The Power of the Tongue

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:21



We've all heard at least a dozen sermons on the damage that the tongue can do. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the tongue can also bring life. We can curse or we can bless with our tongues. We can bring grief or we can bring joy with what we say.

Even language itself can bring joy.  Though Satan may do all he can to pervert language, there can also be great beauty in it- though we seem to have forgotten that in this nation.  If you need reminding, just read the poems of Emily Dickinson or Ralph Waldo Emerson. Or, if you are really daring, read something from William Shakespeare.

Unfortunately, in this time of texts and tweets, our emphasis is on brevity rather than quality of writing. It is easy for us to forget that, at the time that our Bible was translated into English and made available to the common man, the English language was at its zenith. From that early King James Bible have come verses that we have known since childhood:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  John 3:16

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Eph. 2:8

In fact, that early translation of the Bible has become such a part of our day-to-day language that we are no longer aware of it. To emphasize the impact that the Bible has had on the English language, I thought that I would provide a fun, little quiz to show how frequently we use phrases from the Bible without even knowing the source. 

See which of the following phrases you think originated from the Bible and then check back next week to see how well you did.

1. A sorry sight
2. Apple of his eye
3. To pine away
4. A fool's paradise
5. The skin of his teeth
6. All of a sudden
7. The blind leading the blind
8. As dead as a doornail
9. As pure as the driven snow
10. The eleventh hour
11. Beside himself
12. His head on a plate
13. Dash to pieces
14. A stone's throw
15. Eaten out of house and home
16. Heart's content
17. Sharper than a serpent's tooth
18. Hold my tongue
19. Safe and sound
20. The crack of doom

Fearless Faith

And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:40

Just prior to going overseas to serve as missionaries with the International Mission Board, Alan and I  spoke at numerous churches across the southeast. Our five children, ranging in age from 5 to 12, went with us. At every church that we visited, I had the same conversation after the service.

"So, you are going to be a missionary in Southeast Asia?"

"That's right," I'd say with a smile.

"Are you taking your children?"

"Yes, we are."

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them." (Did they really think I would only take some of my children with me?)

"I could never take my children to some foreign country! Aren't you afraid that something might happen to them?"

"God has called us to the mission field," I would explain. "If I've learned anything, it is that my family is safer in a foreign country if we are following God's Will, than we could ever be in America if we are outside of His Will."

Fear is a terrible thing.  It robs us of joy, corrupts our thinking, and paralyzes our ability to do what is right.  We cannot fight it with words because fear is irrational.  In Romans 8:15, Paul calls fear "a spirit of bondage."  It is a very appropriate term because fear truly makes us a prisoner. And like other sins (Yes, fear IS A SIN), it damages our spiritual growth and our willingness to serve the Lord.

For a woman, fear is the greatest weapon that Satan can use against us. I know, because there was a time when I allowed fear to get a stronghold in my life. But, praise the Lord, God has empowered us through the Holy Spirit to be able to break the chains of fear. We know this to be true, but sometimes it can be a little tricky to actually apply.

Let me share a few tips that helped me to overcome fear in my own life.  The first thing that I had to do was to stop watching the news on TV.  I sometimes think that the main purpose of the evening news is to instill as much fear into Americans as possible.  Just look at the headline news: murders, tragic fires, deadly crashes.  Why do we need to see those things? Is there anything that we can do about them? NO! Then why subject ourselves to them?  God gives us sufficient grace to handle the tragedies that happen in our own lives and the lives of those around us, but not to deal with the suffering of the whole world. So turn the television off and read your news (if you absolutely have to have it) from the internet.

The next time you are facing a fearful situation, ask yourself this: What is the worst thing that could happen?  For example, layoffs at work may be making you fearful about your own job.  So the worst thing that could happen is that you would lose your job.  So if you lost your job, what is the worst thing that could happen? You could lose your home and be forced to live in a homeless shelter.  If that happened, could any good come from it?  Well, yes, you could start a ministry to the homeless; without a job, you'd have more time with your children; and you wouldn't have to do housework. It all boils down to this: If the worse did happen, do you believe that God would be with you through it all?

It is not a coincidence that Jesus equates fear with a lack of faith.  If we truly believe that God can walk us through the valley of the shadow of death and bring us out into the sunshine on the other side, then fear cannot take root in our heart. We cannot argue ourselves out of being fearful. We have to build the kind of faith that can defeat it. That kind of faith requires stepping out and putting our lives on the line when He asks us to.  Running from God and His Will only produces unbelief.

So next time that Satan tries to enslave you with the chains of fear, trust that God can see you through the worst of storms. Take it from someone who has gone through some of those "worst things", GOD WILL BE THERE FOR YOU!