THE POWER OF THE TONGUE

By

Rev. Festus Asopuruchukwu Ekenyere

Copyright © 2007 FESTUS A. EKENYERE

THE POWER OF THE TONGUE

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King James
Version of the Holy Bible.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic,
mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other without the written prior
permission of the publisher.

National Library of Nigeria Cataloguing in Publication Data

EKENYERE, Festus Asopuruchukwu, 1959 -
The Power of the Tongue

1. Christian life – Biblicval teaching

I. Title
BV 54501.2 .E36 2007 248.4
ISBN-978-33875-0-2 AACR2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
DEDICATION…………………….iii
AKNWOLEDGMENT…………….iv
INTRODUCTION………………...…4
SECTION ONE
THE NEGATIVE PERSPECTIVE
1 Lying and Negative Confession ……11
2 Backbiting and Gossip……………...21
3 False Witnessing and Accusation ….30
4 Jesting and Boasting ……………….38
SECTION TWO
THE POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE
5 Confessing Jesus and life …………..46
6 Speaking the truth in love …….……51
7 Making Decrees ……..……………..58
8 Witnessing for Jesus ………..……...66
CONCLUSION ………………………….70
LIST OF OTHER BOOKS BY
REV. FESTUS ASO. EKENYERE. ……71

DEDICATION

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNT TO BRIDLE THEIR TONGUES.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I want to first and foremost appreciate the Lord God Almighty for His immeasurable
grace upon my life. This is a burden that only HIM could lift; an insight HIM
alone can give. Therefore to HIM be glory and honour forever and ever.
The fatherly counsel of Professor Frank C. Carew of the Department of
Education, University of Maiduguri, added the needed impetus, which made this work
a reality. I so much cherish the professional touch you put to my works especially
this one. The good Lord will take you to higher grounds. Amen.
I appreciate the support of every member of our Church – FAITH
RECONCILIATION CHAPEL INT’L, Maiduguri. Your presence in the ministry has kept me
always on my feet. I feel elated pastoring you. Thanks for your prayers.
Now to my nucleus family, which I owe a great deal of gratitude for their
understanding. I have to sit on the computers for virtually all the hours of each
day paying little or no attention to the home. The work became so tedious as I
worked on six other books at the same time. I appreciate the patience of my wife,
Pastor Mrs. Glad, my son K. C. and my daughter Peace. You are special to me. God
will reward your patience.
I so much appreciate all my friends and admirers for their numerous
contributions in cash and in words of encouragement. Your association has
tremendously strengthened me. We will reign together with CHRIST!
INTRODUCTION

As I struck a match one day to burn some of my unwanted sheets of paper, I watched
the whole lot being engulfed in the inferno. I wondered if the flame I saw was the
contents of a single match struck across the box. I admired the scene because my
unwanted sheets were gone in just a few minutes. I loved my box of matches!
Another day, I went to visit a friend in the hospital but was told that he
had been discharged. As I was about to go, I met with a sister who narrated her
ordeal to me. It was a case of fire incident. She told me of how a stick of
matches struck in the house already filled with spilled cooking gas burnt off the
house of her brother. According to her, nothing was recovered from the house, the
house-help and the pregnant wife of the brother died as a result of the burnt.
My breath nearly ceased as I learnt that a stick of matches struck in the
house caused the evil. I quickly remembered my box of matches and found myself in
between two opinions – to hate or to love my box of matches.
Powerful! Powerful!! I exclaimed. Fire from the striking of a stick of
matches! It has the ability to destroy and to organize. This in essence is the
metaphor the Apostle James used in his definition of the human tongue. He says, “
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. 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: But the
tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith
bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after
the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My
brethren, these things ought not so to be. – James 3:6-10
How powerful is the tongue though a very small member in our body? With it
we can destroy and with it we can organize. These are the two main perspectives
from which we will view the power of the tongue in this book. Like the fire
produced by the striking of a stick of matches organizes or disorganizes, so is
the product of the human tongue.
The tongue is so powerful that King Solomon says, “Death and life are in the
power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” –
Proverbs 18:21. Literally, the King speaks nothing but the truth (inspired by the
Holy Spirit). I heard a true-life story, which I would love to share with you now.
The story is about a drunkard who got married to a talkative woman. Any day he got
drunk, he was bound to beat his wife. On the other hand, his wife would never stop
at insulting and nagging him. So, the more insults the more beating and vice
versa. One day, the wife resorted to ask help from a juju man. After narrating her
ordeal to the man, he charged her a large sum of money and gave her a small black
stone with this instruction – “Next time your husband gets drunk and you know that
his next action is to panel-beat you, quickly put this stone in your mouth and do
not speak a word no matter how aggressive he seems to be.”
A few days after, the husband came home drunk and the wife of course knowing
the usual thing quickly put her saviour in her mouth thereby unconsciously taming
her tongue. It came to pass, while the man was beating her, he suddenly noticed
that his talkative wife was not talking again but weeping and gnashing her teeth.
The man stopped and was amazed at the sudden change.
The next day he bought two pieces of cloth for his wife, congratulating her
for the change with a promise never to beat her again. The wife was very happy.
Her talisman worked! She quickly went to the juju man to share her testimony. But
to her greatest amazement, he told her that there was nothing in the stone he gave
her. “It is just an ordinary stone, which I used to tame your tongue. Now if you
will only control your tongue, you will live happily with your husband.” What a
lesson!
The woman in our story would have been beaten to death if she chose or live
if she chose to. It all depends on the power of the tongue. The tongue
demonstrates its power in all aspects of life and is in complete control of the
whole body. The Apostle James says, “ For in many things we offend all. If any man
offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole
body.” – James 3:2.
To a larger extent, a man’s journey to the kingdom of God depends on how he
assumes control over his tongue. The tongue has the power to lead a man to the
kingdom of God or to the kingdom of Satan. However, one cannot assume perfect
control of the tongue humanly. No body under the sun can tame the tongue. Again
the Apostle James puts it this way – “But the tongue can no man tame; it is a
unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” – James 3:8
Self-control is the fruit of the Holy Spirit- “ But the fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law.” – Galatians 5:21,22. It is what the
Holy Spirit produces in the life of a Christian. It is a spiritual harvest
appropriate to the new divine life within the man who consciously surrenders to
the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Self-control is a Christian virtue produced by the
Holy Spirit, not by mere moral discipline of trying to please God or what is known
today as “principles of living”.
It is therefore clear that no one has the ultimate power to control himself
except by a supernatural force. To be controlled by the devil is death and
separation from God while to be controlled by the Holy Spirit is life. The only
available means of coming closer to God is by His Son Christ Jesus. If you have
not done that and wish to, turn to the last page of this book for guidance. If you
fail to, you will b subject to the dictates of the devil.
In this book, the TONGUE is seen from two perspectives: the negative and the
positive. The first section dwells on the Negative Perspective while the second
dwells on the Positive Perspective. These two perspectives demonstrate the power
of the tongue. Every thing the tongue produces (death or live) is seen clearly
from biblical standpoint. The pages of this book can as well be described as a
mirror, which shows you exactly the colour of your tongue. Approach it with an
open mind, making amends and consolidations where necessary.
SECTION ONE
THE NEGATIVE PERSPECTIVE

CHAPTER ONE
LYING AND NEGATIVE CONFESSION

Let us start with the story of the shepherd and the villagers. It is said that at
the outskirts of a village was a well-known shepherd who took care of a large herd
of flock belonging to some of the villagers. One day, the shepherd shouted, “Help!
Help!! Somebody help!!! Wolf on my flock!” almost all the able-bodied men in the
village ran out with their clubs and guns only to discover that there was no wolf
at all. They went back disappointed. The following day, the shepherd repeated it
and the villagers ran out and were again disappointed. On the third day, wolves
from the jungle attacked the flocks. The shepherd cried for help but nobody
responded. The villagers assumed he was out to fool them again so they stayed
behind and the wolves devoured his flock.
When he came back in the evening, the villagers discovered that quite a
number of their flock were missing so they asked him to give account of them. He
narrated to them how the wolves devoured the flock but they did not believe his
report because of his past insincerity.
The poor shepherd was summoned by the King’s court where he was found guilty
and subsequently jailed because he could not pay for the missing animals.
Lying is defined as an act of making untrue statement. By this definition,
the shepherd in the above story told lies on two consecutive times, which made him
not to be trustworthy. Consequently, he lost his job, reputation and ended up in
jail.
 Any untrue statement is a lie. There is no small, big, coloured or
diplomatic lie that does not attract the same consequences as the shepherd’s. From
the housewife who keeps part of the feeding money and covers it up with high cost
of foodstuffs to the minister who exaggerates on the pulpit; all untrue
statements, no matter how diplomatically and righteously presented fall into the
family of lies.
It is constructive to consider the source of this universal vice that has
eaten deeper into the soul of mankind than cancer. Jesus says, “Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. 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.” – John 8:44. This text points out clearly the falsehood contained in the
theory of universal fatherhood of God. God is not the father of all human beings.
Parenthood is a matter of relationship. The Bible says, “ Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey;
whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” – Romans 6:16
Lying is an attribute of Satan. It is his nature evident in whosoever obeys
him. Lying originated from him and whoever indulges in it is born of him.
The devil introduced falsehood right from the dispensation of innocence when
he said, “ Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil.” – Genesis 3:4,5. This is the origin of untrue statements and it was
directed at God with the aim of polluting God’s creation. The devil distorted
God’s divine instruction and diverted man’s attention from his spiritual likeness
to God to a mere formal physical existence of being like God. Unfortunately, man
yielded to the voice of Satan instead of upholding the dictates of God. The result
being loss of the glory of God, expulsion from the Garden of Eden and separation
from God.
From that moment, evil entered the world and man became the servant of his
own predicament. That is why no one teaches a child how to tell lies. He develops
into it. This evil nature spreads from Adam to all humanity and is manifested
through the TONGUE.
Lying is a grievous sin before the Lord. The Scripture says, “Lying lips are
abomination to the LORD:” – Proverbs 12:22. It is abhorrent and God therefore
hates it. “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea seven are an abomination unto
him: A proud look, a lying tongue, ---“ Proverbs 6:16,17. Since this universal
vice is of the devil and all who indulge in it are born of him, they all have one
eternal destination. The devil is of course destined to hell-fire, so are his
children – all who fulfill his desires. Revelation 20:10-15 says, “ And the devil
that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast
and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth
and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another
book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave
up the dead, which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead, which
were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death
and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Outlining the attributes of the inhabitants of hell-fire, the Bible says, “
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part
in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” –
Revelation 21:8.
The tongue has the power to pull the whole body to hell-fire. Furthermore,
the Bible teaches that those who love the lying tongue will end up in the same
place – “For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and WHOSOEVER LOVETH AND MAKETH A LIE.” – Revelation 22:15 (Emphasis
added).
As we approach the end of the age, this evil increases. Respected people of
God fall prey to the negative display of the power of the tongue. The Holy Spirit
warning the church through the Apostle Paul speaks expressly, “--- that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils: speaking lies in hypocrisy: having their conscience
seared with a hot iron.” – I Timothy 4:1,2. This Scripture is fulfilling today as
people of God, trusting in themselves no longer hold unto the truth, but as a
result of pressures of this life resort to falsehood under the canopy of
Christianity. This ought not to be but remember, “Not every one that saith unto
me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21. It is unfortunate to note that
some Christians have turned the grace of God into an instrument of falsehood. They
are using “by the grace of God” to tell lies without hurting their consciences.
This is an abomination! If you know you cannot do a thing why not say so plainly
than hiding under the canopy of “by the grace of God”.
In the book of Ephesians, chapter four, the Apostle Paul urged Christians
not to live as people without the knowledge of God, who walk according to the
vanity of their minds because their understanding has been darkened through the
ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Even though
Christians were like that in times past, the Apostle strongly cautioned against
the danger of displaying a character fashioned in likeness to the old man. Since
Christians did not come to know Christ that way rather hey heard of Him and were
taught in Him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus, they are “to put off”
their old self, which is corrupted by its deceitful desires; and “to put on” the
new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
A major character of the old man to be put off is lying. The Bible therefore
says, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour for
we are members one of another.” – Ephesians 4:25.

NEGATIVE CONFESSIONS
In Proverbs 18:21 we read these words, “Death and life are in the power of
the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” This means that
the tongue has the power of life and death and to an extent your success or
failure in this world depends largely on how you use it. What you say is what you
get.
Negative confession is the clearest mark of faithlessness. A child of God
who sees his problems through God understands that “all things are possible to
them who believe.” The way you see your circumstances determines your confession.
You confess negatively the very moment you see God through your problems. Get this
clear – there are two major ways of viewing problems: when you see problems
through God, they seem as nothing because of the greatness of God. But when you
see God through your problems, they become insurmountable. This is reflected in
the lives of the twelve spies who went to explore the Promised Land. Numbers 13
gives us the account of how they went for exploration and their report. They saw
the Promised Land, appreciated it and even came back with some of its fruits in
confirmation of the goodness and fruitfulness of the land. “--- A land flowing
with milk and honey.” Out of the twelve, only two, namely, Caleb and Joshua gave
a report prompted by faith in God. The remaining ten gave negative report. In as
much as the land was flowing with milk and honey, there were adversaries. So, the
two conflicting reports came as a result of two different angles from which they
saw their adversaries. Caleb and Joshua saw their adversaries through God while
the other ten saw God through their adversaries. That was what made the eternal
difference.
The land was indeed occupied by giants and the cities walled yet God asked
them to go and possess it. Caleb and Joshua saw the greatness of God hence they
silenced the evil reporters and advised the immediate possession of the land as
being within their competence. The occupants of the land and their walled cities
posed no problems for the men of faith.
On the other hand, ten of the spies who saw the goodness and fruitfulness of
the land also saw the difficulties involved as being greater than their God. Their
faithlessness could be seen by their confession. Their report instilled fear,
doubt and discouragement into the people. Look at their report and confession –
“And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and WE
WERE IN OUR OWN SIGHT AS GRASSHOPPERS, AND SO WE WERE IN THEIR SIGHT.” – Numbers
13:33 (Emphasis mine).
How true is this of God’s people today. Fear and lack of faith, expressed by
negative confessions have often been the cause of stagnation and lack of advance
towards victory. Most Christians are destroying their destinies on daily basis by
the words of their mouth. They find it difficult to see something good in their
lives, families, jobs, and businesses and in fact, their churches. The worst of it
all is that, this group of Christians speaks negativity into their own future.
They say things like this, “Let me go and try, and may be …” You see, this kind of
people does not go by revelation and conviction. They hardly move by faith!

CHAPTER TWO
BACKBITING AND GOSSIP

They have been living in harmony for the past twenty years or more. Most of
their things were commonly used by any of them. They found it difficulty parting
with one another so; they vowed to be married by men of the same village. This was
the extent to which two sisters loved each other.
(As though not serious) initially, their parents could not understand why
their two daughters decided thus. But their seriousness was proved when the senior
agreed to get married to a man if only he will get another man from his village
that will marry her junior sister. The man tried everything he could but to no
avail so, he convinced his nephew and talked him into marrying the junior sister
to his fiancée.
The wedding was unique. The desire of the two inseparable sisters was met.
They were not only married in the same village, but in the same family. I could
imagine how happy they were. It was just a transfer of family name. Their culture
was not tampered with. They cherished one another more and more as they continued
their lives together still with most of their belongings commonly used.
Unknown to these two sisters was the fact that some people in the village
envied them and sought a way of separating them. There was no other way to do that
except through the power of the tongue. Seeing that the junior sister freely
entered her senior sister’s room, a lady invited the senior sister for a dinner
and “a private special talk”. Due to the caption of this invitation, she did not
go with her sister.
As they had dinner together, the lady spoke out “I do not know how to
narrate this unfortunate incident to you seeing how special you regard your
sister. If only you will promise me not to react negatively and to continue loving
her, I would be glad to tell you why I invited you for this special dinner.”
Having heard this, she became more anxious to hear what the lady had to say. So,
she vowed not to react negatively. Then the lady continued, “I have been closely
monitoring your movements and how sincere both of you love each other until
recently I discovered that your junior sister is a hypocrite. On several occasions
I have noticed strange movements between her and your husband. You see, I am not
saying that they are in love and that I have seen then laying together on your
matrimonial bed. What I am saying is that you must be careful else you will loose
your dear husband for your dear sister. Please do not react at this, only be
careful”. She was dumbfounded and left without a word, meditating over all she had
heard.
The following day, unknown to he, the same lady invited the junior sister
for a special lunch and released the same dynamite on her. Like her senior sister,
she left without saying a word. The result was a quiet withdrawal to self by both
sisters. No one dared to ask the other why because both harboured the same
resentment.
The verbal dynamite exploded after a very long time. One day, the junior
went to fetch water from the stream with her sister’s clay pot. Unfortunately for
her, the pot slipped off her hand and broke. Understanding the marred relationship
with her senior sister, she wept as she enquired where to buy another pot to
replace the broken one for her. There again stood that same lady. She comforted
her and encouraged her to go quickly to the neighbouring village and buy another
pot.
As soon as she left for the village, the lady went to her senior sister and
said, “My dear, what kind of wicked sister do you have? She has broken your
beautiful water pot every body in this village admires. The worst of it all is
that she has gone to the neighbouring village, thinking she will see a typical pot
to buy instead of coming to inform you first. Please, I hope you will forgive her.
It is not good if you quarrel with your junior sister because of an ordinary pot”.
To her it was time to explode. She waited impatiently for her sister to
return from her journey. Unfortunately, the sister came back without any pot. As
though heaven was let loose, she poured out her wrath on her junior sister. Both
of them rained all manner of insults on each other and their husbands were unable
to settle the matter for they accused them of infidelity. Both men were surprised
and decided to find out the source of this mischief. They latter discovered that a
lady in the neighbourhood was the root of this evil. But there was little or
nothing they could do. The harm had already been done.
A careful study of the Word of God shows that God is the Judge of the
intents of man’s heart. He judges man’s motives. The church today has laid much
emphasis on sins like fornication and the likes. Little or nothing is taught on
the use of the tongue. The devil has therefore shifted his target and so many
Christians are caught in his net of gossip and backbiting.
Let us find out what exactly is the meaning of these two words under review.
The Thorndike Junior Illustrated dictionary defines backbiting as an act of
speaking evil of (an absent person). Gossip is defined as an idle talk, not always
true, about other people and their affairs.
Some people have argued that by the above definition, backbiting has no
indication of lying. Well, that depends on the contents of the evil spoken of (an
absent person). I do not know how possible it is to speak evil of an absent person
without any form of falsehood. So I feel that there is an element of lying in both
backbiting and gossip.
When you speak evil against an absent person, your motive is to destroy the
image and reputation of that person. It is often as a result of prejudice.
Sometimes the fellow you are destroying is innocent. Even if he is not, are you
his Judge? Why must you destroy with your mouth? This is evil!
The most common with Christians is gossip. With biased mind, you cannot
represent an absent fellow favourably. In an attempt to narrate what somebody did,
you add words or cover up the good side with the motive to present the negative
side of the absent person or his affairs. This is an evil I have seen among
Christians. In all, the motive is evil – TO DESTROY!
In our story above, the primary aim of that lady was to destroy the
relationship between the sisters (and she did). You may not have gone to that
extent but the little seed of discord you sowed in the heart of somebody yesterday
might grow to something worse than the story above.
No matter your position in the church, as long as you backbite and gossip or
have pleasure in those that do same, you are on the same platform with haters of
God. The apostle Paul stated this clearly in the book of Romans 1: 28-32 thus – “
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over
to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled
with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of
God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to
parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them
that do them.” As God judges those who deliberately indulge in this vile, I think
He will also judger those who nod their approving heads and gain satisfaction from
what they hear.
The Lord taught me a lesson one day that touched my soul. He opened my eyes
to the harmful consequence of an idle or careless talk. A friend returned from
Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city for an anointed meeting, and went to see his graphic
artist who was working on his signboards. There a minister friend whom he met
while in the capital city walked in, they greeted and he went to the other block
of offices. Carelessly, without having any evil motive in mind, my friend told his
artist how he met with his minister friend in Abuja and how they parted. As soon
as the minister came back from the other block of offices, the artist pulled him
aside and told him all my friend said and probably added his own words.
As innocent as my friend thought he was, he agreed to give his minister
friend a ride to his house. On the way, his friend said, “Man of God, please do no
discuss anything about me with these guys again. The artist told me all you said
about me”. My fried felt bad and apologized not only to him but also to God. “I
had no intention to destroy you before the artist and God knew the intent of my
heart”. He said. My friend got home and prayed to the Lord earnestly for
forgiveness and God restored him. What a lesson to learn from idle talk.
You may not have an evil intention like in the above case but the other
party who relates the story might have. Such talks can destroy a longstanding
relationship. Their relationship would have been marred had my friend not
apologized.
In the book of Leviticus 19:16, the Bible says, “Thou shalt not go up and
down as a talebearer among thy people,” Meditate over this text for some minutes
and ask yourself – “have I been going up and down as a talebearer?” If so,
remember Psalm 15:1,3, which say, “Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who
shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that beckbiteth not with his tongue.” Therefore
the Psalmist says, “Keep thy tongue from evil (backbiting), and thy lips from
speaking guile (gossip)” – Psalm 34:13 (Emphasis added).
Backbiting and gossip are evil; anyone who indulges in them is a “man of Belial.”
Belial
means “without profit”. Proverbs 6:12-15 describe the person thus – “ A naughty
person, a wicked man, walketh with a orward mouth. He winketh with his eyes, he
speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; Frowardness is in his heart,
he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. Therefore shall his calamity
come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.”
CHAPTER THREE
FALSE WITNESSING AND ACCUSATION

A witness and his testimony contribute immensely to the establishment of any case.
When such witnessing is based on falsehood, it jeopardizes justice and the life
and future of some one. This is why God hates false witnessing and commands His
children not to take part in it.
Any addition or subtraction from the fact of the matter brands it false.
Most times it is as a result of prejudice. This evil is also found among
Christians today. Unconsciously, some Christians under the pretence of “let us
pray for brother or sister so, so and so” testify falsely against their supposed
beneficiary even before the Almighty God. Friend, “God is not mocked!” He knows
when you are praying for somebody out of love and when you are not.
The ninth commandment says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.” – Exodus 20:16. This is a clear commandment from God and He desires
that we keep it. He expatiates more on it when He says, “Thou shalt not raise a
false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.” –
Exodus 23:1. This means any atom f exaggeration in your report brands you wicked
and unrighteous.
Apart from being biased, another element that motivates false report is when
you want undue favour. In an attempt to be favoured, you castigate somebody. This
is evil! Wait upon the Lord; He will lift you up at the appointed time. The Bible
says of servants, “Not with eyeservice, as men pleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” - Ephesians 6:6.
Eye service! I call it – eye, body and lips service. I have seen this evil
manifesting greatly among the people of God also. Something you cannot naturally
do and say but because of fear or favour, you do and say it, is this not evil?
Like every other vice, false witnessing attracts a severe punishment from
above. The Lord says, “ If a false witness rise up against any man to testify
against him that which is wrong; Then both the men, between whom the controversy
is, shall stand before the LORD, before the priests and the judges, which shall be
in those days; And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and, behold, if the
witness be a false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; Then
shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt
thou put the evil away from among you. And those which remain shall hear, and
fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. And thine eye
shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for
hand, foot for foot.”
Take note of verses 19-21 and do not say it does not apply in this
dispensation. The Bible says, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
– Galatians 6:7. The principle of sowing and reaping is still in operation today.
Whatsoever you wish for others will definitely happen to you. It might not be
immediate as in the sharia law. Remember that vengeance belongs to God. He will
recompense! If our world will understand this fact, the monster called “false
witnessing” will be eradicated completely.
One man in the history of mankind had been once accused falsely and suffered
for the sins of many. Jesus, the only begotten Son of God was once a victim of
this monster whose major exit is the mouth. Let us examine carefully the
accusation against Jesus and learn some important lessons from the witnesses’
testimonies against Him.
In the book of John, Jesus was asked to show off a miraculous sign to prove
His authority and divinity. He replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I
will raise it up.” – John 2:19. The Jews who were already biased concluded that He
was referring to the literal temple in Jerusalem. However, John says, “But he
spake of the temple of his body.” V21.
At the time of His arrest and before the Sanhedrin, the Bible says, “ And
the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him
to death; and found none. For many bare false witness against him, but their
witness agreed not together. And there arose certain, and bare false witness
against him, saying, We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made
with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. But
neither so did their witness agree together.” – Mark 14:55-59.
Some people have argued that this accusation was not false, “after all” they
say, “Jesus said so”. But the Bible says it is false, so, it is false. Instead of
arguing, let us examine it carefully to see the falsehood.
In the first instance, these people were already prejudiced. And the Bible
says, “they sought for witness to put him to death.” Many people bare false
witness against Him but for lack of harmony, their witnesses were rejected then,
another two emerged to fulfill Deuteronomy 19:15.
Secondly, I had earlier said that any addition, subtraction or exaggeration
of any kind to the fact of any matter brands it false. This is clearly seen in the
witness of these two. Jesus did not say He would destroy the temple; rather He
said, “Destroy this temple”. Simple and short! He did not say anything about the
“temple that is made with hands” not to talk about building “another made without
hands”. These statements are additions to the fact and according to my own
understanding they falsify the whole testimony and reveal the wickedness and
unrighteousness of the testifiers.
How true is this devilish diplomacy eating deeper than cancer in the body of
Christ today? It is easier for somebody to pick up a word or statement from you
and misrepresent you entirely. Sometimes the person quoting you does that
innocently but the recipient who might have been biased about your activities
blows it out of proportion. This is evil!
In deciding the case of Stephen, his persecutors misquoted him. Probably
Stephen was quoting Jesus from John 2:19 which we considered above but was
victimized for it. Finally he was stoned to death.
Look again at the witness against him – “ Then they suborned men, who said,
we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. And they
stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and
caught him, and brought him to the council, And set up false witnesses, which
said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and
the law: For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this
place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.”
If you read verses 9 and 10, you will conclude with me that the people of
Stephen’s day were prejudiced and as a result, sought to destroy him. The only way
they could achieve their desire was to suborn men to accuse him falsely.
Is our generation better? The tongue was not designed for evil, as we will
discover from section two of this book. Remember, God will judge every idle and
unconfessed careless word we speak.
King Solomon says, “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are
detestable to him: a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up
dissension among brothers.” – Proverbs 6:16,19. It is clearly established that God
hates false witnessing and accusation. Therefore He will judge them. “ A false
witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.” –
Proverbs 19:5 (N.I.V.)
In Luke 3:14 the Bible says, “And the soldiers likewise demanded of him,
saying, what shall we do? And he said unto them, do violence to no man, NEITHER
ACCUSE ANY FALSELY, and be content with your wages.” (Emphasis added). You can see
that among the sins the people were to repent from was false accusation. Today our
world is no difference; we need therefore to purge it from this vice as well.
I have been a victim of this monster times without number so I know how it
hurts. My only consolation in such moments is the fact that God is the righteous
Judge. People including some ministers of God have falsely accused me of one thing
or the other, which I was sincerely innocent of. Nobody is exonerated! Preachers
do fall prey to this monster also! Friend, if you have not been accused falsely
before, you have not known the other side of anguish. The solution is not in self-
defense. Jesus did not defend Himself when He was falsely accused so why should I?
Allow God to defend you!
We need to purge our society of this evil. Why must people, even Christians
disseminate reports they cannot substantiate? Why not keep quiet and shut up your
mouth if you know you cannot prove the reality of what you are about to say.
Remember the tongue is more destructive than chemical and biological weapons; it
can destroy without remedy. KEEP IT IN CHECK!

CHAPTER FOUR
JESTING AND BOASTING

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any
kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
Nor should there be obscenity, FOOLISH TALK OR COARSE JOKING, WHICH ARE OUT OF
PLACE, but rather thanksgiving.” – Ephesians 5:3,4 (N.I.V. Emphasis mine).
It is important we take this text from the N.I.V. for easier and proper
understanding. I have met with some Christians who have gone to the other extreme
in their condemnation of jesting or joking. To them, a Christian is not supposed
to joke at all. That is a very bad extreme. No human being can live in this world
successfully without jokes. You must consciously or unconsciously share in jokes.
By definition, joke is something said or done to make somebody laugh a
remark that is clever or funny. If you had ever laughed in your life then, you
have probably taken part in a joke. You cannot just laugh without reasons except
you are insane and you are not. I believe if tare people who must laugh, they are
the Christians. This is because one who is sad does not laugh and a Christian
cannot be sad all day long. I am happy so I laugh when occasion warrants.
Now I would like us to understand exactly what the Bible says concerning
jesting or joking. The Bible talks about “--- coarse joking which are out of place
foolish talk”. This is taken from Greek word, “Morologia,” which means “silly
talk”. This word does not condemn good humour but when in association with
filthiness or coarseness of speech like slanderous nicknames, it becomes a sin.
This is where the negative aspect of the power of the tongue must be checked.
In His sermon on the mount, our Lord Jesus laid emphasis on the cause of an
action more than the action itself. The “cause” must be looked into first passing
judgment on the action. He says, “ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old
time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the
judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a
cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother,
Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall
be in danger of hell fire.” – Matthew 5:21,22.
There is a story of two friends playing a draft game. It became so exciting
to one as he won on each round. Unknown to him was the fact that his loving friend
was bitter inwardly. As the game progressed, and common with the game, the winner
always express his victory by jesting so, he said to his losing friend, “play game
my friend, you cocoanut head who does not know anything.” His “cocoanut-head”
friend seldom stood up, reached out for a sharp stone and broke his friend’s head
and said, “I want to drink the water from your cocoanut head.”
The word “Raca” means empty-head. “Thou food” means worthless person. Such
words are silly talks. They are not convenient for Christians. They should not
proceed from the mouth of a child of God more especially in the name of joking.
They stir confusion and resentment. Jesus says, “But I say unto you, that every
idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment.” – Matthew 12:36.
Apart from destroying the soul through coarseness of speech, another way the
tongue exercises its negative power over the soul is in unnecessary self-
appraisal. As a man “thinketh in his heart so he is.” – Proverbs 23:7. Pride,
self-exaltation and egotism have their conception first in the human heart before
manifestation. Their major source of expression is the mouth powerfully equipped
with the tongue.
Our Lord Jesus says, “Those things which proceed out of the mouth came forth
from the heart; and they defile the man.” – Matthew 15:18. Sometimes even the
elect fall into this sin unconsciously because of unguarded heart. I have seen
very good and respected Christians (from human perspective) talk carelessly of how
big and socially important they are. There is nothing bad in being socially
relevant but do not allow what you think you are in the society to make you
heavenly irrelevant. There is nothing you have or are today somebody had not been
or had before. “A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven.” –
John 3:27.
Friend, think about what caused a king to be eaten by worms. Egotism of
course! Only God knows the contents of the oration King Herod made unto his
audience that attracted such a sudden judgment. The Bible says, “ And upon a set
day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto
them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a
man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the
glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” – Acts 12:21-23. Good!
“Because he gave not God the glory”. This is nothing but self-glorification. When
we consciously or unconsciously put ourselves in the position of reverence as God,
we are trading on the pathway of failure and destruction. “I am the LORD: that is
my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to grave
images.” – Isaiah 42:8.
Think about one of the ills of the antichrist. I mean the expression of his
nature. The apostle Paul describes him as one “who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” – II Thessalonians 2:4.
Revelation 13:5,6 say, “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. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name,
and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.” The antichrist can easily be
recognized by his boastful nature. Today men boast of their power and might
forgetting that tomorrow is in the hands of God. The apostle James says, “God to
now, ye that say, today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue thee
a year, and buy and sell, and get gain. Whereas ye know not what shall be on the
morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little
time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, if the Lord will, we
shall live, and do this or that. But now ye REJOICE IN YOUR BOASTING: ALL SUCH
REJOICING IS EVIL.” – James 4:13-16. King Solomon says, “Boast not thyself of
tomorrow; for thou knoweth not what a day may bring forth. Let another man praise
thee, and not thine own lips.” – Proverbs 27:1,2.
We are however encouraged to glory only in the strength and might of the
Lord. The Scripture says, “ Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory
in his riches. But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and
knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and
righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” –
Jeremiah 9:23,24.
Examine yourself and move into the second section – POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE –
with confidence.

SECTION TWO
POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE

CHAPTER FIVE
CONFESSING JESUS AND LIFE
If I had stopped at the negative perspective of the power of the tongue then it
means God deposited a member in our body for the destruction of our soul. No! That
is not God’s aim for creating the human tongue.
In this section of four chapters, we will see the positive aspect and the
purpose for which the tongue was created. Satan in his nature tends to change the
good purpose of God’s creation for evil. This he succeeded doing in the Garden of
Eden and from then, the Bible says, “--- there is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are
all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that
doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues
they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips. Whose mouth is full
of cursing and bitterness.” - Romans 3:10-14.
You can see the state of the fallen man. But did God leave man at the mercy
of the devil? No! In His lovingkindness, God mapped out a plan of total
restoration and executed His plan on the cross of Calvary leaving man to decide
his destiny.
The tongue comes to play a very important role in man’s redemption. The
Bible says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt
believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation.” – Romans 10:9,10.
Confessing Christ Jesus in this context simply means an open admission of an
inward change. This change includes the purification of the “open sepulcher”
throat, tongue and lips, which were used in times past for deceit, cursing and
bitterness. It also means a conscious submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
in order to be exactly who God created you to be. Then the Scripture which says
“Therefore if a man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.” – II Corinthians 5:17, will be fulfilled
in your life.
Salvation does not only involve inward belief, it also involves outward
confession of total freedom based on the finished work of Calvary. This confession
defeats Satan, sin, the world and its lusts and of course eternal death. It is
only then we can join the apostle Paul to say, “Nay, in all these things we are
more than conquerors through him that loved us.” – Romans 8:37.
Salvation also can be seen as a translation from death to life. Jesus says,
“ Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is
passed from death unto life.” – John 5:24. If this is the case (which I believe
is) then, God expects the words of our mouth to be words of life.
I heard of the death of a university don recently. My source revealed that
the late Phd. Holder woke up on the fateful day with some strange feelings in his
body. Then he asked a colleague of his to take him to the hospital. He was quoted
to be saying continually – “I am dying, I am dying.” And of course he died before
getting medical attention. You see, he confessed death and got it. Latter his
people announced that he died after a brief illness. That was all right, but some
of us knew that he died after confessing death.
The Bible teaches that, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be
established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. When men are cast
down, then thou shalt say, there is a lifting up.” – Job 22:28,29. You possess
what you confess. Remember, “A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the increase of
his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life
are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit
thereof.” – Proverbs 18:20,21.
So many Christians condemn themselves and cause their failure with their
tongue and turn back to blame God unnecessarily. Especially at this state of
economic stress, Christians must learn how to join affinity with God so that the
difference between the unbelievers and us can be made clear. What shows that you
are a child of the Most High when you lament with the people of the world over the
affairs of this life? Do you understand what I mean? Our source of supply is above
not abroad, therefore always look up to God and confess your victory. By
confessing positively you are releasing your faith to walk in the reality of
heaven on earth. Friend, I have been thus sustained so, I know by experience that
God can sustain you. (Get my book titled – THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT- and you will be
richly blessed). This is calling “those things which be not as though they were.”
– Romans 4:17.

CHAPTER SIX
SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE

In one of my books titled “STANDING FIRM IN LOVE”, I made a concise analysis of

Christian love. Having understood clearly the true meaning of Christian love, I
discovered that it is a powerful motivator of other virtues. It is also the golden
cord that binds all Christian graces together.
This generation is fast wasting away. Everyone is gone his own way as sheep
without shepherd; doing things the way it pleases him without any sense of
judgment. The world does not know the value of love so it does not appreciate
dealings in love. The love for money is gradually taking the place of the love for
God and His righteousness. Unfortunately the church that supposes to show good and
godly examples has, for quest of wealth gone the way of the world in the name of
prosperity. Instead of prosperity following the Christians, the reverse has become
the case. Christian values have even disappeared from our homes.
As a result of this strong desire, the love of many are waxing cold daily.
Truth and faithfulness for which the Christian faith was known has almost
disappeared among brethren especially when it comes to financial dealings. It has
even come to the stage where it is preferable to deal with an unbeliever than to
have any financial dealings with a Christian “believer”. This level of impropriety
does not exonerate “preachers of the gospel”. It is even worst with some so-called
Pastors and it gets me disgusted. The apostle Paul encouraged every one of us to
speak the truth in love so that we may grow up into Him in all things which is the
Head, even Christ – see Ephesians 4:15. In other words, one of the major ways your
love for God and your neighbour can be expressed is in your truthful dealings and
speech.
When the Pharisees wanted to know from Jesus which of the law is the
greatest, Jesus answered and said, “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” – Matthew
22:37-40. By implication, this means as we cannot tell lies or deceive ourselves
in any way, so ought our relationship with God and our neighbours to be.
How can you lie to the person you love? Why do you hate and murder your
fellow man created in the image of God? We must love for “God is love.” – I John
3:15; 4:16. Let us face the reality and you will discover the benefits of the
positive aspect of the power of the tongue in demonstration of love. The apostle
Paul had this in mind as the Holy Spirit moved him to write – “ Owe no man any
thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not
steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be
any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” – Romans 13:8-10
Worthy of note is the fact that if you love someone you will not bear false
witness against him. You will not do him any ill whatsoever including lying. You
then will, always speak the truth in love. Sometimes the truth may be bitter but
if it is spoken in love or as a result of love, it must achieve the desired
result.
I had an experience some years ago when a Pastor came to work with us in the
ministry. He left his former ministry unceremoniously and did not know that his
former senior pastor harboured resentment against him. After a short while, I
asked him whether his former Overseer and his congregation prayed for him on his
departure. He said, “not at all”. Then I knew something was wrong somewhere. I
boldly told him that the truth is, he must go back to his former church and
strengthen his relationship with them.
Note that by this time we have developed love for one another so going
became a problem. One day, I decided to visit his former Pastor to enquire about
the circumstances, which led to his resignation. I discovered that there was
nothing so serious but for the fact that his resignation was not approved by the
authority. In other words, they did not want him to leave yet he left. The
Overseer told me clearly that he wanted that Pastor back to the church.
Friend, if you were in my position, what would you do? I needed the services
of this young Pastor and his former Overseer needed his services as well. The
young Pastor waned to work with us. That was the position. Well, the following
day, I asked him to go back and prayerfully convince his senior Pastor to see
reasons with him on why he should leave. Not until he succeeds, I asked him to
remain there and work faithfully.
My decision received a lot of criticisms from within and outside our
ministry. Some respected ministers condemn my decision. They did not see any
reason why I should send him back to his former church. It generated a lot of heat
but I knew very will within my soul that I had spoken the truth in love. I thank
God the young Pastor listened to me and went back to that church though it was
painful. After a while he left amicably and today he is a happy and fulfilled
servant of God. In my life and ministry I have come across many situations where I
spoke the truth and paid dearly for it. At last it paid off. Sometimes ninety
percent of ministers around will oppose me yet within me I know I am saying the
truth even though they call me names. I have never forgotten the fact that I alone
will give account of every word that comes out of my mouth.
One important point I would like us to understand from the New Testament
context of who your neighbour is, is what I call “universal neighbourhood”. By
this I mean joyfully embracing anyone who comes across your path in life
irrespective of colour, ethnic or religious affiliation. Our fellow human being is
our neighbour and we must love him as ourselves. But unfortunately, many have
limited this to those of the same colour, ethnic or religious beliefs. Sometimes
even those of the same religious beliefs still limit it to those of the same
denomination or sect. Sometimes I do not blame them because some of them have been
victims of fraud stars. It is unfortunate that somebody you showed love and
kindness can turn and victimize you. This is ungodly and evil I see under the sun.
The tongue is a powerful instrument, which has the potential to unite the
whole world and bring lasting peace if man can only hear and obey the voice of
God. Imagine how this world will look like if every one of us speaks the truth in
love. No cheating, no deceit, no corruption. Everybody trusts his neighbour. What
a beautiful world! But unfortunately the reverse is the case. Even in our homes
today, husbands do not trust their wives and wives no longer trust their husbands.
Children tell lies before their parents will meet their needs. What a perverse
generation. My joy is that the Bible teaches of a millennial reign of Christ when
peace and righteousness will permeate.
Do you think mankind will ever have such world? Yes! Oh yes! Very soon the
church will be taken away from this corrupt generation. The universe as it is will
vanish and a new earth and heaven ensued. The millennial reign of Christ or the
Kingdom of the Son of God will come. The apostle Peter says, “Nevertheless we,
according to his promises, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness.” – II Peter 3:13. This is not going to happen in another planet but
in this earth. Christ will be LORD of all and peace, joy and righteousness will
permeate the whole universe. The only guarantee of being part of this Kingdom is
the acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour now. (For more
details on the millennial reign of Christ and other end-time events, read these
books – a) Understanding the Book of Revelation, b) Rapture and the Great
Tribulation and c) Signs of His Imminent Return – all by the same author).

CHAPTER SEVEN
MAKING DECREES

A man of God woke up one morning to hear that rainmakers were hired to the village
by a bereaved family to stop the rain from disturbing their guests during the
funeral of their father. He got angry, “why should they invite rainmakers to this
village while I am here”, he said. “For this reason, there must be rain fall
throughout the burial ceremony”, he decreed.
Some people around him thought he was joking. Others thought he was just
boasting. But I knew that he was making decrees. Later in the day, it started
drizzling and continued throughout the night. A lot of people were disturbed, the
rainmakers were confused, the bereaved family disappointed and God was glorified
in the words of His servant. God confirms the words of the faithful!
Something similar happened so many years ago during the reign of King Ahab
in the land of Israel. A man of God made a decree and it was established. The
Bible says, “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said
unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not
be dew nor rain these years, BUT ACCORDING TO MY WORD.” – I Kings 17:1 (Emphasis
added).
Making decrees is not peculiar only to men of God like Pastors, Evangelists,
etc. This is why the apostle James says, “Elias (Elijah) was a man subject to like
passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained
not on the earth by the space of three years and six months”. – James 5:17. What
the apostle is saying is that the Prophet Elijah was like you and me – as many as
have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. So you can make decrees as
well.
May be you do not understand what is meant by decrees. By this is meant
something ordered or settled by authority. Then you may ask – which authority or
by whose authority did men of old make decrees? Or by whose authority do I make
decrees? Every established or establishing decree must be made in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul says, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted
him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under
the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11. Note that the Bible says the name
of Jesus is exalted above ALL names whether in heaven, on earth or beneath the
earth. The name of Jesus is the believer’s authority. Any decree made in this name
must be established.
The next question people ask is, how are decrees made? This is where the
positive aspect of the power of the tongue comes in. Again, the principle of
“what you say is what you possess” rules. A Christian who knows his authority
speaks authoritatively to affect situations. Kings and Presidents make decrees or
proclamations based on their authority. No one dares to alter any decree made by
the King. When God wanted to fulfill His word to the captive Israelites in the
days of Ezra, He used the King of Persia, a man in authority to make decrees.
The Bible records – “Now in the first year of Cyrus King of Persia, that the
word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up
the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia, THAT HE MADE PROCLAMATION throughout all his
kingdom, and put it in writing, SAYING ---“ – Ezra 1:1 (emphasis added). If you
read the next few verses you will discover that the decree was to rebuild the
temple of God in Jerusalem. The decree was immediately adhered to by his subjects
and work on the temple started.
After the death of Cyrus, King Darius of Persia began to reign. The enemies
of the Jews continued to frustrate their effort in the building of the temple. At
a point they questioned the authority behind the rebuilding of the temple. Then
the Jews told them that a decree was made by King Cyrus in his days and they
requested that King Darius should investigate the matter – Ezra 5:1-17.
“ Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of
the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there was found at
Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein
was a record thus written: In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the
king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be
builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof
be strongly laid; ---“ – Ezra 6:1-3.
If King Darius were in the shoes of his predecessor, he would not like his
decree to be altered. So, when he discovered that Cyrus once made such decree, he
said to the enemies of the Jews thus – “Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the
river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the
river, be ye far from thence: Let the work of this house of God alone; let the
governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his
place.” - vv 6, 7. He went further to consolidate Cyrus decree and finally said,
“ Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be
pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let
his house be made a dunghill for this. And the God that hath caused his name to
dwell there destroy all kings and people that shall put to their hand to alter and
to destroy this house of God, which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree;
let it be done with speed.” – vv 11, 12.
You can see the authenticity of decrees made by men of authority. Not even
the enemies of the Jews could alter it. You are a man or woman of authority as
long as you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ into your life. Not even the devil
can alter your decrees. Therefore stop destroying your destiny with your tongue.
Speak words of faith to affect any situation that comes your way. It is written,
“Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto
thee. --- Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee:
and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” – Job 22:21, 28.
A very important point to note in decree making is your ability to back it
up with actions. The apostle James says, “Even so faith, if it hath not works is
dead, being alone.” – James 2:17. Even so decree, if it hath not actions is dead,
being alone. Imagine decreeing that you are a success in business and waking up
every day by mid-day and going to you office by 2:00p.m. Do not forget that the
Bible warns, “Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hand
to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an
armed man.” – Proverbs 6:10, 11.
Sometimes your decree calls for your obedience. So many people fail in their
part and end up blaming God. It takes obedience to check disobedience. You must
mean what you proclaim and proclaim what you meant. If it calls for action, do not
hesitate, knowing fully well that your decrees cannot be altered.
When King Darius was persuaded by Daniel’s enemies to make a decree
prohibiting anybody from asking a petition of any God or man for thirty days save
the King, little did he know that it will call for his own obedience. No sooner
than he realized it was a plot to exterminate his friend Daniel he started
regretting. His regret could be seen in his reactions to himself, to Daniel, to
Daniel’s enemies and finally to Daniel’s God. See Daniel 6:1-28.
Apparently Darius desired saving the life of Daniel but behold, a decree has
been promulgated. The presidents cautioned him and said, “Know, O King, that the
law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree or statue which the King
establisheth may be changed.” – v 15.
Is it not interesting to learn that it all work together for Daniel’s good?
God was glorified in the land of Medes and Persia. In the same vein, God wants to
be glorified in your own land. Begin to think, speak and act the way God should. I
mean begin to speak out God’s mind concerning every situation that comes your way
in life. The mind of God is known through His word – The Bible. Out of the
abundance of God’s heart for you, the Bible speaks. Words spoken according to the
will of God in faith MUST be accomplished.
Joshua spoke the mind of God. He made a decree. He commanded the sun to
stand still upon Gibeon and the moon in the valley of Ajalon. It was established –
see Joshua 10: 12, 13. If you will only speak out in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, your decree shall be established also. Therefore speak out.

CHAPTER EIGHT
WITNESSING FOR JESUS

This last chapter centers on the best use of the tongue. It is interesting
to know that lives can be changed, the kingdom of God can be populated and hell
depopulated through witnessing for Jesus. When we speak Jesus into the lives of
people they cannot remain the same. When people call upon His name, they are
saved. That is the Scripture – “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved.” – Romans 10:13.
You see we can shape our world with the power of the tongue. Indeed they
shall be saved but “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? AND HOW
SHALL THEY HEAR WITHOUT A PREACHER?” – v 14 (emphasis added). Is it not surprising
to note that even in so many of our mega cities today there are people who have
not heard about Jesus; talkless of remote villages where our modern day preachers
do not want to go. Yet we are anxiously expecting the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Whether we like it or not, the Scripture must be fulfilled- “And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come.” – Matthew 24:14.
We are all called unto the great commission the same day we surrendered our
lives to the Lord Jesus. He expects us to share our inward conviction with
somebody else. You do not need a rigorous, special training to do that. Look at
how Brother Wole witnessed Jesus to Mr. Ula. It is so exciting –
“Good day my dearly beloved Ula, have you heard of the man whose tomb is
empty? This is the question that sparked off some hours of discussion between
them. Mr. Ula did not understand the purpose for such a question so he asked, ‘has
the tomb been used before?’ This also was an interesting question to Wole who has
been waiting for such an opportunity when he will speak Jesus into the life of Mr.
Ula.
Their discussion could be likened to that of Deacon Philip and the Ethiopian
eunuch in the book of Acts of the Apostles Chapter 8. Deacon Philip approached the
eunuch being led by the Holy Spirit to give answers to the questions of his heart.
The journey to the kingdom of God started with a question – “Understandeth thou
that thou readest?” – Acts 8:30. The Ethiopian answered with a question – “How can
I, except some man should guide me?” – v 31. You see there is an unanswered
question about Jesus in the heart of every unbeliever that needs to be answered.
You have to look for such opportunities. If you can only get closer to the people
you thought do not need Jesus or people who seem not to be interested in the
things of God, you will find out that there are lots of questions in their hearts
to be answered.
Like Deacon Philip in Acts 8:35 where he opened his mouth and began at the
same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus, Brother Wole began at the question of
Mr. Ula and preached unto him Jesus. He said, “Yes the tomb has once been used but
today it is so clean and empty because the man who was laid in it rose up again on
the third day.” Brother Wole went further to explain to is intent listener
everything about the mission of Jesus Christ on earth. After which Mr. Ula became
so sorry for his sins and gave his life over to Jesus. Like the Ethiopian eunuch,
Mr. Ula said – “I believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” – Acts 8:37.
Do you now see that thee is a better way we can use the tongue? Instead of
gossiping your neighbour why not gossip Jesus. Tell somebody today every thing
Jesus did to you. Make positive use of your tongue and live a happy fulfilled
life.
CONCLUSION

Perhaps the first section of this book revealed to you the true colour of
your tongue and you sincerely wish to put it off and put on the second section. It
is very possible and in fact simple to do. That is why God divinely placed this
book in your hands and has today opened your eyes to your need of the moment.
Jesus in you settles it all. Do not worry; accept Him just as you are. It is
His responsibility to make you whole.
If you desire to surrender your life to Him, bow down your head wherever you
are right now and pray this prayer out of your personal conviction. Please do not
procrastinate. Pray now!
Dear heavenly Father, I am sorry for my sins. I ask for forgiveness based on
the blood of Jesus, which He shed on the cross of Calvary. Lord Jesus please come
into my life and take absolute control of me. Thank you for saving me today.
In Jesus’ name I have prayed. Amen!
That is all you need. Congratulations! You are a new creature now. I would
like to help you grow spiritually.
LIST OF OTHER BOOKS BY
REV. FESTUS ASO. EKENYERE

FACE TO FACE WITH DEATH

HUNDRED NAMES OF JESUS

UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF REVELATION – 1st and 2nd edition

SIGNS OF HIS IMMINENT RETURN

STANDING FIRM IN LOVE

IS JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD?

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB – a study of Bible doctrine

GOD OF ALL COMFORT

THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY

PEACE WITH GOD – a Bible study guide

PEACE OF GOD – a Bible study guide

RAPTURE AND THE GREAT TRIBULATION

COMING OUT SOON

UNDERSTANDING THE BOOK OF DANIEL – a verse-by-verse analysis of the book of Daniel

THY FAITH HATH MADE THEE WHOLE

LOVE FOR GOD – a Bible study guide

LOVE OF GOD – a Bible study guide

Rev. Festus A. Ekenyere

THE FAITH BUILDERS MINISTRIES
P. O. Box 1803, Maiduguri
Borno State. Nigeria.

E-mail: rev_efestus@yahoo.com go@thefaithbuildersminstries.org

GSM: 08022647000, 08038119772, and 08059190878

Visit us at: http://www.thefaithbuildersministries.org
www.tfbm.net23.net