation.
Consider letting your kids write out Psalm 19:14 using their own names and then placing it somewhere in your house as a reminder to them (For example, “May the words of Jude’s mouth and the meditations of Jude’s heart be pleasing to You, Lord”).
Paul, once again, speaks to the connection between our tongue and our heart. In this passage, the evidence of salvation is known in both heart and mouth:
““The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. This is the message of faith that we proclaim: If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, since the same Lord of all is rich to all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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As stated in the opening paragraph, our tongue reveals who or what we worship because our words reveal our heart’s desires. Through repentance and submission to the saving name of Jesus, our heart’s desires are renewed by the Holy Spirit. As our hearts are renewed by the Holy Spirit, then our tongues become tools used to speak blessing, love, and courage into others, all in the name of our Lord. Our tongues offer praises to our Lord because our hearts know the joy of His presence; any desire to condemn or curse is captured by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and discarded. We are no longer double-minded and unstable but singular-minded and secure in His name. We then share in the desires of our Lord with grateful hearts because of His great love. Then, we can share in the heart-cry of the Psalmist:
““My lips pour out praise, for You teach me Your statutes.
My tongue sings about Your promise, for all Your commands are righteous.”
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COMMUNAL PRAYER
““Yahweh, our Lord, how magnificent is Your name throughout the earth!
You have covered the heavens with Your majesty.
Because of Your adversaries, You have established a stronghold of praise
from the mouths of children and nursing infants
to silence the enemy and the avenger.”
”
Today, for communal prayer, we will pray over our children. I have always found Psalm 8:2 to be one of the most intriguing verses in all of the Psalms. What a powerful thought to know that one of God’s plans for silencing the enemy is to use the praise that flows from the mouths of our children.
The word stronghold means “a place of defensive strength protected from attack; a place dominated by a particular characteristic” (in this case - praise). What does God use as a stronghold, a place of defensive strength, a place protected from attack? God describes it in this verse as the praise that flows from the mouths of our children and even the babbling of our nursing infants. He uses the praise of the weakest and most vulnerable creations to nullify the work of the enemy.
Since the day when Christ was victorious over the cross, Satan has sought to retaliate and inflict harm on all creation. He knows He has lost, but while He roams the earth, His desire is to stir up strife and destruction within our lives and within the lives of those we love. This verse gives us insight into the secret weapon God uses to bring an end to the enemy’s plans - the praise of our children!
Parents, grandparents, teachers, let me encourage you to make praise a regular part of your speech. As we seek to learn and live out Psalm 119:171-172, our children will learn to do the same. May we teach our children to use their tongues for praise! This enables Christ to then use their words to silence the words of the enemy in their lives and in the lives of those around them.
DISCUSS
Praise means to bless, to make much of, to celebrate. What can your family praise God for today?
PRAY
Ask the Lord to establish a stronghold of praise within your house. Pray that your family’s defense in times of trouble and what sets your family apart would be the praise that flows from your mouths.
Highland, we love you.
Rob & Carrie