Life Walk Bible Lesson 58 — Changing the Way we Speak
“A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit.”
Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
When God Speaks, Death and Life are in the Power of His Tongue
Hosea 6:5
“Therefore I have hewn them in pieces by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and the judgments on you are like the light that goes forth.”
Genesis 1:3
“Then God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light.”
Isaiah 55:10-13
10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
In the same way, believers, filled with the Holy Spirit of God learn a new way of speaking — to speak as God does.
2Samuel 23:2
“The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.”
God changes our hearts, as He teaches the prophet Ezekiel.
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 36:22-38 [in context]
Ezekiel 36:26-27
“Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 37
Learning to Change the Way we Speak
Job 6:24
“Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; cause me to understand wherein I have erred."
James 1:26
“If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”
James 3:5-6
5 “Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
We are One Body in Christ, and each member, or body-part, of that body, does its work. [1Corinthians 12:12-29]
Ephesians 2:19-20
19 “Consequently you are no longer foreigners and strangers but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household,
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Chief Cornerstone.”
And so we make sure, especially if we are part of the body of Christ, known as the tongue, that we watch our words, speaking the word of God over people.
James 3:1
“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.”
1Corinthians 2:13
“This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.”
John 3:34
“For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.”
John 14:10
“Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not speak on My own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in Me, Who is doing His work.”
John 17:20-23
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as we are —
23 I in them and You in Me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.”
The result of speaking the word of God to, and over, people, is the impartation of the spirit in us — that is why it is important to speak by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:44
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.”
Ephesians 4:29
“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 it.”
1Peter 4:11
“If anyone speaks, they should speak as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:6
“This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 4:25
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.”
Ephesians 5:29-30
29 “After all no one hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church —
30 for we are members of His body.”
Romans 12:3-5
3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has *distributed to each of you. [*Acts 2:3 NASB]
4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
When People don’t Live Godly Lives
Matthew 12:34-37
34 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. [see: John 8:44]
35 The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. [Matthew 3:10]
36 But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. [Matthew 25:31-40]
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Jeremiah 9:5
“Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning."
Jesus teaches us that we have been given authority over snakes and scorpions, to trample them, and not become like them.
Luke 10:19
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
Matthew 7:11-12
11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”
How do we these “Trample on Scorpions and Snakes”?
We overcome evil by doing good, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. His grace is sufficient in our weakness, and His ability is greater in our deficiency. It begins with loving one another, and forgiving one another, and helping one another become the better version of ourselves, in Christ.
John 13:34-35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
Mark 3:4
“And He said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they kept silent.”
Ephesians 5:1-7
1 “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 Among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or course joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person — such a person is an idolator — has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
7 Therefore do not be partners with them.”
Everyone has had a similar experience, at some point in their lives, as David articulates in his prayer to God:
Psalm 12:1-4
1 “Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
2 They speak idly everyone with his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things,
4 who have said, ‘With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?’”
Colossians 3:8
“But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”
True Friendship
Proverbs 17:17
“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
John 15:14-15
14 “You are My friends if you do what I command.
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.”
Scripture Reading: Sirach 6 — on True Friendship
And by contrast to Sirach 6:3, see Ezekiel 47:12
“Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
Jesus Keeps His Word — He Practices what He Preaches
Matthew 23:3-4
3 “So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.”
Help the Weary
God hates it when His people are weary and the enemy takes advantage of them.
Deuteronomy 25:17-18
17 “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt.
18 When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.”
Psalm 68:9-10
9 “You gave abundant showers, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it, and from Your bounty, God, You provided for the poor.”
John 21:5-6
5 “He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No’, they answered.
6 He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net because of the large number of fish.”
Isaiah 40:29
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”
Mark 6:31
“And He said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.’ (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)”
Isaiah 50:4
“The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakes my ear to listen like one being instructed.”
Matthew 11:28
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Isaiah 40:31
“Yet those who wait of the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
God wants us to Speak with a New Tongue
James 3:2
“For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bride the whole body as well.”
Psalm 15:1-5
1 “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
2 He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart;
3 He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 he who does not put out money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.”
The Distribution of God’s Love upon all Flesh
Joel 2:28-29
28 “ It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” [Acts 2:16-21]
Acts 2:1
1 “When the Day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise, like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. [Ezekiel 1]
3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire *distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” [NASB Note: *being distributed]
Scripture Reading: 1Corinthians 12
1Corinthians 12:11
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
Romans 14:19
“So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another."
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Psalm 129:1-4
1 “‘Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up,’ let Israel now say,
2 ‘Many times they have they persecuted me from my youth up; yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back; they lengthened their furrows.’
4 The Lord is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked.”
1Corinthians 13:1-13
1 “If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”
3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part;
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
Love Distributes Love
John 6:11
“Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.”
Acts 4:34-35
34 “For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales,
35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”
Food for Thought: Impacting Your World
God knows what we will say before we say it, for He knows our thoughts. Our thoughts and words change lives, impacting our future, and the future of those to whom we speak, for our words are all as seed sown into soil. In good or bad soil, a receptive heart makes all the difference. Let’s make sure we grow good trees, in good soil, which bear good fruit — good results and pleasant outcomes, with healing and deliverance in their food for thought.
Matthew 13:34-35
34 “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,
35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoke by the prophet, saying:
‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
Jeremiah 33:3
“Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
Isaiah 58:9-10
9 “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing finger and speaking wickedness,
10 and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday.”
Isaiah 65:24
“It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”
As Usual
God did it before, and He can do it again, for as it is written, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” [Hebrews 13:8] God orchestrates based on His purposes, our prayers, and the desires of our heart when we delight ourselves in Him. For it is written, in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”
Let’s look at one such example:
Genesis 24:42-46
42 “So I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now You will make my journey on which I go successful;
43 behold, I am standing by the spring, and may it be that the maiden who comes to draw, and to whom I say, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar’;
44 and she will say to me, ‘You drink, and I will draw for your camels also’; let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
45 Before I had finished speaking in my heart, behold, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder, and went down to the spring and drew, and I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’
46 She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’; so I drank, and she watered the camels also.”
Matthew 13 The Parables of the Sower, who sows the Word; the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, where both good and evil words are sown; the Parable of the Mustard Seed, where the word becomes a shelter to everyone under its protection
John 4 Jesus, our Living Water, speaks with the woman from Samaria at Jacob’s Well.
John 4:13-14
13 “Jesus answered and said unto her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to everlasting life.”
What does that look like?
Psalm 36:9
“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”
Proverbs 10:11
“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
Proverbs 13:3 [AMP]
“The one who guards his mouth [thinking before he speaks] protects his life; the one who opens his lips wide [and chatters without thinking] comes to ruin.”
Proverbs 13:14
“The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, to turn aside from the snares of death.”
Proverbs 14:27
“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life that one may avoid the snares of death.”
Proverbs 16:22-24
Provers 18:4
“The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.”
James 3:11
“Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
Another example of when God, our Living Water, steps into our difficult circumstances:
Genesis 16:6-8
6 “But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.’ So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.
7 Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness by the spring on the way to Shur.”
Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:9-21 [in context]
Genesis 21:19
“Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink."
The Samaritan woman had to have been through multiple, and very difficult circumstances, so as to have had five husbands already. But God Himself came to visit her at Jacob’s well.
And look what happened:
John 4:39-42
39 “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’
40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of His own word.
42 Then they said to the woman, ‘Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the World.”
One of the reasons for our words, then, is to represent the Kingdom of God well, and bring people to Christ.
Zephaniah 3:17
“The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
In the same way, we are to follow God’s Own example as we help one another, comfort one another, encourage one another, lift up, build up, and empower one another to succeed.
Colossians 3:16
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
1Timothy 2:8
“Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”
Romans 12:14-16
14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.” [Matthew 5:1-16]
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Dealing with False Accusation
Revelation 12:10-11
10 “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him (Satan, the accuser) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives even when faced with death.” [Zechariah 3:1]
3John 3:10
“For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.”
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 19:15-20
Psalm 109:4
“In return for my love they act as my accusers; but I am in prayer.”
Matthew 27:12
“And while He was being accused by the chief priest and elders He did not answer.”
Isaiah 54:17
“‘No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,’ declares the Lord.”
Choosing Sides
Be one of the encouragers, and the builders of the Body of Christ. Love one another with words, and deeds. Let’s be a people to whom God says,
“I know your deeds. Behold I have put an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept my word, and have not denied Me.” [Revelation 3:8]
Proverbs 12:14
“A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, and the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him.”
Acts 7:22
“Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.”
Luke 24:19
“And He said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to Him, ‘The things about Jesus the Nazarene, Who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,”
1John 3:18
“Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
Colossians 3:17
“Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
God will help you. Trust Jesus, for “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.” [Revelation 22:14]
Revelation 22:1-2
1 “Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
The Fruit of the Holy Spirit — Feed others that Fruit
Although there are 9 mentioned together, I have included others Paul recognized as “a fruit of the Holy Spirit” — namely: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control, mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, and these three: Righteousness, Truth and Generosity mentioned in other letters to the Churches.
Encouragement:
What we feed others with our words will grow a harvest. Let’s make sure it is for their healing and deliverance, and helps them in their journey with God to know Him better, experience His love more deeply, and that our words bless them to be a blessing to others.
