The Power of Life and Death is in the Tongue
A worldly woman can insult, manipulate, nag, reject, lie and gossip, all with a sweet smile on her face. But as the book of Proverbs states, a woman can tear down her house with her own hands, the same is true with her tongue. She can tear down a good friend, or a man, quicker with her tongue than with anything else. But for the woman of God, her speech is to be used to encourage and build up, to correct and set straight, to speak well of others, and to point people to Jesus Christ.
There is no better teaching on the tongue than the book of James. Although James wrote his book to the children of Israel many centuries ago, the truths are still applicable today, even for Christian women. Perhaps the best picture of the power of the tongue is the tiny rudder than directs a huge ship through fierce winds. (James 3:4-5) Though the tongue is a tiny part of the body, it can turn a circumstance either for good or bad.
A woman holds the power of life and death in her words, even if she isn’t aware of it. With her mouth, she can either turn a fallen believer to repentance or help push them over the condemnation cliff. She can help mend a broken relationship or shatter it forever. She can bless her way out of a tough circumstance or she can curse her way into a pit of loneliness and depression.
Proverbs states that it is better for a man to live alone in the wilderness than to live with a contentious, arguable or divisive woman. At least when the night falls in the wilderness, he can escape the heat of the sun. But a contentious woman finds pleasure in blasting whoever is within earshot. No one in her presence can escape her verbal wrath.
God did not create woman to drive others away from her. He created her to be a helper suitable. For this reason, every Christian woman must watch how she speaks, choosing her words carefully. Speaking is a form of communication that God gave to mankind. It is a blessing to be able to communicate through words, whether they are spoken, written, or signed. But words are to be treated like a valuable resource, just like time or money. They should be spent with wisdom and forethought, with the purpose of building up the lives of those she loves. This is the true evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in her life.
