Proverbs 18:21 reads, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Join me as I uncover the power of the tongue and how to control it. We will draw insights and revelations from the life of Jesus by uncovering how he used the power of the tongue to advance the Kingdom of God, fulfill His purposes, and establish His will on earth
1. The Power of The Tongue
James lengthily wrote about controlling the tongue, citing a profound truth in James 3:2
James 3:2 NLT
“For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.”
Jesus was the true demonstration on how to control the tongue, let us uncover how he used the power of the tongue to bring both life and death.
1.1 Jesus Confronted By Soldiers
During the night of the Last Supper, the leading priests, The Pharisees, Roman soldiers and Temple guards came seeking Jesus, armed with weapons (John 18:3). When Jesus was told that they were looking for him, (John 18:5-6) “I AM he,” Jesus replied. 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.”
Jesus referred to himself as I AM. This is the eternal name of God, that is above all. It holds so much power that at the sound of the words that proceeded from his tongue, the crowd of armed soldiers and others, drew back and fell down.
1.2 Jesus Arrested
When Jesus was being arrested, one of his disciples pulled out a knife and slashed the High Priest slave’s ear. But Jesus reprimanded the man, telling him to put away the sword. He proceeds to say:
Matthew 26:53 NLT
“Don’t you realize that I could ask my father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?”
In other words, Jesus was revealing that he could call upon the Father to release a legion of angels who would protect him from the impending crucifixion. But throughout the series of events surrounding his arrest, the walk to the cross and the crucifixion, Jesus never used the power of the tongue to call upon the legion of angels.
He remained silent throughout. In his final hours before his last breath, he still kept the silence, in the darkest hour of the day. Surely the angels were observing with high intensity, waiting for the instruction to free Jesus from the cross. But the instruction never came. Jesus had all the power to abort the crucifixion at his disposal, but he never used not a single iota of it. He remained faithful until the very end.
His death being averted lied in the power of the tongue, you and I receiving eternal life lied on the power of the tongue. Jesus chose to remain silent all throughout, that we may be freed from eternal damnation.
1.3 Jesus Before the Council
Jesus’ arrest led him before the leading priests, where he was interrogated. During this process, Jesus remained silent. Previously, whenever the Pharisees would come to test him with hard and complex questions, Jesus’ response often left them scratching their heads, unable give a better follow up response.
In this scenario, Jesus showed self-control by remaining to be silent. Had he given a response there would’ve been no crucifixion. As Scripture recounts how the Pharisees and religious leaders could never provide a better argument than he would.
Jesus was interrogated by the leading priest, in Matthew 26:62-63, they asked: “Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
He responded in a very strategic way, he did not concur that “I AM”, otherwise this would have made the crowd fall away like we’ve seen in the previous section. Rather he responds by saying this:
Matthew 26:64 NLT
“You have said it. And in the future, you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
He neither agreed nor disagreed to their question. Him saying “you have said it” meant that he was not willing to give a solid yes, because a solid yes would have freed him instantly.
Moreover, he never uses Son of God to refer to himself, rather he uses “Son of Man”. In essence he meant that he would be exalted, to sit at the right hand of God. By implication, he would’ve been a testament to being the Son of God.
2. What Does Controlling The Tongue Lead To?
In the preceding sections, we were highlighted, as found in James 1:32, that the ability to control the tongue leads to perfection and the capability to control ourselves in every way.
Therefore, learning how to control the tongue is like learning how to control the ship’s wheel. Though it is small, it steers the direction of an entire ship through raging storms and calm waters as it sojourns.
The entire cargo is at the control of the ship’s wheel just as life and death are at the control of the tongue. That’s how much power the tongue wields.
Being able to control the tongue reflects spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit gives us the words to say or the silence we must convey at any given scenario.
If one can control the tongue, something so potent, yet so powerful, then one will be able to exercise self-control. True self-control lies in having the ability to control the tongue, not out of timidity but out of the awareness that what you say can change the course of destiny.
3. Most Effective Way to Control the Tongue.
The perfection James referred to speaks of a life marked by holiness and righteousness—one that is pleasing to God. The words proceeding from the tongue should always reflect the words of the Father.
John 12:49 NIV
“For I did not speak on my own, but the father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.”
Controlling the tongue means choosing to speak only the words of the Father, as revealed in the Scriptures. When we speak God’s Word, we release life.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), therefore choose to speak life, which is the word of God. Jesus confirms this in John 6:63, “And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
The word of God is extremely powerful (Hebrews 4:12), Jesus demonstrated this when he was tempted in the wilderness. He spoke the scriptures citing “It is written…” as a response to the devil’s temptations.
Job 22:28 NKJV
“You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you; So, light will shine on your ways.”
Jesus embodied, fulfilled and demonstrated the Scripture referenced above during His interrogation. His response when asked if he was the Messiah he said in Matthew 26:64 “You have said so,” Jesus replied, “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus’ response was exceptionally tactful. He did not directly affirm that He was the Messiah; instead, He pointed out that it was them, the council, who had made that claim: “You have said so.” Had he explicitly concurred, they might have dismissed or misinterpreted him prematurely.
He then contrasted their statement by deliberately declaring His own words: “But I say to all of you…” This phrase served as a clear demarcation, signaling that what followed was a personal and divine declaration. The moment Jesus uttered those words, they were established in the heavens
In summary, Jesus used the power of his tongue to declare that he would be seated at the right hand of God. That very declaration became a spiritual reality, and in time, it manifested physically when he ascended into heaven.
5. Final Remarks
In this article, we have explored and demonstrated the power of the tongue and how to control it. By examining the life of Jesus, we’ve seen how he used the words that proceeded from his mouth to illustrate the power of the tongue and its influence on life’s destiny.
We have uncovered that the most effective way to utilize the tongue is to speak the word of God. The word of God is supreme, for God has exalted His word above His name (Psalm 138:2). Therefore, anything in life can be redirected by speaking over the word of God.
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