Bridle the tongue (From a sermon of Bro. Julius Adewumi -9/19/97) I will read from James chapter 3 to lay foundation of this sermon. "My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." James was saying, everyone offends often, especially in word. He said if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. Since no man is perfect, every man offends in word. It becomes our responsibility to bridle our tongues. "Behold we put bits in the horses' mouth, 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!" He is comparing our tongue to a fire. We must control it. "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." We must keep our tongue diligently in this Christian race. Some scribes spoke against the Lord Jesus when he was preaching in Galilee, and he told them, "every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Why? because they called him Belzeebub. You may say they called him Belzeebub because they didn't believe. Yes. But Jesus said they were going to be held accountable for what they said.This is why it is dangerous for anyone to utter evil words against ministries. Even if we don't believe what the ministries do, it is better for us to keep our tongue. "He that keepeth his tongue, keepeth his soul from trouble." "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."(Mat.12:36-37). James was telling us to be careful of what we say with our tongue. He went further in James chapter 3 verse 6 that the tongue defileth the whole body. Just like the Lord Jesus said that "from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh". You should ask yourself why are you speaking like this? why are such words coming out of your mouth? It is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaketh. If we fill our hearts with the word of God, evil words should not be coming out of our mouths. Because it defileth the whole body. Christ said it is what comes out of the mouth which defileth the body and not what goes into the mouth. From the heart comes all the evil words, evil thoughts, evil behavior. Why then should our mouth speak those words if our hearts are not filled with it? "For every kind of beasts , and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea is tamed, and hath been tamed by 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." (James 3:1-13). He said "out of a good conversation." Our conversation must be right conversation. In fact it is so serious king David said, "Lord, set a watch over my mouth". It's worth praying about, because atimes, words that come out of people's mouth are hurtful. The bible said "there is that speaketh like the piercing of a sword"."Set a watch O Lord, before my mouth. Keep the door of my lips." (Psa.141:3). Why will a king say that? But there is a secret here in Psalm 73.In verses 14 and 15 David wrote: "For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning". David was complaining to God about what he was going through, but in the next verse he indicated that if he was to speak as he had been feeling, he would offend. Don't let your mouth err because of what you are feeling. "If I say I will speak thus", that is if I will speak the way I am feeling, "behold I should offend against the generation of thy children." (Psa.73:15). That is, if he was to speak the way he was feeling he perhaps would have been charging God foolishly. Generations later who read about it would have gotten a wrong view of God. This is the bridling of our tongue, so that we do not want to speak the way we feel. Sometime, the way we feel make us want to say evil things even at God, like "how can you let this bad thing happen to me O God?" Some people even have cursed God. That is dangerous. You cannot justify yourself of any evil word by claiming that it is because you are angry. I have seen little children curse their parents when they are angry. Adults are not expected to behave the same way. You better don't speak the way you feel. That is how to bridle one's tongue, especially in anger. We are going to be responsible for what we say in anger. Whether you say it to your children in anger, or to God, you are responsible for what you say. In psalm 31:1, "I said I will take heed to my way that I sin not with my tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me." You might say, "King David was saying all these words? what was he going through?" But there is a revelation in this verse. Why did he say "while the wicked is before me?" It's because, if you are angry, the devil is hanging around, ready to put words into your mouth. Once the words come out, you are defiled and you have sinned by your words. The devil is the wicked. David was saying "I will keep my mouth shut, while the wicked is around", lest he put evil words into his mouth. You may say how can the devil put words in your mouth? Let's see an example. The devil put words in the mouth of apostle Peter right in the front of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why was that possible? because we are dealing with forces invisible. This is why we must bridle our tongue. Don't speak the way you feel! It happened to Peter and the Lord Jesus did not correct Peter gently like say, "Peter, don't say such things!" He knew who was speaking. In Mathew chapter 16 verse 16-23, after Peter had just confessed Christ positively and was praised for it, the devil borrowed his mouth quickly. "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee Lord: this shall not be unto thee." Just think about that, Peter began to rebuke Jesus, what he should never have done. He got praised for one statement, and he felt (feeling again) he ought to "rebuke" the master for saying such "negative" thing about himself. He felt it was his responsibility now to correct the Lord Jesus. "Then he (Jesus) turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." (Mat.16:23). The Lord Jesus knew where the word was coming from. The key thing is "when the wicked is around, it is better to keep the bridle over our mouth". Satan is always looking for opportunity to put words into the mouth of holy people. Therefore, king David said "I will keep a bridle over my mouth while the wicked is before me." Job's wife is another example of someone who the devil was able to put words in her mouth. Why? because she spoke the way she was feeling. If you speak the way you are feeling, you will err. (Job 2:9-10). It is very easy for the devil to put words into the mouth of those who always speak the way they feel, who are not able to control their feeling. We know the story. After Job had lost his property and was afflicted with disease, his wife just couldn't bear it any longer. "Then said his wife unto him: Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die." (Job 2:9). The woman didn't know what she was saying! She was fed up with what she was going through. Job had to rebuke his wife by saying, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips!" (Job.2:10). God was not trying the woman; God was trying Job. That was why she was not condemned here. But she had just let the devil used her mouth in that statement. Watch! Don't let the door open for the devil to put words into your mouth. Anger is one avenue for the devil to come in through. Therefore "forsake wrath!". In psalm 50, God classify that the wicked will not control their tongue. "Unto the wicked God saith, what hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? (see, words in the mouth?) Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. ....Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; (see, speaking by the wicked again?) thou slanderest thine own mother's son." (Psa.50:16-20). Every thing mentioned against the wicked in the above verses had to do with the words of the wicked. Whereas in verse 23, here is what we should be using our mouth for: "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God". It is better not to say anything at all if we can't say good words! Prov.12:18 -- Words are swords. "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health." Prov 10:11 - "The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life, but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked". It's all "the mouth, the mouth". If you don't open your mouth, evil words won't come out. An African proverb says "if the wall has no mouth open, the lizard will not crawl inside". Prov.10:31 - "The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out." Prov. 13:2 - "A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence." Prov.13:3 - "He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction." This is why David said, "I will keep a bridle over my mouth when the wicked is before me." In all of these bible verses, we can see that the mouth and the tongue should be kept with a bridle. Especially in the days of the latter rain revival, many bad mouthing will put some folks into trouble with the Lord. The words of our mouth must be watched. "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Remember the spies sent by Moses in the wilderness to go search out the land of Canaan. What killed those spies when they came back with bad news? Their mouth! They said they saw giants in the land- the sons of Anak! If they had not spoken such evil report, they would not have erred, and they wouldnot have been destroyed. The mouth! The mouth! We must be slow to speak. The scripture saith "the foolish uttereth all that is in his heart, but the wise keepeth it in till afterwards." Those spies were snared by the words of their mouth. Let's bridle our tongue and practise to speak good words out of our mouth. The devil has unleashed spirits worldwide. Before people know it, they would have said something evil, because the air is being filled with the demons of wrath, anger, confrontation, clamour, evil communications and so on. This is the age when the light of the saints must be kept to shine brighter and brighter. Recognize the source of those evil thoughts and wrath and resist the devil stedfastly in the faith, and he shall flee from thee. Yea indeed, he that overcometh shall inherit all things, saith the Lord. There is indeed many things to overcome and keeping our mouth with a bridle is one way to defeat the enemy. I pray that the Lord will give all the believers the grace to control the tongue and bridle the mouth in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Bro. Julius Adewumi Gospel Distribution Ministry USA.