Have you ever said something and after you walk away you started thinking “why didn’t I say that or this instead?” Your mind always seem to have additional things your tongue should’ve said. Sometimes what you said is regrettable and you wish you could take it back, and at other times you think to yourself maybe you didn’t say enough. But when you know by the Holy Spirit that you have given the proper response, your mind and heart is at total rest.
The Bible teaches that anything more than a yes or no comes from the evil one. Saying more than is necessary in any given situation, never ends well. That’s how gossiping develops. There are times when we’ll be tempted to divulge information but we know that it wouldn’t be a good idea. Someone is bound to get hurt. Satan’s trap can often be found in the abundance of words. How did he trick Eve? With words. Less is often more when we’re being tempted to reveal what should be held. Had Eve stopped at “we can eat from every tree in the garden,” things would’ve ended differently. The moment she went on to try and explain what God had said, she opened the door to manipulation.
That little conjunction beginning in verse three was her undoing. BUT. Never use but, when speaking with a deceiver, it’s an opportunity for the conversation to continue. Shut it down. Or use it with confident assurance and conviction, that what is about to follow is enough. Period. That’s what Jesus did. Turn these stones into bread! It is written! Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Eve’s but gave way to embellishment and disobedience, Jesus’ but left no room for compromise. Contrast Genesis 3:4-6 with Luke 4:3-13
“Say only yes if you mean yes, and no if you mean no. If you say more than yes or no, it is from the Evil One.”
Matthew 5:37 NCV
The saying “ I gave them a piece of my mind” may make the individual feel superior in the moment of passion, but when the dust settles and you only have half a mind, the embarrassment and condemnation that follows, especially if the person is a Christian, was a total waste of opportunity to share Jesus with whoever was at the end of the tongue lashing. Proverbs 15:1 is a great verse to fall back on when the enemy tries to use our tongues against us.
The Holy Spirit shared a verse with me a month ago. We were having a conversation about the messages He’s giving me to write, and I said to Him that with more exposure will come greater criticism or even persecution. That’s when He said these words. “ when it comes time to respond, just remember the answer comes from Me.”
THE PLANS of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue.”
Proverbs 16:1 AMPC
That’s the focus of this message today. Allowing our answers to the world to come from Him. We may have the answer, but is it how He would respond. When it comes to answering those who object to everything God stands for, we cannot depend on intelligence or intellect. We need a righteous response. And that can only come from one source, the Spirit of Truth. When He gives the answer of the tongue, we needn’t worry about the outcome. Jesus told His listeners, “ I only say what I hear My Father say.” John 12:49. He further stated that when we are arrested for our faith don’t try to think of our response. He was actually saying as our Attorney, let Him do the talking.
“Listen, I Am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as clever as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be careful of people, because they will arrest you and take you to court and whip you in their synagogues. Because of Me you will be taken to stand before governors and kings, and you will tell them and the non-Jewish people about Me. When you are arrested, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given the things to say. It will not really be you speaking but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Matthew 10:16-20 NCV
“When you are brought into the synagogues before the leaders and other powerful people, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say. At that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.”
Luke 12:11-12 NCV
We have been fully equipped to handle every challenge. We just need to remember that we may posses a tongue and the right to defend ourselves, but the wisest answer from a sanctified tongue is from the Lord. We may have the answers to the questions, but giving His answers, is what will make the elites recognize and acknowledge that we have been with Jesus.
“The leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak, and they understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:13 NCV
Pause. Take a moment. Think before you speak. Is what you’re about to say coming from Him? Will it change the situation for the better? Will the hearer or hearers be encouraged and enlightened? Or will your words have the opposite effect? Sometimes even the truth is not worth sharing if the timing is off. I’ve had the Holy Spirit shut my mouth on many occasions not because what I’m about to say is bad, but because it won’t be received well. But I’ve had Him shut my mouth before I said something I’d regret. I’ve also had times when He overrode my thoughts and spoke His answer. Listening for Him is a learned behavior. He’s always speaking, we’re not always hearing.
We’ve given Him our hearts and lives, why not give Him out tongues as well. We’ll apologize less, and bless more. Learning to control our tongues is the difference maker between life and death. We love to express ourselves. It’s what makes us different from all of God’s creation. But an out of control tongue is as James puts it;
“We all make many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control their entire selves, too. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can control their whole bodies. Also a ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship, making it go wherever the pilot wants. It is the same with the tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it brags about great things. A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of evil among the parts of our bodies. The tongue spreads its evil through the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell, and it starts a fire that influences all of life. People can tame every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have tamed them, but no one can tame the tongue. It is wild and evil and full of deadly poison. We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people, whom God made like Himself.”
James 3:2-9 NCV
Ouch... my tongue used to be like James described I’m ashamed to say. But thank Jesus for the Word, and the Holy Spirit, I’m learning to give my tongue over to be used as a pen of a skilled writer. Psalm 45:1. I pray Isaiah’s prayer often and request the same response. Isaiah 6:5-7. I desire that every answer of my tongue be from the Lord. How about you? I’ve learned that it’s not what you say but how you say what you say, that makes the difference. When truth is spoken in love, it may not be received, but you won’t need to apologize or backpedal for your responses. When you’re speaking for Him, He will handle the consequences.
Yes, this flesh of ours likes to win the argument, but as Christians there will be times when like Jesus, we won’t need to answer even though we know what to say. Wisdom is knowing when. Jesus at different times during His earthly ministry had different ways of responding to the Pharisees (world). There were times when He’d answer their questions with a question of His own, or He’d not answer at all, or He’d answer with a parable or shoot straight from the hip. No matter how He chose to respond, they were still angry and often confused. Smart people are always baffled by simply answers. He only said what He heard His Father say.
If the answer of our tongues should be from Him. Then I think it’s time we begun to listen to what He has to say. If He’s not speaking then we’d best be silent, but when He is, we’d better open our mouths and say what He’s saying.
“but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
1 Peter 3:15 CSB
The words the Lord gave me in 1990 when I was called to teach is found in Isaiah 51:16. Giving my tongue over to be used for Him was a process but, like Isaiah, I answered the call. These writings may not be what most readers are accustomed to. They’re not devotionals they’re messages. But my tongue is no longer mine to use as I see fit, but His to command. Anything given over to Him must be conformed and transformed to His will. After years of teaching and now a year of writing these messages, I’ve made up my mind to be obedient to whatever He calls me to. To my readers, I pray that His Word will make a difference in your walk with Jesus. Never compromise His Truths. Let the Holy Spirit use your tongues for His glory. Let all your answers be from Him.
“If people are ashamed of Me and My teaching, then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels.”
Luke 9:26 NCV
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
April 30, 2021