“THE TONGUE, AN UNRULY MEMBER?”

EPH 4:29 LET NO FOUL OR POLLUTING LANGUAGE, NOR EVIL WORD NOR UNWHOLESOME OR WORTHLESS TALK (EVER) COME OUR OF YOUR MOUTH, BUT ONLY SUCH (SPEECH) AS IS GOOD & BENEFICIAL TO THE SPIRITUAL PROGRESS OF OTHERS, AS IS FITTING TO THE NEED & THE OCCASION, THAT IT MAY BE A BLESSING & GIVE GRACE (GOD'S FAVOR) TO THOSE WHO HEAR IT.

FIRST OF ALL EPH 4 IS TALKING ABOUT WALKING IN YOUR NEW NATURE. SO YOU HAVE NO POWER & YOUR OLD NATURE COULD NOT & WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO OBEY THIS SCRIPTURE.

VS 17 SAYS WE ARE NOT TO WALK NO LONGER AS THE HEATHEN DO, IN THE EMPTINESS OF THEIR SOULS & IN THE VANITY OF THEIR MINDS. THEY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE THINGS OF GOD. THEIR UNDERSTANDING IS DARKENED. THEY ARE ALIENATED FROM THE LIFE OF GOD. READ EPH 4:18-19 OUT OF THE AMP. BIBLE

VS 20 BUT YOU DID NOT SO LEARN CHRIST!

VS 21 ASSUMING THAT YOU HAVE REALLY HEARD HIM & BEEN TAUGHT BY HIM...

YOU HAVE BEEN MADE A NEW CREATURE & SHOULD NOT WALK IN THE OLD NATURE.

ROMANS 6:9-13

KNOWING THAT OUR OLD MAN, OUR UNRENEWED SELF WAS NAILED TO THE CROSS IN ORDER THAT OUR BODY (TONGUE) WHICH IS THE INSTRUMENT OF SIN MIGHT BE MADE INEFFECTIVE & INACTIVE FOR EVIL, THAT WE MIGHT NO LONGER BE THE SLAVES OF SIN. (THAT WE BE NO LONGER SLAVES TO OUR TONGUE) RECKONING OURSELVES DEAD TO SIN & ALIVE UNTO CHRIST. DO NOT YIELD YOUR MEMBERS (YOUR TONGUE) AS AN INSTRUMENT OT SIN, BUT YIELD IT UNTO GOD.

WE NO LONGER WALK AS WE USED TO. WE USED TO SAY WHAT EVER WE WANTED WHEN WE WANTED, WHETHER IT HURT OTHERS OR NOT. BUT NOW WE YIELD OUR TONGUE TO GOD & LET HIM USE IT FOR HIS GLORY. HE WANTS US TO LIFT UP & EDIFY OTHERS.

PS 34:13 KEEP YOUR TONGUE FROM EVIL & YOUR LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.

PS 64:9 STOP THE VENOMOUS WORDS

PS 64 - DON’T USE YOUR TONGUE LIKE A SWORD.

COL 4:6 LET YOUR SPEECH AT ALL TIMES BE GRACIOUS (PLEASANT & WINSOME) SEASONED WITH SALT...

WHAT WE SAY CAN EITHER BUILD UP OR TEAR DOWN. THE OLD SAYING “STICKS & STONES MAY BRAKE MY BONES, BUT NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME” IS A LIE. PEOPLE ARE HURT BY WORDS. WORDS THEY HEAR PLAY OVER AND OVER IN THEIR MINDS. SATAN WILL USE THOSE WORDS TO CONDEMN THEM, TO KEEP THEM IN BONDAGE, AND TO TURN THEM FROM GOD.

IF OUR TONGUE IS NOT CONTROLLED BY GOD, THEY CAN & WILL HURT OTHERS.

THE EVIL ONE HAS COME TO STEAL, KILL, & DESTROY & THAT IS WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE WHEN YOU ALLOW YOUR OLD NATURE TO TAKE OVER YOUR TONGUE.

PROV 18:21 DEATH & LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE & THEY WHO INDULGE IN IT SHALL EAT THE FRUIT OF IT (LIFE & DEATH).

DOES WHAT YOU SAY BUILD UP OR TEAR DOWN?

WHEN YOU START TALKING GRUDGE & EVIL YOU INSULT & GRIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.

JAMES 1:26 IF ANYONE THINKS HIMSELF TO BE RELIGIOUS (PIOUSLY OBSERVED OF THE EXTERNAL DUTIES OF HIS FAITH) & DOES NOT BRIDLE HIS TONGUE, BUT DELUDES HIS OWN HEART, THIS PERSON’S RELIGIOUS SERVICE IS WORTHLESS(FUTILE, BARREN)

IF WE THINK WE HAVE FAITH AND DO NOT CONTROL OUR TONGUE, OUR FAITH IS NOTHING AND MEANS NOTHING.

JAMES 3:5-10 EVEN SO THE TONGUE IS A LITTLE MEMBER, AND IT CAN BOAST OF GREAT THINGS. SEE HOW MUCH WOOD OR HOW A FOREST A TINY SPARK CAN SET ABLAZE! AND THE TONGUE IS A FIRE. (THE TONGUE IS A ) WORLD OF WICKEDNESS SET AMONG OUR MEMBERS, CONTAMINATION AND DEPRAVING THE WHOLE BODY AND SETTING ON FIRE THE WHEEL OF BIRTH (THE CYCLE OF MAN’S NATURE), BEING ITSELF IGNITED BY HELL. ... BUT THE HUMAN TONGUE CAN BE TAMED BY NO MAN. IT IS A RESTLESS (UNDISCIPLINED, IRRECONCILABLE) EVIL, FULL OF DEADLY POISON. WITH IT WE BLESS THE LORD AND FATHER, AND WITH IT WE CURSE MEN WHO WERE MADE IN GOD’S LIKENESS. OUT OF THE SAME MOUTH COME FORTH BLESSING AND CURSING. THESE THINGS BRETHREN, OUGHT NOT TO BE SO.

JAMES 4:7-17

1) SUBMIT TO GOD
2) DRAW NIGH TO GOD
3) CLEANSE YOUR HANDS
4) HUMBLE YOURSELVES
5) YIELD YOUR TONGUE TO HIM
6) PLACE YOUR FAITH IN WHAT JESUS DID AT THE CROSS AND AS YOU DO SO, THIS WILL GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT THE LATITUDE TO WORK IN YOUR LIFE & WILL HELP YOU TO CONTROL YOUR TONGUE. WE WILL USE OUR TONGUE FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.

LONG STORY SHORT, YOU WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO BRIDLE YOUR TONGUE WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT CAN BE DONE AND IT WILL BE DONE IF AND WHEN YOU YIELD TO HIM. WE MUST DO THIS TO GLORIFY GOD. WE MUST DO THIS IF WE ARE TRULY HIS!!!