Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters? Or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow-capped mountains?

I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Join Dr. Jeffress and the Pathway to Victory family for a spectacular seven-day adventure aboard Holland America's luxurious Koningsdam.

Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

Visit historic ports like Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, where wilderness and frontier history await.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God and fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness. I truly believe this journey will refresh you spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, how do we go about fireproofing our speech? How do we make sure our speech doesn't cause a destructive fire that destroys everyone and everything around it?

Let me suggest four principles for fireproofing your speech. Four commitments you and I need to make. First of all, to realize I am responsible for the words that I speak.

Speaker 1

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, we've all said something we've immediately regretted, right? Something that might have slipped out before we could catch it. Once those words left our mouth, well, we wished we could take them back. But the damage was already done.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress shares practical principles for keeping destructive words from destroying our relationships. But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

Speaker 2

Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. By now you've heard me talk about the 2026 Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska. So what are you waiting for? We'd love to have you join us for this unforgettable one-week vacation on board the luxury cruise liner. The dates are June 13th through 20th. The majestic beauty of Alaska is unsurpassed, but I can assure you it's only a tiny reflection of the one who created it. While on the cruise, we'll enjoy wonderful times of worshiping our Creator and lots of time for adventure and sightseeing as well. Take a look at the fabulous itinerary we've planned by going to ptv.org.

Well, the Bible never tells us to guess about our salvation. It gives us clear evidence to examine the credibility of our faith. In my brand new book, *How to Know If You're Really Saved*, we'll take a deep dive into Scripture to understand how genuine faith produces genuine fruit. James shows us that true believers demonstrate their salvation through perseverance in trials, godly speech, and strength to resist temptation. This isn't about perfectionism; it's about recognizing God's transforming work in your life. Let me send you this impactful book when you support Pathway to Victory with a generous gift.

Ever feel frustrated by the words that slip out of your mouth? Oh, if we could only take them back. Well, today we're looking at a convicting passage of Scripture together that'll help you gain control. I titled today's message *Fireproofing Your Speech*. Speech therapists have a way of helping people who have lisps, and they have them engage in a very simple exercise. They tell them to take their tongues and see how long they can keep their tongues from touching the roof of their mouths or their teeth. You may think that's simple; try doing it. Try swallowing without touching the roof of your mouth or your teeth. It's not an easy exercise, but the truth is the difficulty in controlling our tongues' movement goes far beyond a mere speech exercise and extends to every word we speak.

It was the Greek sage Publius who said, "I've often regretted my speech, but never my silence." I am right now reading a brand new book; it's a biography of the late talk show host Johnny Carson. Before Jimmy Fallon, before Jay Leno or David Letterman, the king of late-night talk was Johnny Carson. He was once asked if he had any regrets in his life at all. This is what he said: after thinking for a few moments, he said, "I suppose one regret I have is some of the things I said on the air. I hadn't planned to say them; they just slipped out. I would give anything if I could retrieve some of those words." Sounds like James, the half-brother of Jesus, who wrote something similar. He said in James 3, "No one can tame the tongue, for it is full of deadly poison."

And yet, in this very same letter of James, he tells us we have a responsibility to control our speech. In fact, in chapter one, verse 26, he says, "If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his own heart. This man's religion is worthless." Controlling our speech is not optional; it's essential. It is proof of whether we're really saved or not. That's the theme of the Book of James: how to know if you're really saved. If you have genuine faith, there's going to be genuine fruit in your life, and part of that fruit is the ability to control our speech.

If you have your Bibles, turn to James chapter three as we look at some helpful tips for fireproofing our speech. As you're turning to James 3, I might mention this is the longest section anywhere in the Bible on the topic of controlling our speech. James begins the discussion in chapter three, verse one, by a seemingly totally unrelated topic. Now, sometimes I'll chase a rabbit trail; it sounds like James is doing this here, but he's not, as you'll see in a moment. Look at the warning he gives in verse one: "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment."

Why are teachers subject to a stricter judgment? I've given you three reasons on your outlines. First of all, teachers are responsible for speaking the truth. Secondly, teachers are responsible for the lives of others. Now, I can't make you apply God's Word. God's not going to hold me accountable for whether you apply the Word or not. But I am responsible to make sure my interpretation is correct of the Scriptures, so as not to lead you astray. And then thirdly, teachers are responsible for living the truth. We are going to be judged by what we say and what we're telling other people to do. Are we doing it? When there's any daylight between what a teacher of God's Word says and how he lives, that's called hypocrisy. That's why teachers incur a stricter judgment.

Now, beginning in verse 2 of James 3, he expands the audience to not just teachers and preachers of God's Word, but to all of us who need to be careful about our speech. Look at James 3:2: "For we all stumble in many ways. And if anybody does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well." That word "perfect" means mature. You have to be mature to be able to keep from stumbling in your speech. We're all going to do it, but that's not an excuse. We are responsible for controlling our tongue.

Now James begins in verse three by talking about the difficulty of controlling our tongue, the power of the tongue. Notice James says the tongue's power can be seen in two ways. First of all, in relationship to its size, and he gives two illustrations. Look at verse three: "Now if we put the bits into the horses' mouths so that they will obey us, we direct the entire body as well." I looked it up this week; the average horse is 1200 pounds. Now think about this: you can control the direction of a horse by a tiny piece of metal you put in its mouth called the bit. That's an example of the tongue. Or he uses another example in verse 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." James is saying it's the same way with the tongue. The tongue is powerful, especially in relationship to its size, but secondly in relationship to its effects.

Look at verse five: "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." In Matthew 12:36-37, listen to this. Jesus said, "I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Isn't that an amazing comment by Jesus? We are going to be judged one day by every word we speak. How is such a thing even possible? Audiologists tell us that when we speak, we create sound waves that emanate from our mouth and go on and on and on throughout space. Just like the ripples that occur when you drop a pebble into a pond, those ripples go on and on and on. Our speech goes on and on and on throughout space. If we had an instrument delicate enough, powerful enough, we could actually retrieve right now sound waves that had been spoken years ago. We could actually, and may one day, be able to retrieve Abraham Lincoln's words and hear him deliver the Gettysburg Address. We could retrieve the words of Jesus as he taught the Sermon on the Mount. We don't have such an instrument yet, but God does. And He tells us that one day we will be judged for every word we have spoken. You say, "Well, that would take so long." We've got all eternity for it. So you're not going to exhaust God's judgment in eternity. We're going to be held accountable for what we say.

But James is quick to point out, beginning in verse 8, that the real problem is not our tongue; the real problem is the condition of our heart. The tongue reveals what is really in our heart, and that's the point of verses 8-11. "But nobody, nobody can tame the tongue. It's a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing, my brethren. These things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?" You will never change a person's speech. We can never change our speech until we change our heart. Jesus said, "The problem with our mouth is not external; it's internal." In verse 11 of Matthew 15, Jesus said, "It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth; this defiles the man." Both James and Jesus are saying our tongue is like a bucket that goes down deep into a well and brings forth what is really in that well.

It was the great evangelist D.L. Moody who said one time, "If somebody could invent a camera so powerful that it could reveal the thoughts of a person's heart, that inventor would die of starvation for a lack of business." We don't want anybody, do we, to really know what's in our hearts, what's in our minds. But there is such an instrument that reveals our thoughts, our hearts. It's called our tongue. Our tongue reveals what is really in our heart.

You know, this is a message that cries for application. How do we go about fireproofing our speech? How do we make sure our speech doesn't cause a destructive fire that destroys everyone and everything around it? Let me suggest four principles for fireproofing your speech. Four commitments you and I need to make.

First of all, realize I am responsible for the words that I speak. I'm responsible. Yes, it's difficult to control our speech, but we are nevertheless responsible. Remember Matthew 12:36-37: "I tell you every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

Second principle: My speech is a daily reminder of the need to purify my heart. Our tongue, our speech, our stumbles in our speech should be a reminder that we need to daily meditate on God's Word. In James 4:8, James says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." If the problems of our speech come from our heart, then it only stands to reason the solution to our speech lies in the heart as well. We need a daily cleansing of our heart that comes from God's Word. Here's a great passage to remember and to memorize: 1 Peter 2:1-2: "Therefore, putting aside all malice, all deceit, all hypocrisy, envy, and slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation."

Number three: I will refuse to criticize another person until I've confronted him privately. That's a way to fireproof your speech. I am not going to criticize anyone that I've not confronted privately. In James 4:11-12, "Do not speak against one another, brethren. For he who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?"

But Pastor, you don't understand. I'm not judging; I'm trying to help that other person by publicly denouncing them. James said, "Oh, you're trying to help somebody. You're trying to help turn them around and get on the right path. Congratulations." James 5:19-20: "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." It's a wonderful thing to try to turn somebody around who's on the path of sin. But if that's your real motivation, then you'll deal with that person as privately as possible, not as publicly as possible. In fact, in Matthew 18, Jesus gives us the directions for how to do that. Verse 15: "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private." If he doesn't respond, take two or three with you. Jesus says, "If they don't respond, still go and take the leaders of the church with you." But the idea is to keep the circle of knowledge about his sin as small as possible.

Now, there's one exception to that. There may be more, but there's one exception very clear, and that is when a crime is taking place, when there's the sexual abuse of a child. Here in our church, we don't keep that private. Our staff knows that if there's suspected abuse going on, they are immediately to contact law enforcement and report that. There's zero tolerance here at our church for the abuse in any way of children. But having said that, other sins that a person is involved in, if you're really trying to restore them, you deal with it privately. Proverbs 6:19 says, of the seven things God hates most, one of those seven is those who spread strife among the brethren. And that strife is often kindled and ignited by criticism.

Number four: How do you fireproof your speech? Make this commitment: I will ask forgiveness from those I've offended with my speech. Some of the hardest things I've ever had to do is go and apologize to somebody for something I said about them. Every time it was so painful to do that I swore I would never make that mistake again. But that commitment's important if we're going to keep the unity of spirit in the bond of peace. In Matthew 5:23-24, Jesus said, "If you are presenting your offering at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go and first be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering." You know what that verse is saying? God is more interested in the unity of His body than He is in sacrifices. Sacrifices are great, but if you realize you have disunity with another believer because of something you've done, you're to go and make things right. And that includes offending somebody by your speech.

Now let me get to the real heart of this message. Some of you think I'm through. I'm not. Not yet. There are going to be some people—I've done this long enough to know this—who wonder, "Why is the pastor preaching on that today? Is there some gossip going around the church and I haven't heard it? I want to hear what it's all about." No, I'm speaking on this because this is where we are in our study of James. We're going through it verse by verse. But there's a second reason. I found it's a lot easier to fireproof something before the fire begins than to wait until you're in the middle of a damaging all-out blaze. And that's true about our speech as well.

You know, I will never forget the night of July 19, 2024. A few of us were standing on Patterson Street while millions of people were tuned in on television or the Internet watching that massive fire that destroyed our historic sanctuary. It was an unbelievable scene: a four-alarm fire. 130 firefighters tried to put it out. They did a great job, but they weren't able to save the old sanctuary. It destroyed everything, did well over $100 million worth of damage. People ask me everywhere I go, like the president asked me when I was the first thing he wanted to know was how First Baptist Dallas is doing, how's the church coming along. But everybody asked the same thing: Did they ever determine what caused the fire? The official report is it's undetermined; they don't know what caused it. But here's what we know for sure: somewhere that night there was a single spark that ignited a flame that produced a devastating fire and destroyed everything.

Now the good news is we're recovering from that. We are going to recover from that. We're going to rebuild that historic sanctuary. That's going to happen. But there's another kind of fire that can happen in a church that the church will never recover from. And we can all point to churches like it around the country: a church that is destroyed because of one spark, one act of immorality on the part of a leader, one spark, one act of financial dishonesty, or one spark of gossip or slander that becomes a raging fire and destroys the witness, the unity of the church. The church never recovers from that.

So realizing that possibility and loving this church just like you love this church, I'm going to do something to close the service today. I'm going to deputize each one of you to be assistant firefighters in the church. You willing to take on the responsibility? It's real simple. All you need to do is, as you move in and out of the church and around different groups and individuals in the church, be on guard for any spark of slander, gossip, or criticism; quench it, put it out as soon as you can.

How do you do that? How do you quench slander and gossip and criticism? Here are some questions. These are real quenchers, if you will. Number one: Ask the person or say, "You know, I have a hard time believing that's true. Are you sure? Do you have facts, evidence about what you're saying?" Or ask the question, "Have you gone to that individual yourself and talked with them privately about your concern?" Or the real good one: "May I quote you on that?"

But as your pastor, your friend, I need to warn you about what could devastate our congregation. And at the top of the list is unguarded speech. Let's be diligent to preserve the unity of spirit and the bond of peace by fireproofing our speech. One careless word can destroy a marriage, devastate a friendship, or split a church. James warns us that the tongue is like a spark that can ignite a forest fire of destruction. And Jesus said we'll give an account for every careless word we speak. Every word creates sound waves that go on throughout space forever. But the real problem isn't our tongue; it's our heart.

In my new book, *How to Know If You're Really Saved*, we'll explore how genuine faith produces genuine fruit, including the ability to control our speech. I'll share four practical principles for fireproofing your speech before destructive fires begin. It's not complicated. If you're truly saved, your tongue will show it. Let me send you my new book, *How to Know If You're Really Saved*. This life-changing study on the book of James is yours when you support Pathway to Victory with your generous gift. This is the perfect book to share with your son or daughter, perhaps a grandchild, and many are using my book to guide their discussions in a small group Bible study.

Let me conclude by thanking you for your generous support of

Speaker 1

When you contact Pathway to Victory and give a generous gift, we'll send you "How to Know If You're Really Saved." That's the brand new book by Dr. Jeffress based on our study from James. Call us toll-free at 866-999-2965 or give online at ptv.org. When your gift is $75 or more, you'll also receive the "How to Know If You're Really Saved" teaching series on both DVD and MP3 format audio discs, along with the personal and group study guide. Again, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to write to us, here's that mailing address: P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins, wishing you a great weekend. Then join us next week when our study in James continues right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

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