TODD LEVIN MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

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1 TODD LEVIN MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL A monthly teaching publication to our partners and friends A LITTLE FIRE GOES A LONG WAY AUGUST Dear Partners and Friends, If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that we would be adding a dog to our family, I m not so sure I would have believed you. Between the 3 kids and the cat that we are used to caring for, I m fairly confident that I would have never agreed to add another pet in the picture. But then again, prayer changes things doesn t it? Our latest edition to the home is a Chihuahua named Finley. I must say He is a very small dog who seems for the most part to catch on rather quickly to the various tricks, which my daughter is teaching him. Notice I said, for the most part. The latest attempt is teaching him how to ring a call bell that sits by the door, whenever he needs to go outside. I am confident it is only a matter of time, before he ll be ringing the bell around-the-clock. In order to accomplish this, he must be trained. It is not impossible; it will just require patience, determination and steadfastness. Today I d like to talk to you about training. Not your dog, cat or parakeet, but rather your tongue. How many times has our mouth gotten us in trouble? With the boss, the teacher, our spouse and even with our parents? One verse in the Bible that seems to take so long for us to really get ahold of is Proverbs 21:23. Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. How I wish I had learned this verse in Sunday school as a child! The bible does say that, no man can tame the tongue. (James 3:8) (It almost sounds like some wild stallion that s free to run the fields wherever and whenever he wants.) Nonetheless, the bible has a lot more to say regarding the tongue. Let s take a look at some verses. 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. Behold, we put bits in the horses 'mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 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 1

2 God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? Either a vine, figs? So can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. James 3:2-12 (KJV) Wow! That was a mouthful. So where do we begin? For starters, let s remember that what we do say and what we don t say are both essential! You may have something to add to the conversation, but knowing when to say it is also important. There are times when we should speak up and then there are times when we need to hold our peace. In order to get it right, we should be knowledgeable, considerate of others, and sensitive to the leading of the Spirit. Though we may not hit the bulls-eye every time, at least we should make it our aim. In doing so, we are training ourselves to take the high road as opposed to offending those around us. A general rule of thumb would be to ask yourself, Will this be edifying? Is it completely true? Is it necessary for me to say what I m about to say? Would I say this in front of Jesus? Is it kind or will it be offensive? By the end of Job s experience, his approach was quite different than when all hell broke loose: Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth. My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly. (Job 33:2) Notice that offense was something James addressed to his readers. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man. (James 3:2) One way to offend others is by our words. Chances are you have done it. I know that I ve certainly missed it in this area more than once. Be honest now - have you ever opened up your mouth and inserted your foot? By that I mean, have you ever said something that you lived to regret? It would be like congratulating your wife s best friend on having a baby, only to find out that she is not pregnant. There really is no way of getting out of that situation unless the ground opens up and swallows you! Whether it was something that you ve said intentionally or accidentally, words were spoken and the person took offense. It becomes a mess that no one is looking forward to cleaning up. Satan often uses our tongue to bring division among people. When we judge, criticize or bad mouth someone; complain, gossip and even lie, then we have played right into the hands of the enemy. Just as God watches over His words to cause them to come to pass, satan watches over our words. Our words can empower the enemy to move against us and eventually destroy us if we are not careful. Proverbs 6:2 declares, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. James refers to the mark of Christian maturity when he speaks of, a perfect man...able to bridle the whole body. (vs. 2) It s not every day that you meet Joe Perfect the man who has mastered his tongue and now is the express image of what perfection looks like. In fact, I m only aware of one who stands in this category, and He s all alone, that being Jesus, the express image of God. The truth is that every one of us has to relentlessly be aware and take charge of our mouth. If we don t it will run wild and lead us away from God and straight into sin. The question to ask ourselves is this: Can sin be avoided if we will to avoid it? The answer is yes. With the word of God and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we do not have to 2

3 succumb to the temptations of the enemy though he may be standing on your front door step. We have a say-so as to how we use our tongue. Are we strong enough to resist the temptation? This is what it comes down to. In the passage that we ve read James 3:2-12, James likens or compares our tongue to three different things: A) A bit in the horses mouth B) A rudder on a ship C) A fire A bit in the horses mouth will govern the direction of the horse just as the helm or rudder on a ship has the ability to determine the ship s course. In both cases, though small as they are, they possess the ability to control something much greater than themselves. Likewise the tongue, though a small member of the body, can also set the course of a person s life. The danger lies in that the tongue if permitted, will run wild as a forest fire destroying not only itself but everything in it s path. Remember what James said in verse 6 of chapter 3: The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. The bible declares in Proverbs 18:21 that, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. There are two entirely different outcomes, which the tongue is capable of producing. As brother James said, on one hand we can bless God and on the other hand we curse man. 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. James 3:9 (KJV) How exactly does this happen? And do I actually have any control over what comes out of my mouth? The answer is yes! How could blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth? How can a fountain produce salt water and fresh water at the same time? James raised the question, Can the fig tree bear olive berries? In a nutshell look at it this way: You are a spirit, you have a soul and you live in a physical body. Someone has to be in charge. For the most part up until a person is born-again, they are generally used to being ruled by their flesh. The body is king, the soul is servant and the spirit is slave. If it feels good, looks good, sounds good or tastes good then what s to stop me from having it? The outcome is usually inevitable they proceed down the road of least resistance until they achieve the desired result. Right on the other hand, once you come over into the family of God and are born-again, then you are to be led by the spirit and not the flesh. This is possible due to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When our minds are renewed with the word of God and we re facing a fork in the middle of the road, your spirit (heart) will lead you in the way, which you should go with your soul (mind) and body to follow. It s what the New Testament refers to as, self control. The apostle Paul said, I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. (1 Corinthians 9:27) Now don t get me wrong, it s not an overthe-night instant change, but rather the possibility to live free from sin and glorify God with your words as well as with your actions. The ability is now there, but is the willingness as strong? When Jesus announced to his disciples that He was going to Jerusalem where He would suffer and be killed, Peter took him aside, rebuked him and said, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall 3

4 not be unto thee. or literally, think of yourself. (Matthew 16:22) Do you recall what Jesus response was? But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Matthew 16:23) Was Jesus calling Peter the devil? No. But in that moment, the tongue that Peter used to worship the Lord now became satan s choice instrument to cause offense! Peter was not led by the spirit at that moment but rather yielded to the flesh; yielded to human reasoning, and by doing so, satan seized the opportunity in hope of using Peter as a stumbling block at that particular instant. How subtle the enemy of our soul can be. One minute you re in church worshipping the Lord on a Sunday morning, and on the way home it s world war three in the car. There is strife, gossiping, division, arguing; you name it! And it s all coming out of your mouth. What is going on? I didn t even get home yet and I ve allowed my mouth to sin! The bible describes various ways how our tongue can be used. It really comes down to us though how we will use it. Read through this representative list and see how many you can identify with. a crafty tongue Job 15:5 a flattering tongue Psalms 5:9 a proud tongue Psalms 12:3 a tongue that speaks of his righteousness Psalms 35:28 a deceitful tongue - Psalms 52:4 a lying tongue Psalms 109:2 a forward tongue Proverbs 10:31 a wise tongue Proverbs 12:18 a wholesome tongue Proverbs 15:4 a naughty tongue Proverbs 17:4 a perverse tongue Proverbs 17:20 a backbiting tongue Proverbs 25:23 May our prayer today be that of David s and also of Job s: Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Psalms 34:13 (KJV) Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred. Job 6:24 (KJV) If life s been hard for you lately, then I recommend that you pause for a moment and consider what you ve been saying recently. With your tongue you formulate words, and the words, which proceed out of your mouth have the power and potential to build or to destroy; to edify or to offend. Remember your tongue sets the course of your life it sets the direction and path that you ve been heading in. If you don t like the view, then think twice before you speak. Your Friends and Partners in ministry, 4

5 August PRAISE REPORTS AND PRAYER REQUEST: Please let us know how we can pray for you. Take a few moments and write down your prayer requests and praise reports. We really enjoy hearing from you! We will lift up your requests to the Lord. Tell us how God has blessed you and let s rejoice together! ( ) Todd, enclosed is my monthly partner gift of: $ ( ) Todd, I ve prayerfully decided to become your faithful monthly partner, an armor-bearer. I am enclosing my first monthly support gift of: $ ( ) Todd, enclosed is a special gift of: $ If you would like to schedule Todd Levin in your Church, Conference or Bible School, please contact us at: or toddlevinministries@hotmail.com NOTE: Donations can now be made online. Please visit our website at: for more information. MIRACLE AND HEALING SERVICE 6:00PM August 25, September 29, October 27 St. Martin s Episcopal Church 285 St. Martin s Drive, Monroeville, Pa In the USA: P.O. Box 826 Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania Tel/Fax