Do you realize the Christian’s adversary – the devil – is in the word business? He cares much about what he says. He takes great interest in words. He even takes great interest in the ones he can influence to lie and to tear down! In fact, he’s ‘gainfully employed’ in the business of deception, lies, and deceit…and words are the tools of his trade! Remember the devil’s first words recorded in Scripture: “Yea, hath God said” and “Ye shall not surely die”.
The Lord Jesus said of Satan in John 8:44 that “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it“. SO: By what the Lord said in this verse, do you think it would be profitable unto the devil if he could lie about and make people doubt God’s Word? I believe the answer is YES…it would be profitable unto him!
BTW: Have you ever wondered why there are over 100 English translations of the Scriptures? I’m sure you’ve heard of the NIV [New International Version] and the NASV [New American Standard Version], etc, but have you ever heard of:
The “An Inclusive Version” [AIV]…Here’s the write-up on it:
There are two reasons for this new version. The languages into which the Bible is rendered are changing. New manuscripts are discovered that are older and more reliable, and new investigations into the meanings of words reveal that more accurate renderings are possible…People who have disabilities are not referred to as “the blind” or “the lame,” but as “people who are blind” or “those who are lame.” Because the church does not assume that God is a male being, in this version God is never referred to by a masculine pronoun, or by any pronoun at all. As the church does not believe that God is literally a father and understands “Father” to be a metaphor, “Father” is rendered in this version by a new metaphor, “Father-Mother.”
How about the “Cotton Patch Version” [CPV]…Here’s it’s write-up:
It is not only a translation into modern American 
English but into American ideas. It cuts across the time space barrier, and the scene shifts from a first century Greco-Roman world to twentieth century America where Paul is no longer an aristocratic Pharisee, but a converted Southerner who boldly speaks the mind of Christ on such matters as racism, brotherhood, possessions, church membership and responsibility, the claims of Christ, and personal Christian living. Its plain, hard-hitting language is earthy and sweaty, straight from the cotton fields and city streets.
Don’t you think that to make people doubt God’s Word the devil would publish deceptions of God’s Word? Oh yes, the devil is very involved and employed in the word business! He takes great interest in the ones he can influence for to lie and to tear down.
BUT LET’S NOT FORGET: GOD, TOO, takes a great interest in words! FAITH hinges on His Word – “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” [Rom 10:17]. His Word is held in the Highest Regard – “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindnessand for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” [Ps 138:2].
God takes great interest in what He says…and we’ve seen that the devil takes great interest in what he says…but have you realized THEY BOTH take great interest in what YOU and I say? Great interest is taken in our tongue! So let me ask you this: Is your tongue being employed in the faith?
—Do you care about what you say?
—Has your tongue been tamed?
–- Has it been brought under the influence of the Spirit of God?
Exodus 20:16 says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour“. Of course, this is the ninth commandment. I wanted you to see this again because I need you to see that God has taken the time to set aside 1 out of the 10 Commandments to tell us that we’re not supposed to lie!
NOW WHY DID GOD DO THAT?
–I believe it’s because God knows that our tongue – the words you and I speak – carry tremendous influence! IN WHAT WAYS do we influence with our speech, and HOW CAN WE employ our tongue?
I. YOUR TONGUE CAN BE EMPLOYED IN AN EDIFYING WAY
I’m sure you’ve experienced words that have influenced you in an edifying way. While in the Air Force I received one of many refrigerator magnets at a seminar we had to attend entitled “101 Ways to Praise a Child”. On the magnet were edifying statements like “Great job” and “What an effort“. There were 101 of them printed to remind us of 101 ways to edify our children…and that was the Air Force assisting us with this! It is very important that our tongue be employed in an EDIFYING WAY!
Eph 4:29, “Let no corrupt {meaning, rotten} communication proceed out of your mouth…”
Let me just interject this right here: Some of you may be in the habit of using swear words. Now not only is that a filthy and rotten habit, but it’s not edifying…AND, I believe, it also shows lack of intelligence and a weak vocabulary.
Do you know what word really makes me cringe…especially when I hear it from a very young or a very old person? Please excuse me…but it’s the word “sucks”. “That sucks”…what does that even mean? How did THIS become acceptable?
1 Cor 15:33, “evil communications corrupt good manners”
Col 3:8, “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth”.
Again, Eph 4:29 says, “Let no corrupt {rotten} communication proceed out of your mouth…” But the rest of vs29 says, “…but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
We’re supposed to be edifying one another, building up each other in the faith, and not tearing each other down! Let us employ our tongue in an edifying way!
II. YOUR TONGUE CAN BE EMPLOYED IN AN ETERNAL WAY
I have books I read that were written by men who’ve gone on before me…BUT: their words still have an influence on me! They “being dead yet speaketh”! They and their writings have an eternal influence on me. What they’ve written influence me for eternity AND others are being affected and influenced as well – WOW! You just don’t know how much influence your words have! What can YOU say that will influence someone for all eternity? How about the words of the Gospel? How about, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” [Luke 2:10-11].
Wow…our tongue has an eternal employment and influence. This is why God’s so interested in our tongue! And this is why the devil wants to influence you to lie and to tear others down.
III. YOUR TONGUE CAN BE EMPLOYED IN AN EVIL WAY
James 3:5-8, “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! [vs6] 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. [vs7] For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: [vs8] But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
Must I explain this point further than James? We all know our tongue can be employed in the evil ways of gossip, lying, etc. Someone once said, “Opened by Mistake is more used for the mouth than the mail”!
THE WORDS YOU AND I SPEAK CARRY TREMENDOUS INFLUENCE…
HOW IS YOUR TONGUE EMPLOYED?
DO YOU HAVE TO APOLOGIZE TO SOMEONE FOR WHAT YOU’VE SAID?
DO YOU NEED TO ASK GOD’S FORGIVENESS FOR EMPLOYING YOUR TONGUE IN AN EVIL WAY?
AREN’T YOU TIRED OF TEARING OTHERS DOWN…
The word gossip is understood today as the spreading of rumors and misinformation. One may be called a gossip because he or she runs about telling idle tales and “half-truths”. It’s similar to the game where a story is told to the first person, then that person tells the next person what he remembers of what was said [i.e. his version], and so on down the line until the story has been passed through everybody involved. Most times at the end of the line, the story has mutated into something different from it’s original content…that would be gossip.
The Pastor\'s Pen 