The Power of the Tongue

 

I was listening to a message sent to me by my brother. It was a program he saw; he recorded it and later shared it with me. So this preacher was recounting his ordeal. His background was humble, and his story revealed that he had been through a lot.

He made a prayer point and spoke about his experience. He was speaking Yoruba while an interpreter translated what he was saying into English. Whenever he said "Iya Jemi," the interpreter would translate it exactly as he said it: "I went through a lot; I suffered."

The preacher kept mentioning how much he had suffered. The interpreter became aware at one point that she was actually confessing what she did not experience. Why did she have to say that she had suffered? Rather than saying she had "suffered," she replaced it with "Suffering." As a result, whenever the preacher says, "Iya jemi," she interprets it as "suffering," not "I've suffered."

The congregation couldn't stop laughing, and neither could I.

It may be amusing, but there is a lesson to be learned from it.

The tongue has tremendous power. Words are like seeds. We can't keep saying negative things and expecting positive results.

Whatever we are going through, if we choose to speak positive words about our difficulties, a shift in the spirit occurs, bringing about a change.

Whatever you have in your life is a result of what you've been saying. To change what you have, you must first change what comes out of your mouth. To change your life—from death to life, sickness to health, failure to success—you must take control of your words.

James 3:7-8 says, For every kind of beast, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

(Proverbs 2:6). He also said His words are spirit and life. That means it takes God's words to tame our tongues.

Be mindful of what you say, think about it, and listen to what you say. Ask yourself, "Do I want what I just said to come true?" If the answer is no, then stop and correct yourself immediately.

Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:10).

Allow the Holy Spirit to do his thing with your tongue. Ask God to help you keep a close eye on your mouth. Make your tongue's power work for you rather than against you. The tongue possesses great power.