THE BATTLE WITH THE TONGUE
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an
unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:8)
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE TONGUE
Before you examine Satan's strategies for
control of the tongue, read what the Bible says about the tongue in James
3:1-13. These verses reveal that although the tongue is a little member of your
body, it is very powerful. Through the tongue the whole body can be defiled.
The tongue can never be tamed by man. Only when you yield your tongue to God
can control be maintained over it. But even then, it will never be tamed. You
can never relax your guard over the tongue believing you have totally conquered
it.
The Bible compares the tongue to: A fire:
James 3:5 A burning fire: Proverbs 16:27 A world of iniquity: James 3:6 A beast
that needs taming: James 3:7-8 A fountain of either fresh or bitter water:
James 3:11 A tree bearing either good or evil fruit: James 3:12 An unruly evil:
James 3:8 Deadly poison: James 3:8 A sharp razor: Psalms 52:2 A sharp sword:
Psalms 57:4; 59:7 A poisonous serpent: Psalms 140:3
A deep pit: Proverbs 22:14
The Bible says the tongue is powerful because
of the effect it has on others. The tongue actually has the power to bring
death or life:
Death and life are in the power of the
tongue... (Proverbs 18:21)
The tongue is powerful because of the effect
it has on you. You can snare yourself with your own words:
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth;
thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. (Proverbs 6:2)
The tongue is powerful because your words can
separate you from God:
Who have said, With our tongue will we
prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? (Psalms 12:4)
STRATEGIES OF SATAN: THE BATTLE FOR THE
TONGUE
Your tongue is closely related to your heart,
body, soul, and spirit. For example, if Satan has control of your heart, he has
control of your tongue:
But those things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies;
These are the things which defile a
man...(Matthew 15:18-20)
A good man out of the good treasure of his
heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil
treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil; for of the abundance
of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45)
Satan uses the things you say to cause a
breach (opening) into your spirit:
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but
perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)
By evil communication you create a breach
through which Satan enters to war against your
spirit. Satan also uses your lips to affect
your soul:
A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his
lips are the snare of his soul. (Proverbs 18:7)
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth
his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23)
Through the tongue, Satan affects your whole
body:
And the tongue is a fire, a world of
iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body,
and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of Hell. (James
3:6)
Your tongue affects your whole life:
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life;
but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. (Proverbs 13:3)
Satan seeks control of your tongue by
tempting you to speak:
COVETOUS WORDS:
Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have; for He hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)
IDOL WORDS:
But I say unto you, That every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(Matthew 12:36)
FOOLISH WORDS:
The heart of him that hath understanding
seeketh knowledge; but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. (Proverbs
15:14)
UNPROFITABLE WORDS:
Of these things put them in remembrance,
charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit,
but to the subverting of the hearers. (II Timothy 2:14)
FABLES AND COMMANDMENTS OF MEN:
Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and
commandments of men, that turn from the truth. (Titus 1:14)
EVIL ABOUT THINGS YOU DO NOT KNOW:
But these speak evil of those things which
they know not... (Jude 10) But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken
and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall
utterly perish in their own corruption. (II Peter 2:12)
FLATTERING WORDS:
For neither at any time used we flattering
words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness. (I
Thessalonians 2:5)
ENTICING WORDS:
And this I say, lest any man should beguile
you with enticing words. (Colossians 2:4)
MURMURING, COMPLAINING, AND BOASTING WORDS:
These are murmurers, complainers, walking
after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having
men's persons in admiration because of advantage. (Jude 16)
For when they speak great swelling words of
vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness,
those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. (II Peter 2:18)
VAIN WORDS:
They speak vanity every one with his
neighbor..(Psalms 12:2)
PROUD WORDS:
...with their mouth they speak proudly.
(Psalms 17:10)
BOASTFUL WORDS:
How long shall they utter and speak hard
things? And all the workers of
iniquity boast themselves. (Psalms 94:4)
WORDS WHICH TAKE GOD'S NAME IN VAIN:
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in
vain. (Exodus 20:7)
CURSING AND BITTER WORDS:
Whose mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness. (Romans 3:14)
LIES:
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they
go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. (Psalms 58:3)
Let the lying lips be put to silence, which
speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. (Psalms
31:18)
SLANDERING WORDS:
Thou sittest and speakest against thy
brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son. (Psalms 50:20)
MALICIOUS WORDS AGAINST OTHERS:
Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his
deed which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words...(III John 10)
WHISPERING WORDS (GOSSIP):
A froward man soweth strife; and a whisperer
separateth chief friends. (Proverbs 16:28)
TALEBEARING WORDS:
A talebearer revealeth secrets; but he that
is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter. (Proverbs 11:13)
BACKBITING WORDS:
He that backbiteth not with his
tongue..(Psalms 15:3)
DISSEMBLING WORDS:
Dissembling words cause division:
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and
layeth up deceit within him. (Proverbs 26:4)
CONTENTIOUS WORDS:
A fool's lips enter into contention, and his
mouth calleth for strokes. (Proverbs 18:6)
WORDS OF STRIFE:
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy
presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion
from the strife of tongues. (Psalms 31:20)
WORDS OF DISCORD:
...he that soweth discord among brethren.
(Proverbs 6:19)
DEVOURING WORDS:
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou
deceitful tongue. (Psalms 52:4)
FROWARD AND PERVERSE WORDS:
Put away from thee a froward mouth and
perverse lips put far from thee. (Proverbs 4:24)
EVIL AND DECEITFUL WORDS:
Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue
frameth deceit. (Psalms 50:19)
Let not an evil speaker be established in the
earth...(Psalms 140:11)
MISCHIEVOUS WORDS:
They also that seek after my life lay snares
for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine
deceits all the day long. (Psalms 38:12)
FILTHY WORDS:
But now ye also put off all these; anger,
wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (Colossians
3:8)
SPIRITUAL COUNTER STRATEGIES VICTORY OVER THE
TONGUE
When David realized the great battle with the
tongue, he cried out:
What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall
be done unto thee, thou false tongue? (Psalms 120:3)
The only way to win the battle with the
tongue is by application of spiritual counter strategies given in God's Word.
GET YOUR HEART RIGHT WITH GOD:
The first step in gaining victory over the
tongue is to get your heart right with God:
But those things which proceed out of the
mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies;
These are the things which defile a
man...(Matthew 15:18-20)
Your mouth will speak what is in your heart.
If your heart is not right, your tongue will reveal it. Use your tongue to get
your heart right with God:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth,
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from
the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans
10:9-10)
RECOGNIZE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY:
Recognize you will be held responsible for
the words that come out of your mouth:
But I say unto you, That every idle word that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and
by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matthew 12:36-37)
And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth
will I judge thee, thou wicked servant... (Luke 19:22)
REALIZE YOUR WORDS REFLECT ON THE GOSPEL:
As long as you believe your tongue is not
important, you will not gain control of it. You must realize your conversation
reflects on the Gospel of Jesus:
Only let your conversation be as it becometh
the Gospel of Christ... (Philippians 1:27)
Because of this, you should set a good
example by your conversation:
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an
example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in
faith, in purity. (I Timothy 4:12)
What comes out of your mouth is noted by the
heathen:
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and
our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done
great things for them. (Psalms 126:2)
You can actually win others to the Lord Jesus
Christ by your conversation:
Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your
own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be
won by the conversation of the wives;
While they behold your chaste conversation
coupled with fear. (I Peter 3:1-2)
KEEP YOUR WORDS FEW AND SIMPLE:
In the multitude of words there wanteth not
sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise. (Proverbs 10:19)
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay,
nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. (Matthew 5:37)
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man
be swift to hear; slow to
speak, slow to wrath. (James 1:19)
If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself,
or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. (Proverbs 30:32)
The heart of the righteous studieth to
answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things. (Proverbs 15:28)
Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is
counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
(Proverbs 17:28)
SEPARATE YOURSELF:
Separate Yourself from those who can not
control their tongue:
Go from the presence of a foolish man, when
thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge. (Proverbs 14:7)
LEARN THE POWER OF PEACEFUL WORDS:
Peaceful words are more powerful than words
of anger:
By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and
a soft tongue breaketh the bone. (Proverbs 25:15)
RECOGNIZE YOUR TONGUE IS A WEAPON:
Your tongue is a weapon you can use to
overcome the enemy instead of being defeated by him:
And they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of
the Lamb and by the word of their testimony... (Revelation 12:11)
If you control your tongue, it will put to
shame those who falsely accuse you:
Having a good conscience; that, whereas they
speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse
your good conversation in Christ. (I Peter 3:16)
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR TONGUE:
With God's help, you can control the tongue.
But YOU must take action to control your own tongue. The following verses
indicate action from YOU:
For he that will love life, and see good
days, LET HIM refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no
guile. (I Peter 3:10)
...SPEAK evil of no man...(Titus 3:2)
SPEAK NOT EVIL one of another, brethren. He
that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of
the law, and judgeth the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of
the law, but a judge.
There is one lawgiver, who is able to save
and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? (James 4:11-12)
LET YOUR conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have... (Hebrews 13:5)
Only LET YOUR conversation be as it becometh
the Gospel of Christ... (Philippians 1:27)
That YE PUT OFF concerning the former
conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
And that YE PUT ON the new man, which after
God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore PUTTING AWAY lying, speak every man
truth with his neighbor...(Ephesians 4:22-25)
But now YE also PUT OFF...filthy
communication out of your mouth. (Colossians 3:8)
LET no corrupt communication proceed out of
YOUR mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers. (Ephesians 4:29)
LET all...evil speaking be put away from
YOU...(Ephesians 4:31) ...BE YE holy in all manner of conversation; Because it
is written, BE ye holy; for I am holy. (I Peter 1:15-16)
PUT AWAY from thee a froward mouth, and
perverse lips put far from thee. (Proverbs 4:24)
KEEP thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from
speaking guile. (Psalms 34:13)
I said, I WILL TAKE HEED to my ways, that I
sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is
before me.
(Psalms
39:1)
Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me; and to
HIM THAT ORDERETH his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
(Psalms 50:23)
THOU shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in
vain. (Exodus 20:7)
THOU shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor. (Exodus 20:16)
PATTERN YOUR CONVERSATION AFTER JESUS:
Jesus spoke gracious words:
And all bare Him witness, and wondered at the
gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth, And they said, Is not this
Joseph's son? (Luke 4:22)
He spoke words of authority about God:
And they were astonished at His doctrine: for
He taught them as one that had authority and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:22)
There was no guile (sinful speaking) found in
His mouth:
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in
His mouth; Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He
threatened not; but committed Himself to him that judgeth righteously. (I Peter
2:22-23)
USE YOUR TONGUE FOR GOOD:
Speak words of wisdom and kindness:
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her
tongue is the law of kindness. (Proverbs 31:26)
My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the
meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. (Psalms 49:3)
Talk about God:
I will speak of the glorious honor of thy
majesty, and of thy wondrous works. (Psalms 145:5)
My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness
and thy salvation all the day...
(Psalms
71:15)
My tongue also shall talk of thy
righteousness all the day long... (Psalms 71:24)
Speak of God's Word:
My tongue shall speak of thy Word; for all
thy commandments are righteousness. (Psalms 119:172)
With my lips have I declared all the
judgments of thy mouth. (Psalms 119:13)
I will speak of thy testimonies also before
kings, and will not be ashamed. (Psalms 119:46)
Speak words of comfort from God's Word:
Wherefore comfort one another with these
words. (I Thessalonians 4:18)
Speak of the Kingdom of God:
They shall speak of the glory of thy Kingdom,
and talk of thy power. (Psalms 145:11)
Let your lips be filled with praise to God:
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord;
and let all flesh bless His holy name for ever and ever. (Psalms 145:21)
Let the high praises of God be in their
mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand. (Psalms 149:6)
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for
ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
(Psalms 89:1)
I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth;
yea, I will praise Him among the multitude. (Psalms 109:30)
My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast
taught me thy statutes. (Psalms 119:171)
Because thy loving kindness is better than
life, my lips shall praise thee. (Psalms 63:3)
...and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful
lips. (Psalms 63:5)
I cried unto Him with my mouth, and He was
extolled with my tongue. (Psalms 66:17)
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and
with thy honor all the day. (Psalms 71:8)
My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing
unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed. (Psalms 71:23)
I will bless the Lord at all times; His
praise shall continually be in my mouth. (Psalms 34:1)
BEFORE YOU SPEAK, ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
1. Will what I am about to say bring glory to
God? And whatsoever ye do in WORD or deed, do ALL in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. (Colossians 3:17) 2. Is it
the truth? 3. Is it fair to all concerned? 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
5. Will it edify others (result in good will and better friendships)? 6. If you
are talking about another person, have you said the same thing to him or her?
7. Do you know that what you are saying is a fact or have you arrived at your
own conclusions after hearing rumors? 8. If you have something against your
brother or sister, have you attempted to be reconciled to them before
discussing it with others? 9. Is it absolutely necessary that you say this?
REMEMBER THESE VERSES:
For there is not a word in my tongue, but,
lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. (Psalms 139:4)
...the sweetness of the lips increaseth
learning. (Proverbs 16:21)
The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and
addeth learning to his lips. (Proverbs 16:23)
A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth;
and a word spoken in due season, how good is it! (Proverbs 15:23)
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Seeing then that all these things shall be
dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness. (II Peter 3:11)
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in
pictures of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)
Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue
keepeth his soul from troubles. (Proverbs 21:23)
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life;
but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. (Proverbs 13:3)
CLAIM THESE PROMISES:
Hear; For I will speak of excellent things;
and the opening of my lips shall be right things.
For my mouth shall speak truth; and
wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are in
righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. (Proverbs 8:6-8)
PRAY THESE PRAYERS:
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep
the door of my lips. (Psalms 141:3)
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation
of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
(Psalms 19:14)
ESTABLISH THIS PURPOSE:
Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast
visited me in the night; thou has tried me, and shalt find nothing: I AM
PURPOSED THAT MY MOUTH SHALL NOT TRANSGRESS. (Psalms 17:3)
3. Read the books of Psalms and Proverbs and
do the following:
A. Make a list of all the verses that refer
to wrong use of the tongue. Make your list according to the following pattern:
Reference Wrong use of tongue Psalms 5:9
Flattery Psalms 10:7 Cursing and deceit (continue this list)
B. Make another list showing the proper use
of the tongue. Make your list according to the following pattern:
Reference Proper use of tongue Psalms 19:14
Acceptable words Psalms 34:1 Blessing and praising God continually
4. "Thou shalt not raise a false
report" (Exodus 23:1). The word "raise" in this verse means
receive or utter. We are not to listen to or spread false reports. Philippians
4:8 indicates we are to think on only good reports. Here are some ways to
recognize if someone is bringing you an evil report.
AN EVIL REPORT WILL...
• Raise questions about the motives or
actions of other brothers and sisters in the Lord. • Discredit spiritual
leadership. • Cause division and strife. When we are busy fighting between
ourselves, we cannot aggressively fight the true enemy, Satan. • Always focus
on the negative.
AN EVIL REPORT ARISES FROM MOTIVES OF... •
Pride: To exalt themselves, a person puts down someone else. • Envy and
covetousness: A person secretly desires what others have so criticizes them. •
Guilt: A person transfers his guilt to others. He feels guilty about his own
sins and failures so point out those of others. • Rebellion: The rebellious
spirit targets leadership. Read the story of Absalom in the Bible. (II Samuel
15) One way to recognize an evil report motivated by rebellion is by the
statement used by Absalom: "If I were the leader I would....." •
Bitterness: A person has been hurt, so they hurt others with their words.
HOW TO RECOGNIZE AN EVIL REPORT...
• The person may test you first. They may ask
"How do you feel about__________?" They are testing your feelings
before proceeding with the evil report. • The person will create curiosity.
They may say "You won't believe what I heard about_____"or "Did
you hear the latest about_______". They are trying to motivate your
curiosity to ask what they know. • They will claim to know the true story or
have access to secret, inside information. This appeals to your pride. You want
to become part of this select group with such knowledge. • They may disguise it
as a request for counsel. "I need your opinion on a matter....", and
then proceed to share an evil report under the guise of seeking spiritual
counsel. • An evil report can even be shared through a prayer request. "We
really need to pray for ________because_____" and they proceed to share
what is actually gossip about the
individual. • An evil report is often shared under the guise of concern.
The person begins by saying "I am deeply concerned about ________".
This serves as an introduction to
the evil report which follows.
HOW TO STOP AN EVIL REPORT...
Ask the person bringing you the report the
following questions:
• "Why are you telling ME this?" •
"Where did you get this information?" (A person giving an evil report
usually will not want to tell you their source.) • "Have you gone to the
person you are talking about according to the principles of Matthew
18:15-17"? • "Have you checked the facts, or are you just repeating
the story?" • "Can I quote you when I check out the facts on
this?" • "Do you think this qualifies as that which we are to focus
on according to Philippians 4:8?" Or you may just simply say... • "I
really do not want to hear this."
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