Proverbs18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Today we will discuss how powerful our tongue is and also a little bit about words (what we say, and what we don’t say). We will look at this topic by looking at an excerpt from the story of Elijah.

James 5:17-18

Elias (Elijah) was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

This scripture is inreference to I Kings 17.

Why did God honor Elijah’s prayer to hold the rain? There are a few reasons why we would think God honored Elijah’s prayer in this passage:

He had faith

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

He was a good man

A good man obtaineth favour of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

He had favor

Proverbs 19:12  

The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

What would have happened if Elijah never opened his mouth and prayed? What if Elijah had just wished and wished for God to hold the rain, but never actually opened his mouth and told God what he wanted? We know from the New Testament that faith is extremely important, but without works…faith is dead.

James 2:17

Evenso faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:20

Butwilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2:26

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Jesus spoke about the importance of speaking in the gospels.

Matthew 17:20  

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

This passage is veryclear. If you have faith-then you will speak!

Matthew 21:21

Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

Another passage showing that if ye have faith, then ye will speak!

Mark 11:23

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

You will have whatsoever you say if you have faith, but if you don’t say it….!

It’s one thing to have faith, but you can’t hold your faith in. You must open your mouth and speak in the form of prayers, testimonies, and other avenues. For example, you can have faith that God will give you the Holy Ghost, but if you never open your mouth how will the evidence come?

Let’s take a deeper look at what happened with Elijah and his prayer for rain in I Kings 17-18.

I Kings 17:1

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

In this passage of scripture in I Kings, Elijah confronted Ahab and told him that there would be no rain for three years. God told Elijah to leave and head to the other side of the Jordan River. There he would be able to drink water from the brook and God allowed a raven to feed him. After a while the brook dried up, so God told him to head to Sidon and a widow woman would feed him. This is where we learn about the woman who had only a small amount of meal to make one small cake for her and her son. Elijah told her to make him the cake and her meal and oil would not become empty before God sent rain on the land to end the drought. She was obedient to the man of God and that promise was fulfilled.

Time had passed and God’s word came to Elijah in I Kings 18.

I Kings 18:1

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

The drought was extremely severe. Ahab told Obadiah to go throughout the country looking for springs and streams to try and find water so that the horses and mules wouldn’t die. While Obadiah was on his journey he ran into Elijah. Elijah told Obadiah to tell Ahab that he wanted to meet him. Elijah confronted Ahab for trusting in false gods (Baals). He told him to assemble everyone at Mount Carmel-all of Jezebel’s prophets and the other prophets of the false gods. He challenged everyone saying:

I Kings 18:21

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answeredhim not a word.

In talking about the power of the tongue, sometimes what we don’t say is worse than what we do say. The people said nothing when Elijah asked about their wavering. That’s another message for another day…

I Kings 18:22-39

Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken. And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under. And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made. And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded. And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name: And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

God answered by fire not just because of Elijah’s faith, but because of the power of his words. And then…God sent the rain.

I Kings 18:45

And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

 

Now let’s askourselves a question: Is our tongue really that powerful?

James 3

If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

If we are wise and knowledgeable we will have good conversation. Would you change your conversation if you knew it would make a difference in your eternity?

Matthew 12:36-37

But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Matthew 12:34  

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

 

Luke 6:45

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

 

Our tongue and the words we speak are powerful and they come from the heart. We should therefore pray this prayer…

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

So what should we dowith our tongue?

1 Peter 3:10-11  

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

In closing, here aresome keys that we talked about: The tongue is an unruly member and only through the power of the Holy Ghost can it be tamed. James 3 Ourwords come from

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