By Sidharth Mohandas
All of us struggle with an untamed tongue almost daily, we say things we don’t mean, we spew out lies in its different covers, we pass comments to belittle someone else, we pass judgment on other Christian brothers supposedly exposing the devil, we even exaggerate what God is doing to receive acknowledgment to our personal ministries. James, the Apostle, goes to the extent of saying, “We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” (James 3:2). Isn’t that something? We can keep our whole body in check and be perfect if we could master the tongue.
As I was meditating on Scripture, the Lord showed me a divine principle: “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34) or in other words “What fills, spills out”.
Here are some Scriptures to show you this divine principle:
All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:4)After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. (Acts 4:31)
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. (Acts 10:45-46)
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:6)Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-20)
As you would have noticed, being filled with the Spirit and speech are closely linked. This is again the reason why when you’re baptized in the Spirit, your mouth overflows with divine utterances [Acts 2:4; Acts 10:45-46; Acts 19:6]. After I got baptized in the Spirit, my speech changed dramatically…a week after I received the Spirit baptism I was called to testify in a huge gathering… As I stood on the pulpit and spoke, I was amazed at the boldness I had received, for I used to be a person who’d tremble in fear when faced with a crowd. That day when I spoke, the whole church was moved to repentance so much so that even after so many years they still remember that day and speak about it! How much more that we be filled with Him on a daily basis? You may ask, why should we be filled again and again? The answer, my friend, is simple: because we leak.
Now precious readers, with this in mind, you and I must realize where and how we leak…This again is in the area of speech… unwholesome talk and speech that is contrary to Scripture will quench and grieve the Holy Spirit.
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. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph 4:29-30)
In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:18-19)
Let’s weigh our words today. How many of them are edifying? How many can be classified as giving thanks? Are we speaking doubts and fears? Are we grumbling and complaining? Are we harboring bitterness in our hearts? Do we say things like, “I have been holding it within till now, and now I must give you a piece of my mind!”? What are the first words that fall out when someone asks you about another person?
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. [Colossians 4:6]
Amen!
thank you & your team for all the edifying posts here. I am fed!
Honestly, it really uplifts me esp when i stumble on sites that ‘beat’ up other christians in the name of ‘love’. often, i need to bite my tongue not to comment on those blogs cos i dun trust my tongue to say something that will edify & instead let the HS does His work in me & in the other bloggers.
One of the points you make here was recently made to me in a slightly different way. To speak of the Holy Spirit, you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. But you can ask God to come into you and fill you with his spirit. And the more you ask, the more he will fill.
It’s this focus on God that will help you still the restless tongue. The power of words is addressed extensively in the bible, because God knows that words can be very hurtful or very helpful.
It’s my opinion, that if your heart is focused on and filled with God, then the words that fall from your mouth will be kind, gentle, and full of the fruits of the spirit.
This is one to print off and revisit regularly. Thank you, Sid.
I shud read this everyday.”What fills in spills out.”Edifying message.Thank You, Sid.