January the 1st the Lord gave us this scripture:
Ephesians 5: 14 “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”
4:32: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
It’s what He is talking about here tonight. You can speak the word with the same power and authority and experience the same result as Jesus. We are going out onto the battlefield to destroy Satan’s strongholds and take control of our tongues. In his counter attacks on the church one of Satan’s major strategies is to get control of our tongues through gossip, backbiting, lying and other forms of evil speaking. He brings strife confusion and division. His objective has been to get control of our tongues so that we use them to tear down and destroy one another.
To be able to walk in the power and authority that God has planned for us in this decade of destiny, we must recognize how Satan has built strongholds within this church. He is using our tongue not only to weaken but to stop us on the battlefield. Satan wants us to use our tongues to fight one another instead of using them as powerful weapons to rebuke him and take authority and dominion over evil powers that are working in this world today. Satan knows if he can use our tongues against one another we will become weak and ineffective. As long as he can keep members of the body stirring in strife and tearing down one another we will keep fighting one another, instead of joining for the cause of destroying his strongholds in the nations of the world.
Paul warned the Galatians that if they bite and devour one another take heed that lest they be consumed one of another. He told it to the believer of the Ephesian church in Ephesians 4:25-29 (AMP).
25: “Therefore, rejecting all falsity and [being] done now with it, let everyone express the truth with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one body and members one of another.
26: When angry, do not sin; do not ever let your wrath—your expression, your fury or indignation—last until the sun goes down.
27: Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil—give no opportunity to him.
28: Let the thief steal no more, but rather let him be industrious, making an honest living with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
29: Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth; but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and occasion, that it may be a blessing and grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it.
He exhorts them to be rid of all bitterness and indignation and wrath, resentment, quarreling, slandering; all forms of evil speaking. Let all bitterness, indignation and wrath (passion, animosity) and quarreling (evil speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) clamor, contention, all malice and baseness; be kind. (Ephesians 4:31).
He also told the Colossian church, “But now put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, foul talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practices….” (Colossians 3:8-9).” The church today has become lax and undisciplined concerning the sins of the tongue. The great majority of Christians give very little or no consideration to the words which come from their mouths. They make no attempt to control their tongue. Many feel that since we are living in God’s grace, God will overlook the sins of their tongues. There are many Christians who go to church today who praise God speaking in tongues but who are also backbiting, gossiping, being verbally abusive to their family, co-workers or friends; yet they don’t feel convicted. They do not realize they are bringing curses upon themselves.
Jesus said that by our words we will either be justified or condemned on the Day of Judgment (Matthew 12:37).
The Apostle James said if a man fails to restrain his tongue he is deceiving himself and his religion is worthless (James 1:26). There are many Christians who don’t think they are accountable for their words. They make excuses and justify themselves for not taking control of their tongues and bring them into submission to the Holy Spirit. Many are unwilling to crucify the flesh so they can take control of their tongues. It is too costly to die to the flesh, to accept their responsibility.
It’s our responsibility to set a watch over our tongue because of Christ’s victory on the cross. Sin no longer has dominion over us. Just as it is possible for the Holy Spirit to bring every thought into captivity and take victorious hold of one-hundred percent of our minds; it is possible for us through the Holy Spirit to bring our tongues into submission so we don’t sin with our tongue.
Paul told the Romans, “And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11: But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised Christ from the dead shall also quicken mortal your bodies by his Spirit….
12:Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13: For if we live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14:For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God”. (Roman 8:10-14 KJV)
We have been set free from the power of sin. We have an obligation, a responsibility before God to no longer live to the dictates of our carnal nature. It’s our responsibility through the power of the Holy Spirit. It has to continually put to death the deeds of our flesh to bring our tongues into submission where they are controlled by the Holy Spirit. It’s our responsibility to keep a guard set; a watch over our tongues so that we don’t sin.
Proverbs 13:3: “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: [but] he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself from calamity. David said what man is he who decides many days that he might see good keeps his tongue from evil and deceit. It is up to us to keep our mouth from sinning; it’s a new position of strength in spiritual maturity. He’s calling us to a position of accountability. We are to take the responsibility to discipline our tongues so that we will be able to use them to speak forth the word in this hour with authority. This week we will use our tongues as we declare war on the devils and go out on the battle field to tear down the strongholds. Guard your tongue against gossip.
One of the major things Satan has built in the church today is the use of the tongues of Christians to bring strife and sew discord and wide spread destruction. Gossip is the root cause of strife and division within the body of Christ. Those who gossip are referred to as tattlers, tale bearers, busy bodies and whispers. What is gossip? Anytime an individual repeats a rumor concerning another person regarding something that has taken place it is gossip. Gossip is repeating something someone says regarding someone else. Gossip is talking about another individual’s mistakes, problems, or failures behind his back. People who gossip are busy bodies who repeat and spread rumors. They are whisperers that spread things they have heard about people. In almost every church ministry there’s a grapevine where gossip is spread one to another until rumors are flying around causing confusion and strife.
Many don’t realize the damage that is caused through repeating gossip. They consider it to be harmless and entertaining. The truth is gossip has been used to destroy lives and tear marriages apart. When members of the body of Christ are against one another it brings discord and division in the church. Apostle James compares a tongue to a fire that is inflamed and set on fire by Satan. He said, in James 3 (KJV):
5: “…Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6: “…it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”
A tongue that is yielded to gossip is like a wild fire sweeping through a forest bringing devastation. There’s a need for us to recognize gossip for what it is. Gossip is the sin of the tongue and Satan has been using it to weaken the church. Those who use their tongues to gossip are yielding there tongues to Satan and are bringing cursing upon themselves. Gossip is the root cause of strife. When we stop the gossip and confusion the strife will stop.
King Solomon wrote, “Where there is no wood the fire goes out….” (Proverbs 26:20) So where there is no wood the fire goes out. So where there is no tale barer the strife ceases. We walk in the same powerful dimension as Jesus and with the same power and authority. You must set a watch over your tongue from gossip. Refuse to listen to gossip and refuse to become part of the grapevine in your church and your job. When someone comes to you with gossip, stop it in its tracks, biting your tongue against backbiting slander. It is another method through which Satan has ganged up on Gods people. Guard your tongue against backbiting and slander.
Backbiting is a method through which Satan has gained entrance into the church and has built a major stronghold; backbiting with a purpose to say mean or spiteful things against another individual. Someone referred to it as slander or false accusations, criticism and finding fault with others. They warned Timothy in the last days of false accusers.
(II Tim. 3 NKJV):
1: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3: Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers….”
In the church today there are Christians who are using their tongue to backbite the members within the body of Christ; they are pastors and leaders in their local congregation. There are men and women among the 5 fold ministry who are fault finders and back biters; there are teachers and evangelists. There are leaders back biting one another and Christians back biting employees on the job. When a Christian yields to back biting he is bringing cursing upon Himself. Slander brings cursing to three persons; oneself, the individual spoken to and the individual spoken about. James wrote don’t speak evil of any man or one another. He who speaks evil against another or judges His brother, speaks against the law. If you judge the law you judge yourself.
Paul instructed Titus to remind people to be submissive to their magistrates and authorities, to be obedient and be prepared and willing to do anything and be upright; to not slander, abuse or speak evil of anyone; to avoid being contentious, forbearing, yielding and to show unqualified courtesy toward everyone.
Peter instructed the believers to rid themselves of all malice and deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Peter said get rid of all slander. How can we speak with the same power and authority as Jesus when at the same time out of our mouth is coming cursing and blessing? We are blessing God with our tongue and at the same time cursing one another. James said, “Out of the same mouth precedes the blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” (James 3:10)
Beloved, we must have a breakthrough. We don’t have time to waste backbiting and fighting one another. We must not allow Satan to keep us so busy fighting one another that we don’t have the time to do the work God has given us to do in this end time hour. As long as we are cursing with our tongues, backbiting and slandering we are at a standstill. Use your tongue to bless those who curse you. Not only should we set a watch over our mouth and keep our tongues from cursing through backbiting and slander; we must take control of our tongues and begin to speak blessings to one another and adjust to others that speak evil of those that insult us.
Peter told us to never return evil for evil or insult for insult, scolding for scolding or berating. On the contrary we are to be praying for their welfare, happiness and protection and loving them. Know that to this you have been called to inherit a blessing from God; to obtain a blessing as heirs. We’ve been called to bless others who curse us using abusive language; we are to speak blessing upon them through our intercession. The result will be a blessing from God when we use our tongue to bless, not to back bite others. We are not only speaking blessing to others, we are bringing them upon ourselves.
However, when we use our tongues to bless others and to curse others we are bringing curses on others who have been called to inherit a blessing from God as heirs.
He told the Romans “…bless those who bless you: bless and curse not” (Romans 12:14 KJV). Jesus told His disciples in Luke to invoke blessings upon those and pour God’s blessings upon those that bless and those who revile reproach and high handedly misuse you. We must stop using our tongues to tear down others, but pour God’s blessing upon them. We must use our tongues to pray and intercede on their behalf. We are not only to speak blessing upon our members within the body of Christ, we are to speak blessing instead of cursing the members of our family. Instead of using our tongues to lash out in anger we need to take control of our tongues and bless our our husbands, wives, children and loved ones and invoke God’s blessings into their lives through prayer and intercession upon their behalf. Amen
August 15, 1990
