Unbelievable power of the tongue

James 3: [3] Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

[4] 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.
[5] Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
[6] 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.

No matter how big the ship is, there’s just a little helm, a little rudder, controlling it. Your tongue is just a teeny little part of you but, man, can it cause trouble. It doesn’t have to just cause trouble, by the way. Your tongue can be used to bless, but it can be used to make a real mess, says Richard Jordan.

I was watching a documentary the other day about World War II. Did you know Adolf Hitler was a preacher? You ever watched him? Man, I don’t know anything he was saying—I can’t speak German—but that guy could preach it . . . and the crowd went wild.

Man, he was getting on with it. He could communicate. Go from a corporal to conquer all of Europe, almost all of the world. It would have taken only three-four other things to work out in his favor and he would have conquered the whole world and, you know, he would have done it on the basis of his tongue.

The verse says, “Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth.” Forest fires start with just an itty-bitty fire, then it gets to be real big. 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.”

It isn’t the physical organ that’s the problem. Just like with the ship, it’s not the rudder that ran the ship aground; it was the guy directing the rudder.

The tongue has a nature and there’s a nature inside of us that expresses itself out and comes out through our mouth, and through our words that is part of a fallen, corrupt nature, and so it’s the stuff inside that is coming out that uses the tongue in an evil way.

When it says the tongue is set on fire of hell, what he’s talking about, spiritually and doctrinally, is the fact that your tongue—the nature that drives your tongue is a satanic nature. It’s a nature that’s associated with the satanic policy of evil.

Mark 7: [20] And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.
[21] For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
[22] Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
[23] All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

You see, the reason all the wickedness comes out of man is because he’s got a nature inside of him that’s corrupt, and what your tongue does, the spirit that resides in your heart—out of the heart are the issues of life.

I can’t tell what’s in your heart so how does it get out? The ear tries words, the Book says, like the mouth tastes meat. You eat a piece of pork, you say, “That’s pork.” How do you know? You know how it tastes. You eat a piece of chicken, you say, “That’s chicken,” because you know how it tastes.

Your mouth tries meat, tests it, checks it out, identifies it. Your ear hears words that come out of someone’s mouth and identifies what’s inside.

Proverbs 16: [28] A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
[29] A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.
[30] He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

That’s an interesting passage in connection with the power the tongue has. A forward man, a crooked man sows strife; he gossips, he uses his mouth.

You know how you can take two friends who are bosom buddies and with your tongue separate them?

Proverbs 12: [17] He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.
[18] There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
[19] The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

You know what your tongue can do? It can be just like stabbing someone with a sword. Or, if you use it wisely, it can be like a healing balm to somebody. The tongue has that kind of power.

Proverbs 15: [1] A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
[2] The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
[3] The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
[4] A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.

Go back to Proverbs 16 and notice verse 27: [27] An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

That’s the reference in James 3. The guy’s trying to stir up evil. In James 3 you’re in a tribulation setting, and when he talks about the tongue being set on fire of hell, what he’s talking about doctrinally is Revelation 13:

[4] And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
[5] And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
[6] And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
[7] And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.

There is associated with the Antichrist a mouth. That fellow’s going to be an orator. Enabled with “good words” and “fair speeches,” promoting and propagating what II Thessalonians 2:11 calls a lie. You know what a lie is? It’s words. Come along and deceive some people with words. An orator; he’s going to use his tongue to deceive the nations.

Revelation 13: [11] And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
[12] And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
[13] And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
[14] And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
[15] And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

You see the same thing involved with him. These guys use words; they use their tongue to propagate a lie program.

Those illustrations in James 3 about the bits in the horse’s mouth, and the ship tossed to and fro on the sea—both fit the situation Israel’s going to be in during the tribulation and this thing about the tongue—they’re going to have to be real careful how they use their tongue because what they say is going to affect what happens to them out there in their future.

Just understand, the tongue has the capacity to destroy your life; burn up everything you’ve got if you don’t use it wisely.