The Tongue

“To fix the fruit one must fix the root”

by Pastor Timothy Fortune

We have heard lots of messages regarding the tongue. How we have what we say, Death and life are in the power of the tongue, Speak to your mountain and many other messages about how we should not bless God then curse men. All of these are very needed in the body of Christ and each of them obtains truth. However, sometimes we just talk about the effects of the tongue but not look at the root or source from which it works. What we need to understand is that the tongue does not have a free will but is controlled by something else, and that the tongue is a reflection of whom we are.

We can speak to mountains all day and proclaim blessings but if the law of Christ does not govern our words and tongue then our words are like a new car without an engine. They look good but have no power. Our tongue has to not only speak the word of God but be governed by it as well. We cannot speak out of both sides of our mouth. Sweet and bitter water don’t flow out of the same fountain. Our mouth and tongue are like a faucet; the water flowing out comes from a deeper source.

James 3:2 talks about not stumbling in word. James says “IF” which implies that the possibility exists not to stumble in word. He didn’t say it cannot be done or that is impossible, but indicated with hard word, discipline and focus by the grace of God it can be accomplished. Psalms 34:13 says, “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” Meaning we have to do our part!!!

In verses 3 & 4 of James chapter 3, James talks about how we put bits into horse’s mouths and how a very small rudder turns a ship. Then in verse 5 & 6 draws a comparison to the tongue how it is very small but can defile the whole body. It can be easy to draw from this that the tongue is like a monster out of control and has a mind of it’s own. But if we look at the two illustrations he gives us, the horse and bits and the ship and rudder, each of these, the bits and rudder, are tied to something else. At the end of the bit is what, the reins, they are controlled by the rider. At the end of the rudder is a wheel, which is controlled by the captain of the ship. So we see that the bit and rudder are devices that are used to lead and direct but not control. The controller is the rider and captain.

In verse 8 of James chapter 3, James tells how no man can tame the tongue. Now just reading over this without taking the time to really understand what James is saying one might walk away hopeless. Thinking the tongue is going to be the end to us all, and there is nothing we can do about it. But all things considered that is not the case. James said “no man” could tame the tongue. Not the tongue is uncontrollable. It takes a power beyond that of humanity to tame such an animal.

In verse 10 of James chapter 3, James talks about how out of the same mouth blessings and cursing flow, and this should not be. But why do we do that? Why do we praise God on Sunday and curse men on Monday? How do we get control over this? What is the cause of our inconsistency? Remember I said the tongue does not have a free will. It is not it’s on person. This is where we have to look beyond the tongue to see what control’s it.

Matthew 12:34 Jesus says, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Out of the abundance (overflow of what is in us) of the heart the mouth speaks. We see immediately that the tongue is speaking what comes out of the heart. So we see that whatever is in your heart is going to be spoken out of your mouth. Just as the rider and captain control the bits and the rudder, so the heart controls the mouth. If our heart is filled with envy, strife, hatred, greed, anger, lust, and evil then that is what will come out of our heart. But if our heart is filled with love, joy, peace, kindness, encouragement, hope, and faith then that is what will come out of our heart. What has been placed in your heart will come out of your mouth. This is how our tongue is a reflection of who we are. Our tongue is a door to our inner being. We revile our treasures by our mouth. So you want to know what the treasure of a persons heart is, then get them talking and you will soon find out what is in them.

Now lets take a close look at the word “heart”. When Jesus said, “Comes from the heart,” He was not saying the organ in which pumps blood through our bodies. Although the Hebrew word for heart here is “kardia” which is where we get the word cardiac. The meaning goes beyond that of our organ. According to Vines Expository Dictionary the word “heart” came to stand for man’s entire mental and moral activities, both the rational and the emotional elements. The word is used figuratively for the hidden springs of the personal life. So the heart has to do with our thinking, emotions, and feelings, our soul.

Examples of how in scripture the heart is tied to our mind, emotions and feelings;

Matthew 9:4 “Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts.”

Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Matthew 13:15 “For the hearts of this people have grown dull...Lest they should understand with their hearts...”

Mark 2:6 “And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts.”

Luke 1:51 “...He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”

Hebrews 4:12 “ For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Here are some examples of emotions:

John 16:6 “But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.”

Psalms 4:7 “You have put gladness (joy) in my heart...”

1 Samuel 25:37 describes Nabal’s fear as “his heart died with in him”

Proverbs 12:25 “ Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression...”

So here we can see that the heart is referring to more than the organ that is in our physical being. It includes our mind, emotions, and feelings. So when Jesus said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, he was referring to out of our soul we speak. Now we can see that our tongue is controlled by our soul. So if the soul controls the tongue that would mean in order to fix the tongue or tame the tongue the soul would have to be fixed and tamed first. Because dealing with only the tongue is like a doctor treating the symptoms and not the cause. Our firey tongues are just the symptoms of a deeper problem, stemming from a damaged, hurt, bruised, and injured soul. When we lash out causing hurt and pain, what we are doing is reveling what is our soul.

Having a healthy tongue means you have a healthy soul, and having an unhealthy tongue means you have an unhealthy soul. And having a healthy soul takes constant effort.

With everything that can happen in life on a daily bases, stress at work, problems with the children, changes, car breaks down, exhaustion, good as well as bad, promotion, increase, and success all of these can effect our soul. But what we need is for our soul to be balanced, consistent, and steady. James said a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Minded being a part of the soul. Because we are unstable in our souls, meaning allowing those things on the outside to affect us on the inside and not being planted or firmly established in our relationship with God, it is reflected through our tongues. This is how we can praise God on Sunday and curse men on Monday, we are tossed around with whatever situation we are in. There is no rock in which we truly stand on.

So what is the key to having a healthy soul?

First we now that man is unable to accomplish this on his on, it take’s the working of the Father to bring our souls back unto their original state. Psalms 23:1&2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pasture, He leads me beside the still waters, He restores my soul...” So here we can see that The Lord our Shepherd is the restorer of our soul, but how does He do this? There is no magic or ferries dust that He sprinkles over us. It is accomplished by His word.

Psalm 19:7 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting or restoring the soul.”

Isaiah 55:2&3 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me and eat what is good, and let you soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear and your soul shall live...”

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom...”

In Mark 4 the parable of the sower, the sower sows the word in the heart of man, and it brings forth a change. Also we see that Satan is there to try to pluck it out, stopping the restoration process.

Romans 12:2 “...be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”

Philippians 4:8 “...whatever things are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report, if there is any virtue and any praiseworthy meditate on these things.”

So we can see that the restoration process of the soul is preformed by us putting the word of God on the inside. Allowing His Holy Spirit through His word to convert our soul bringing healing, peace, joy, satisfaction, and everything we need to accomplish His will in our lives. But when we neglect time with the Holy Spirit and reading His word then we are hindering the restoration process, in which God works to restore our souls. Our souls are restored everyday through our relationship with the Father.

Going back to James statement about no man can tame the tongue. The tongue being an extension of the soul is tamable but only through God. If our soul is filled with His Spirit and word then out of the abundance of His word and His spirit, in our hearts, we speak. And we speak encouragement, life, hope, faith and love.