Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Think about that! You can speak life or you can speak death with your tongue. You can encourage or you can discourage. You can be uplifting in a conversation or you can drag it down. Filthy language does nothing to bring a blessing to a conversation. It just distracts from what is really being said. Cursing says, “Listen to me!” And then what is really being discussed is actually heard less, if at all. Cursing turns people off. It may get attention, but it hurts the communication. Curse words get the attention instead of what is really being said.
The tongue is a restless evil when not controlled.  James 3:8-10 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (9) With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. (10) Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (See more below in James 3)
The way to know the condition of your heart is to listen to your tongue. What is in your heart comes out of your mouth. The tongue tells the condition of the heart.
       Listen to what Jesus had to say about the tongue and heart connection.
Matthew 12 33-37 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. (34) You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. (35) The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. (36) But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the Day of  Judgment. (37) For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
       Matthew 10-11 “After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. (11) It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” See verses 15-19 (15) Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” (16) Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? (17) Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? (18) But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. (19) For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.”
A well known minister wrote a book about “The Tongue.” In it he told the story of his job as a Physician’s Assistant in the military during World War II. Everyday when they went to the tent of those sick with dysentery, the doctor would ask the men, “How are you soldier?” And before they could answer the doctor would say, “Show me your tongue.”
If God were to ask you, “How are you?” Before you could answer He may say, “Show me your tongue.” We may want to answer, “I have been praying.”  “I have been reading the Bible.”  “I go to church regularly.”  “I help others.” Those are all good. But God would be checking your tongue because it tells the condition of your heart.
Sometimes when I hear my language I cringe after knowing this. I think, “Is my heart that unclean today?” It must be, after what just came out of my mouth. The words on my tongue must pass through my heart first. So, if you want to know the condition of your heart, listen to your tongue. You can test your own heart. Just listen to your mouth.
It does not have to be cuss words; it can be any words spoken with the wrong heart or attitude that we need to get control over. Cuss words or curse words add to it and take the conversation down to a lower level. I believe we can do better with our tongues. Get God involved in your conversations and you will see a big difference.
I knew I needed help with my tongue and what came out of my mouth. So I looked further into this subject about the tongue. I wanted to know what God says about my tongue. There is power in the tongue to build up and take out the enemy and the mountains we sometimes face. But their can also be destruction. The answer lies in the Bible where we get our information from the One who created us.
Here are some things I found when I looked. I found out I needed God’s help to control my tongue and speak life and not death; to speak blessings and not cursing. I needed God’s help to use my words to bless and not curse. I wanted to stop cussing, so I went to God for help. Actually I found out that the closer I got to God the less I wanted to cuss anyway, and the less I did cuss and talk negatively. The vocabulary I use became cleaner and more desirable for others to listen to.
Cussing may get you some attention, but it is really a turn off to those around you. It shows immaturity in the Lord, lack of self-control and no discipline. The Word of God is what will change a person so let’s check the Word on this subject of the tongue.
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (30) Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
      James 3: 1-12 “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. (2) For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. (3) Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. (4) Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. (5) So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! (6) And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life and is set on fire by hell. (7) For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. (8) But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. (9) With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; (10) from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. (11) Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? (12) Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.”
We can pray for help in the use of our tongue:  “Holy Spirit I really can not control my tongue. I need Your help to do that. Search my heart and forgive me of all uncleanness. Put a right spirit within Me. I want to be pleasing to the Father in heaven. I want to be an encourager to others. I want to let my light shine for Jesus. I want to speak life and not death. I want my tongue to bless and not curse. Clean my heart and take away this vulgar tongue and words that are not pleasing to You. I give my tongue to You Lord; help me control what I say with my tongue. I pray my tongue will be pleasing to You and encouraging to others. I determine with Your help to speak life and blessings, and not death and curses with my tongue.-In Jesus Name –Amen.
The tongue and the heart connection is so strong, we even see it when we receive Jesus as Savior. Look at Romans 10:8-10 “But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (9) that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; (10) for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”
So we see how important it is to have a clean heart and we see how important it is to use our tongue to glorify God and lift up others with our conversations. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. God gave us much power in our tongues. We can speak life, healing, peace, blessing and more. Or we can speak doubt and unbelief, cussing, cursing, and destruction also. Let’s use our tongue wisely. A clean heart produces a clean mouth. And a clean mouth is a blessing to others. It brings a conversation to a higher better level than cussing and trying to take others down with our tongue. So we should be aware of how important our tongue is, and use it in a good, positive, and productive way. Anybody can cuss and speak curses; it takes a stronger character to be disciplined and able to control the tongue.
Cussing does not honor the Father in heaven, our earthly Father nor our Mother, our own selves, our spouse, our family, or those around us. It is a dishonor.
The Bible teaches us to “speak the truth in love”. I hope this is received that way by those who read this. I do not write this to condemn, rather to help people enjoy life better.
On another note, the tongue is also powerful in the battles and mountains we face. We can speak to our mountains and watch them go. Mark 11:23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”
Your tongue was designed to bring life and joy and peace into the world. We can do it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Listen to Him and speak the way He wants you to speak. Be pleasing to the Father in Heaven. Others will enjoy your company much much more.
    “So once again I ask You, Holy Spirit, to help me with my tongue. I can not control it. Guard my heart and mind, and my tongue and mouth. I give my tongue to You. I am determined to use my tongue to be a blessing to You and to those around me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen”
       I expect my tongue and conversation to be better. I will use my tongue to  bless and not curse and cuss and/or cut others down. I expect my tongue to please the Father in heaven and those who hear me on earth.”“Thank You Lord for helping me to control my tongue and use the words of my mouth more wisely.  I believe with Your help I will now be a blessing when I speak. I give you my tongue. In Jesus Name I pray.”
The Heart and Tongue Connection in Salvation: Pray this. I believe in my heart that Jesus that You are the Christ of God sent here to forgive our sins, save us, and give me eternal life.  I believe You died for my sins. Thank You for dying for me on the cross to wash my sins away. I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord and that God raised You from the dead. I receive You, Jesus, into my heart; I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I believe the same Holy Spirit that raised You  will raise Me from the dead and give me eternal life. I will use my heart and tongue to honor You with my life. In Jesus Name –Amen.  Now read the Bible and pray daily, attend church regularly, get water baptized, and ask Jesus to baptize you (fill you) with the Holy Spirit for power to be an over comer in life. (Read Romans 3:10, 3:23, 5-8-9, 6:23, 10:9-10, 13, Acts 2:38, John 3:16)
You can send us out to use our tongue to present Jesus. You can be a Cowboy Partner in this ministry with your prayers, finances, talents and other gifts. We continue to minister at rodeos, bull ridings, barrel races, ropings, Cowboy Churches, and to people along the way.
Service: What about your group? Is there anything that we can do for you? Let us know. Isaiah 6:8 “Also, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.’” I’ll go!

Ronnie Christian
Phil 4:19

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