Playing tons of sports and lifting a fair amount of weights, I would think the hip, the thigh, and the back muscles are the strongest muscle groups in the body. The world’s strongest men and women have massive quads, hips, and back muscles enabling them to produce unbelievable brute strength. These muscle groups may be the strongest, but they are not the most powerful. When you think about the effects from it, the most powerful muscle is the tongue. A tongue can produce devastating hurt and harm that takes all the spirit and drive out of a person. On the other hand, the tongue can build up and motivate others to behave and develop way beyond the norm. Isn’t it interesting that the most powerful people in the world often underwhelm you by their appearance? Their ability to speak is what empowers them.
James 3:5-8 are crystal clear about the toxic effects of the tongue, “5 The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider that a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
Where do words corrupted by the tongue originate? Matthew 15:18 states, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and those things defile the person.” At the root of what proceeds from the mouth is the heart which is the core of who we are and what we think.
What do we do to condition our hearts to make sure we speak as God wants us to speak? Proverbs 4:23 is an absolute must for believers to heed, “Guard your heart above all else (with all diligence), for from it flow the springs of life.”
- How do you do you guard your heart? Psalm 119:11 speaks clearly, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” Saturating your heart with His Word conditions it to speak and live in obedience to God.
- How does the Word do this? Hebrews 4:12 details how, “For the word of God is living (energizing) and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The Word of God is “living and active” and becomes like a surgeon’s scalpel. Memorizing and meditating on the Word enables it go deep to the very origin of our minds “discerning the very thoughts and intentions”. This means that the Word enables you to understand the mind of God transforming and guiding your tongue to speak edifying, healing, truthful words.
Because of the power of God’s Word gaining access to your deepest thoughts, what was a cesspool becomes “springs of life.”
Barnabas Man 