Leading The Way

Guest (Female): Thank you so much for joining listeners across six continents for Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef. A lot of people feel like the New Testament book of James is one of the most practical parts of the Bible for those who are seeking a closer walk with Jesus. And today, Dr. Michael Youssef opens to those life-changing pages, looking specifically at how words, especially careless words, lead to destruction.

James said the uncontrolled tongue is an indication of an undisciplined life. That a disciplined tongue is an indication of a consecrated life or a life that is in the process of being sanctified.

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Dr. Michael Youssef: We are literally halfway through a series of 12 messages from the Epistle of James about 12 evidences of saving faith in our lives. And this is number six. I want to tell you at the outset that of all the 12, the ones we've already seen and the ones we will be seeing, I am conscious of this one the most. I am conscious of this one the most because I have made my fair share of blunders. I have said and written many things that I wish I could take back, but alas, I can't.

That is why now I am constantly, not just on a daily basis, but several times throughout the day, asking the Holy Spirit of God to control not just my tongue and my lips, but to control my thoughts. At no time is this more important than when I preach and teach and give advice. Sometimes I'm about to be called upon to speak a word and I send one of those telegraphic prayers to the Lord: Control what I'm saying, control what I'm thinking.

This is really an important message to those who are involved in teaching and preaching. There is an application for all of us as I'm going to show you, but specifically, he is speaking to those who preach and teach. My goodness, if there is a message that many of us in the pulpits need to have, it is this message of controlling our tongue. Here is what he says in chapter three, verse one: Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers.

He gives us the answer: We who teach, that is publicly or privately, will be judged strictly. There is a whole set of criteria by which God is going to judge those of us who teach and preach. Those who lead in any way, and that, by the way, includes parents because God placed you in your home to be a leader, to lead your children and your family, must always approach that leadership role and that call of God with a sense of awe.

The reason every time I stand up here my knees knock, and I am so glad you can't see them, is very simple. Even though I have been 40-plus years in the ministry, they still knock every time I get up to speak. The Bible is filled with examples of those who have ministered or served out of selfish ambitions, and they paid the consequence. They did not have to wait for eternity to be judged; they were judged right on the spot.

In Acts chapter five, the Bible tells us about a couple who were filled with selfish ambitions and they dropped dead right in the church. Selfish ambitions are too common in the church. These words should be sobering to every one of us, whether we speak in public or lead by example. Having said that, I believe the Bible teaches something called holy ambition. Holy ambition is very different from selfish ambition.

Holy ambition is something that God places in our hearts. Holy ambition is for servanthood, not lordship and lording it over people. Holy ambition is for self-giving, not self-gratifying. Holy ambition is for edifying others, not ourselves. Holy ambition is for being a conduit of God in serving and ministering, not exploiting God's people. This is because words have power according to James. The tongue has power.

In fact, in verse two, James basically said that every one of us has some issues in our lives. We all have some issues that we are working on. I know some issues I have been working on all my Christian life and am still working on. James says every one of us does. We must bring them constantly under the submission of the Holy Spirit and under the blood of Jesus Christ, trying to be surrendered to Him so that He may empower us to overcome.

We have not reached perfection yet. We will one day when we get to heaven. The process of sanctification is day by day becoming like Christ. But James said the uncontrolled tongue is an indication of an undisciplined life. A disciplined tongue is an indication of a consecrated life, or a life that is in the process of being sanctified. In Matthew 12:37, Jesus said, "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Jesus is talking specifically about salvation. I remember a guy not long ago said to me, "I don't want all this stuff about Jesus." With his own words, he condemned himself. Nobody else condemned him. That is what Jesus is saying. He is condemned unless he repents. What you and I say with our mouths is very important. I personally pray Psalm 141:3 several times a day: "Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips."

I do this whether I'm speaking to a large group or a small group, or if I am speaking to one person giving advice. That is my telegraphic prayer. James is very anxious for us to understand the power of the tongue. Because that was an oral society, everything was transmitted by the tongue. I don't think I am doing violation to the text to say this also applies to written words. I have written some words that I wish I could take back, but I do apologize when I'm under conviction.

In order to press this point home, he uses several metaphors about the tongue. He said the tongue is like the bit in the horse's mouth. It is a small thing in comparison to the horse. It is like the rudder in a ship. Remember, back then, all their ships were sail ships. Both the rudder and the bit are small implements in comparison to the object that they guide or lead or drive. Just as the rudder moves the ship, the tongue moves a person.

James is saying that the words of our mouth can spew out hate or words of love. We can use it to curse and cause affliction, or we can bring words of healing. We can use it to share the love of Christ with someone, or we can use it to turn somebody off the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, I know I'm safe in saying that this is the most common sin among Christians: an untamed tongue. James piles metaphors one after another to intensify the image of the destructive power of the tongue.

Verse five says, "Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark." We have all seen out west in California thousands and thousands of acres that were literally charred and burned because of just a spark. It moves and it leaves nothing in its wake but charred rubble and ashes. James is not exaggerating here. He is saying an untamed tongue, which is an undisciplined tongue, can be like that spark that ignites a bushfire or a firestorm torching everything in its path.

I want to summarize five ways in which a tongue can set things on fire. The first is that the tongue can ignite the fire through gossip. We often excuse gossip as a minor thing and a harmless pastime. But in Romans chapter one, verse 29, the Apostle Paul lists gossip along with many evils, including malice, strife, deceit, and even murder. In 1 Timothy 5:13, Paul said idlers, gossipers, and busybodies are dangerous for a church.

Our lower nature, the old nature that has not been sanctified yet, loves this stuff and loves to spread it. It makes us feel important. It makes us feel that we are in the know and makes us feel puffed up. We say things like, "I don't know all the details about such and such," or, "I don't know whether it is true or not, but rumor has it." It doesn't matter who gets hurt in the process.

If you have ever been a victim of malicious gossip, you will understand exactly what James is saying. The best way to neutralize gossip is to stop it in its tracks. In Matthew 18, the Lord Jesus gives us the manual of how to go about stopping gossip dead in its tracks. The second thing the tongue can ignite is a fire of profanity and obscenity. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul said, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths."

Somebody might say, "Michael, you don't understand, he or she provoked me to it." Nobody can force you to do anything you don't want to do. God gave us the power of the tongue for one reason: to build one another up, to communicate grace, and to uplift one another. The third thing the tongue can ignite is a fire through the utterance of lies or insinuations. Satan used a lie in order to cause Adam and Eve to fall in the Garden of Eden.

When people tell lies, they can destroy lives, families, and churches. Lying is not only prohibited in the ninth commandment, but Proverbs 6:16 says there are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him: "haughty eyes, a lying tongue... and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." Insinuations and innuendos are equally perverse as lying. They are indirect remarks that intend to suggest something disparaging or derogatory about someone.

It is the planting of a destructive idea without coming out and stating it plainly. Scientists call insinuation passive-aggressive verbal violence. It means that an individual tries to hurt another, which is aggressive, yet without being caught in so doing, which is the passive part. That does not mean that we should not speak the truth about issues and people. I talk about false teachers all the time. There is nothing wrong with speaking the truth and warning people if we know the facts.

The fourth thing the tongue ignites is a fire by magnifying the faults of others. There are some people who genuinely think that they can build themselves up by putting somebody else down. Actually, it backfires every time. In all criticism, there is an unmistakable assumption: I could do a better job than that person that I am criticizing. To use your tongue for righteousness is to use it to build up others. Those who have saving faith show the evidence of it by encouraging and motivating people.

Number five: the tongue ignites a fire not only by words spoken, but by the tone of those words. The tone of voice can either intensify our words or cancel out their meaning altogether. Beloved, I catch myself doing that a lot. I catch myself using the wrong tone, and then I stop and say, "Let me rephrase that." I'm not really rephrasing it; I am just changing the tone because I recognize it was not honoring to God.

How can we discipline the tongue? You might say that it is hard. Yes, but it is not impossible. Nothing is impossible with God. Can I simply choose to control my tongue? Can my sheer willpower put an end to any of these bad habits, whether it be gossip, swearing, lying, fault-finding, or causing hurt? James's answer would be no. Verse seven says all kinds of animals, birds, and reptiles are being tamed. But verse eight says no man can tame the tongue.

The tongue is a restless evil full of deadly poison. Even now with all of our advanced science and technology, we can send a man to the moon or a ship to Mars, but we still can't control the tongue. Do you know why? Because we can't control the heart. That is why our words are one moment praising God and another moment doing things that dishonor God's word. The problem is not so much the tongue, but the spring and the well.

If the spring is taken care of, whether sweet water or poison water comes out is going to show up in the tongue. James's conclusion is to take care of the root of the problem: the spring and the heart. The tongue will take care of itself. That is why he says, "My brothers, this should not be!" He is saying what you cannot do, the Holy Spirit can do in you. What you cannot control, the Holy Spirit can control within you.

He can control the heart. When the heart is yielded to Him, the tongue will praise God, bless people, and encourage people. Beloved, I know many of you have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit working in you in areas that by nature we could not change. How does the Holy Spirit empower us to overcome? I will never understand until I get to heaven, but He does.

If I need surgery and I place myself in the trustworthiness of a surgeon, I lay myself bare on that table to be cut on. How much more should I lay myself bare on the table of the Chief Surgeon who loves us so and who never hurts us? Even if it may appear as hurt, it is for our good. Trust Him to examine your life on a daily basis and transform your life. When you give Him control of your heart, the tongue is going to follow.

Guest (Female): Dr. Michael Youssef shining a light on the destructiveness of the tongue on this episode of Leading the Way audio. We understand that not everyone who listens to this station or listens to Leading the Way may fully grasp what it really means to follow Jesus. So, if you have faith questions or doubts, we want to offer a conversation with a Leading the Way pastor or counselor.

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Dr. Michael Youssef: My beloved friends in Christ, our world is lost, confused, and in desperate need of Jesus. Through Leading the Way's June Gift Challenge, you can share the only thing that matters eternally. I have never seen a more urgent time for the proclamation of the gospel in our nation. Together we can have an impact in these last days. God bless.

Guest (Female): The number to call to find out more ways that you can participate is 866-626-4356. Or you can visit LTW.org. We love hearing from you, too, so drop us a note in the mail. You can tell us about how this ministry has impacted your walk with Christ. You can send a gift to the ministry or send us your prayer requests. Write to Leading the Way at Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia 30325. This program is brought to you by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.