Proverbs 18:21
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
INSIGHT
-The tongue is a small member of our bodies that has tremendous influence regarding life and death. With the tongue prophet Ezekiel was instructed by God to prophecy to the dry bones saying, “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 37:4-6). Ezekiel spoke life to the dry bones and they lived. With the tongue Jesus spoke life to Jairus daughter who was dead saying, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise” (Mark 5:41), and immediately the little girl arose and walked. Jesus also raised Lazarus from the dead saying in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43), and he who was dead; lived. Sometimes we experience dead situations in our lives that could be attributed to our tongues. Probably there was a heated conversation in a relationship, marriage union, family setting or work place; that cause disintegration because of hateful words. Some people also die because they get discouraged, depressed, and prophecy death upon their lives. Jesus calls us to speak life in every dead situation that we face and upon our lives, and we shall enjoy good fruits. He is the resurrection and the life, and calls us to believe in Him and we will have eternal life.
PRAYER
You are the resurrection and the life, Jesus, we honor You and believe in You. Our lives belong to You Jesus take over all that is associated with us. We speak life to every dead situation or dry bone in our lives, families, relationships, businesses, careers, churches, callings, ministries and nation, that it may be resurrected by Your power; risen Lord. We repent of every evil word that we have spoken over them and humbly ask for Your forgiveness merciful Savior. We speak life to every dead relationship and broken marriage, that Your power may be felt in each and every home. Your grace is sufficient for us dear Jesus, and Your strength is made perfect in weakness, and when we are weak, then we are strong, for Your power is resident in us. Thank You Jesus for loving us. We boldly come to Your throne of grace dear Jesus that we may find mercy and grace to help us during our time of need. We shall not die but live to declare Your goodness Oh Lord. We shall see You Jesus as You are; when You come to save Your people. Guide us through out the week and make every crooked path straight; merciful Savior. We are more than conquerors in You Jesus. We thank You Jesus and adore for Your goodness and mercy upon our lives. We exult You and praise You for only You deserve. All glory, honor, power, praise and blessings belongs to You Jesus, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: John 11:25-26
Proverbs 12:18
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
INSIGHT
-The tongue can influence ones physical and spiritual health through proclamations and the gift of healing. The mouth of the wise speak wisdom, and their tongues talk of justice (Psalms37:30). Jesus is our righteous Judge and speaks justice even to the poor; from everlasting to everlasting. He healed the soul of Zacchaeus saying, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:9-10). Jesus healed Zacchaeus spiritually and imparted salvation to his household. Jesus also spoke healing to the man at the pool of Bethesda, who had suffered for thirty eight years saying, “Rise, take up your bed and walk” (John 5:8), and he was healed immediately. Jesus healed this man and many other people in the Bible, as He does today.
PRAYER
Lord You are great and greatly to be praised. You are to be feared above all gods, for all the gods of the people are idols, but You Lord made the heavens and the earth, and everything that is in it. Honor and majesty are before You, strength and beauty are in Your sanctuary. You are our righteous Judge dear Jesus. You defend the weak and the fatherless. You uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. You rescue the weak and the needy. You deliver them from the hand of the wicked, we honor You and praise Your holy name. Heal us Oh Lord and we shall be healed, save us and we shall be saved, for You are the one we praise. You are the Father to the fatherless and a husband to the widows, do a new thing in our lives Abba Father. May Your healing power be felt among our brothers and sisters who are ailing. May Your loving kindness be evident among the children living in the streets and all those who are in prison. May Your presence always be present in our churches and our lives. May Your salvation come to our homes from everlasting to everlasting. May Your love be evident in our society, nation and entire world. Fill us with Your wisdom Holy Spirit that our lips may always be pleasing to You. Impart in us Your gift of healing that we may work good works for the glory of Your name. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen
Further reading: Psalms 12:3, Isaiah 61:8-9, 1 Corinthians 12:9
James 3:9
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings who have been made in God’s likeness”
INSIGHT
-The dual nature of the tongue is a paradox. It is notoriously inconsistent and the result reveals its nature. The tongue is like a double edged sword that either cuts with good words or evil. On one side the tongue cuts with deceitful and perverse words (Proverbs 4:24), and the other proclaim God’s righteousness and praises (Psalms 35:28). We are called to love God and one another as our own selves. Also to do good to others as we would like them to do unto us. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our tongue praise the Lord and from our heart flow rivers of living water. Then we rejoice in the Lord with our tongues, our hearts are glad, and our bodies rest secure in the Lord (Psalms 16:9).
PRAYER
We sing to You our Lord and our God a new song, and tell of all Your wonderful acts. We come to Your presence with thanksgiving in our hearts, and sing to You songs of praise. Our lips proclaim Your goodness and our tongues Your majesty. Abba Father You have done great things in our lives and and You will continue to do marvelous things unto us; for You are good and goodness endures forever. All the earth worships You and sings praises to You. We sing praises to Your name dear Jesus. Teach us to tame our tongues with wisdom. Cause us to understand wherein we have erred. Remove every form of flattery or evil from our lips, and very proud thing from tongues. Purify our tongues with Your coal of fire, and let our lips proclaim Your truth. Wash us with Your precious blood and let us seek after Your way of salvation. May You Holy Spirit advance humility into our hearts we humbly beseech You. Cause our hearts to do Your will, and our tongues to proclaim Your praises all day long. Train us to worship You in spirit and in truth. Teach us to always rejoice in You dear Father. Overwhelm us with You love loving Father, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen
Further reading: Job 6:24, Isaiah 6:6-8
1 Corinthians 14:4
“Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.”
INSIGHT
-The is always power behind words. Words are not normally just spoken but are often backed up by some power; either good or evil. If we consider the predicament that Adam and Eve got into, they were deceived by the serpent and fell into sin. On the other hand, God spoke to many of His servants including Abraham, Moses, Deborah, Paul and many others who performed His instructions, as He does today. The Holy Spirit imparts in us spiritual gifts that enable us to effectively fulfil His purpose. The gift of speaking in tongues is vital for personal edification, and unless there is interpretation only God understands. The gift of prophecy is more corporate than personal for it causes edification to the body of Christ. During the day of Pentecost, we find the an impartation of the gift of tongues through the work of the Holy Spirit, and a fulfilment of the law and prophets, through love (Acts 2:4).
PRAYER
Almighty and Everlasting Father we thank You for this day that You have given unto us. Thank You for the gift of life and the air that we breath. We praise You and glorify Your holy name. Thank You for Your mercies, care, love and faithfulness. We seek Your face each and every day. We appreciate You Holy Spirit for dwelling in us and with us. Thank You for the gifts and fruit that You have bestowed upon us. Thank You for empowering us in our gifts and abilities for the glory of Your name. May You grant us more gifts according to Your will, for the glory of Your name. May You help us to always do Your will and guide in our various ministries. Thank You for Your power and grace in our lives. We humbly ask You to heal all those who are sick and suffering among us. May You establish all those who are homeless and the street families in a better environment; dear Master. May You answer all our prayers, petitions and hearts desires. We praise You and adore You. In Jesus name we pray trusting and believing. Amen
Further reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
James 3:2
“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
INSIGHT
-There are many causes for stumbling and one of the most common is the words that we speak. We are reminded that everyone will give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken (Matthew 12:36). We will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and each of us will receive what is due to us for the things done here on earth, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows, and his mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul (Proverbs 18:6-7), but he who would love life and see good days should refrain from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit (1 Peter 3:10).
SUMMARY
A physician, doctor or dentist normally looks at the tongue during medical examination, to check the general condition of the body apart from ones oral health. It is surprising what the tongue can reveal about the health of a person. For instance, if ones tongue has a black and hairy look; the persons could be suffering from yeast infections, cancer, diabetes, or probably poor oral hygiene. If the tongue is bright red, the person could be deficient of iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 or has a fever. If the tongue has sores then the person could be having a cold or suffering from herpes. If one experiences a burning feeling on the tongue when taking moderately hot substances, then the nerves have a problem. Typically, a tongue that is pink and moist with a thin slightly white, shiny coating on the surface is considered healthy. The tongue can thus be classified as the barometer that measures ones physical and sometimes spiritual state through the words that we speak. The tongue is like the dashboard of a vehicle that shows the health of the engine and all the other parts. If the dashboard has a malfunction, it is highly likely that the vehicle might overheat and cause greater damage to the engine and consequently the entire vehicle. Jesus spoke of the tongue as a measure of what is in the heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). Through this disposition, we may liken the heart to the tree and the tongue to the fruit. Jesus notes that if the tree is good then the fruit will be good and if the tree is bad, the the fruit will be bad, and each one will give an account of their words during the day of judgement (Matthew 12:33-36). James looks at the tongue as a dangerous tool of destruction if it is not tamed. In a second the tongue can light up fire in the entire forest. If anyone then is able to tame their tongue, he can bridle their whole body. God examines the condition of the heart to reward each person according to his/her deeds. We are called to guard our hearts with diligence for out of it spring issues of life (proverbs 4:23). God expects us to be economical with words and refrain from speaking deceit, gossip, flattery, negativity, harshly, hatefully, for we will be judged. The tongue can camouflage into two parallel realities, by cursing men on one hand and praising God on the other. God calls us to ensure that our tongues are filled with grace, necessary to edify one another. A fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue (Proverbs 17:28). The Lord calls us to be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath (James 1:19). There is a force or power behind every word, and we should be careful that we don’t fall into trouble with God and other men. Among the things that God hate is a lying tongue, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community (Proverbs 6:16-19). We should also remember to pray and ask God to purify our hearts and tongues that His power may work in us and through us. A wise person measures his words and his tongue brings forth healing. One may be sick or stressed, but if their tongue is filled with grace and positive proclamations, they obtain healing from the Lord through faith. Another may be depressed and when they speak life upon their lives and situations, they receive abundant life and their situations change, for the tongue has power over life and death. When the power of the Holy Spirit works in us, even the dead come to life. The tongue also has power to edify oneself through the gift of tongues, and the church through prophecy. When we speak in tongues, God responds and our lives are transformed. A soothing tongue is a tree of life but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit (Proverbs 15:4). Like a healthy body or vehicle, our tongues should be filled with love and grace, necessary to edify one another, that the peace of Christ may prevail in all the earth.
PRAYER
Abba Father You are our Comforter and Shield, our ever present help in times of need. You are all we need in our lives. You are our Creator and Father. Our Rock and our Foundation, in whom we put our trust. Teach us Holy Spirit to tame our tongues and only speak wisdom. Teach us to edify every listener and to keep our mouths shut when we angry or intend to offend others and speak idle words. In the multitude of words, sin is not lacking, teach us dear Jesus to remain calm and patient in our speech and deeds. Season our speech with salt and transform our minds to only focus on the positive aspects of life. May Your divine wisdom flow through us and bring forth grace to the hearers. We welcome You Holy Spirit in our lives that You may teach us to bridle our tongues and our whole bodies. Teach us to always say the truth, for You hate deceit. Only You are the way the truth an the life, and no one comes to the Father but by You our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Train our hearts in Your salvation dear Jesus and teach us to do Your divine will. Grant each person reading this and every member of our family the gift of salvation that we may reign with You forever, our Righteous Judge. We repent of every idle or evil word that we have spoke and ask You humbly to forgive us Jesus. Cleanse us from all unrighteousness with Your precious blood dear Jesus and make us complete in You. Prosper our hearts and our lives in Your grace and favor. All glory, honor, power, praise and salvation belongs to You Jesus, now and forever. Amen
Further reading: Matthew 12:33-37, Genesis 3:13, Proverbs 10:19