I heard the door bell ring for the second time, my husband would have been the one to go and check the person who was at the door for security reasons but he had been invited for a week program in another region and I was to take care of our church activities in his absence. I was reluctant to get up. I pulled off my duvet and wore a more presentable dress, descended the stairs sleepily and went to attend to the person and ushered her to the living room.
I was surprised to see one of my favorite friends back at secondary school and an active member at church, Deaconess Bridget come to visit me at an ungodly hour, crying intractably. She had asthma and I was afraid she might get an attack. It took a very long time before I was able to calm her down to listen to what brought her my house.
I shouldn’t have been surprised actually because as a wife of a pastor, any member can step in your house at any time but Deaconess Bridget was different. Hardly will you hear blurting her problems out, she always behaved like she has no problem in her life and will never have. I went for a pocket tissue pack for her to wipe the tears. She finished the tissue pack and I got another one for her which also got finished and I got a third tissue pack for her . After crying for a long time, she blew her nose and began to speak; sniffing almost every second.
“I am a married woman, I still wonder if I should be referred to as that. Yes, I’m still married to him, Jerry. I thank God I got close to the Holy Spirit at a tender age and it is He that has kept me going. Since I was a child till now, the Holy Spirit has been warning me of the way I use my tongue. I like talking carelessly and He warns me earnestly but I hardly listen to His advice of high value.”
“I forgot He told me he who hates correction is stupid, and that I was. I was being stupid.”
Proverbs 12:1
“Whoever loves correction loves knowledge but he who hates reproof is stupid “
“I had the Holy Spirit in me but I was stupid! Hmm, what a big pity!”
“I thought I just speak for speaking sake until my marriage got ruined by my tongue. I failed to hold my tongue though the Holy Spirit has taught me so and is always warning me. I give cheeky answers just for giving sake. Never did I think it will make me end up this way, but I’ve learnt my lesson the hard way. My husband no longer lives under the same roof with me and how are my daughters going to experience the kind of father-daughter relationship I had planned for my home? I lacked one as a child and planned that my children should never lack one. My home is in crumbles because of something silly I said to my husband, I didn’t really mean it too. Oh how I forgot I am the salt of the earth and my speech should be seasoned!”
Matthew 5: 13
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men”
“How are my dreams, visions and purpose of my life with my husband going to come to pass? How I wish I could turn back the hand of time to correct my mistakes. I’ve learnt to bridle my tongue in a way I never expected or dreamed of happening to me. Now my marriage is on a rough road because of my tongue. My husband could not take it any more, even my children have also began this bad attitude of mine in the name of doing it for fun. I can’t correct them because I do same.”
“I now have to go and look for my husband and bring him back for us to fulfill purpose together like the Holy Spirit told us. I have to beg my children for the bad training I’ve been giving them by the way I speak and teach them to speak like Jesus would do.”
“This same tongue made me almost lose some friendships and helpers God brought to my life to help me fulfill why He created me.”
“Apart from talking anyhow, I use my tongue to tell lies! deceit! which has made me the daughter of the devil.”
John 8:44
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of all lies”
“Mummy, pray for me that the Lord should have mercy on me, my family and my ministry. I need God’s mercies. I need my husband back. We behave like everything is fine with us but we are living separately. It’s only a few people who know this. Please pray for me.”
I couldn’t speak, all I could do was to heave a deep sigh. The Hackson’s was one of the families everyone admired, I’ve had a lot of singles telling me they wish their marriage will be like that of the Hackson’s. If only they knew what happens behind closed doors. Mr Jerry Hackson is now even fed up with his wife and lives outside his home though most of us don’t know so.
I thought Deaconess Bridget had finished speaking so I was about to start praying for her when she said;
“Mummy do you know how I got asthma?”
I responded no by shaking my head.
“When we were in Junior high school, I didn’t want to sweep the class like all the girls do so I told our class rep I have asthma just like my friend Chelline did. She was lying and I also followed what she did.”
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“Surprisingly, a week later, I was on my bed after class when I was finding it difficult to breathe. That was the beginning of how I had it. My parents were surprised when I was diagnosed of asthma because there’s no family history of asthma and the other risk factors for me to have one were not present. I knew deep inside me it was because I uttered that I had one. You remember how I was always missing classes because of this back at school.”
I was petrified after she finished speaking. There was silence for some minutes then the Holy Spirit dropped a verse in my spirit for us to read. I got up and went to my book shelf and brought two bibles. We read Matthew 12:36.
Matthew 12:36
” But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement “
My heart skipped a beat after reading as if my sinoatrial node had been stopped and started again. I told her to read her version to my hearing. The Holy Spirit was not only ministering to Deaconess Bridget but to me too, I never knew the careless or idle words one speaks will be accounted for by the person on judgement day. She began to read.
Matthew 12:36
” I tell you, on the day of judgement men will render account for every careless word they utter.”
I held her hands and we began to pray like we’ve never prayed before telling the Lord to have mercy on us and teach us how to to bridle our tongues, show us when we err and constantly remind us that we are the salt of the earth and as such our speech should be seasoned.
Job 6:24
” Teach me, and I will hold my tongue : and cause me to know wherein I have erred. “
We also prayed for Mr. Jackson; that the Lord will touch his heart and cause him to forgive his wife and bring him back to their marital home. After long hours of praying, I drove her to to her house.
Thank goodness I had learnt how to drive! 😄 after my husband had insisted I learn severally. This was my third time of driving all by myself.
To my wonderful surprise, Mrs Hackson called me the next morning and was filled joy as she she spoke on top of her voice. I could hear her jumping and was wondering what could have have induced her to be filled with so much glee this early morning.
She told me her husband had returned and he has decided not to leave again. He told her he was sorry for leaving and she also told him how sorry she was.
Their family became a happy Christian home. Surprisingly, by God’s wonderful healing power, she had not had an asthma attack for the past six months; that was unusual of her. Things that used to trigger her attack no longer did. God had answered our prayer and she had learnt her lessons.
Months later, I added Deaconess Hackson’s name to the preaching plan for one of the evening services because the topic of the month, which was; The Power of the tongue. Because of her experience, I knew the Lord will use her to impact others when she shared it.
She gave a powerful sermon that evening. I wrote notes in my diary as she spoke. I wrote more than three pages. I was awed as I read it the following day in the afternoon. I learnt so much lessons and here some of them:
Notes From Deaconess Bridget Hackson’s Sermon.
📍The tongue is the one of powerful parts of the body though very small but it can set the whole body on fire. Life and death lie in the power of the tongue.
Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof .”
📍Dear singles, your speech can make or mar your home. Work on it before you tie the knot.
📍As Christians, our words should draw people to the knowledge of Christ and not to prevent them from repenting and coming to know the truth.
Proverbs 15:2
“The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom,…”
📍We should speak with wisdom as God has given us. Some words need not to be uttered by a believer. We should know when to speak and when not to if we don’t, we are deemed as unwise.
Proverbs 17:28
“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise : and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of wisdom.”
📍Tell the Lord to teach you how to bridle your tongue.
📍Be prayerful, get close to the Holy Spirit and when He tells you to be quiet on a matter, obey promptly. The Holy Spirit gives us quick promptings that prevent us from saying things we ought be quiet about.
📍Read the word consistently and put it into practice. The word of God prevents us from sinning even with our tongues.
Psalm 119:11
“Thy word have I hidden in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
📍Make up your mind to let only good tidings come out of your mouth.
Job 27:3-4
“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.”
📍Usually those who talk too much lie a lot and as stated earlier, anybody who tell lies has the devil as his or her father. If the devil is your father then you are doomed, he can use you in anyway that pleases him.
📍As Christians we are the light of God and we must shine the light of God in us. See Shine Bright . We can’t shine the light of God and use our tongue to speak lies and say foul words and also speak in manners that hurt people and prevent them from coming to the saving grace of Christ at the same time. Our words should be seasoned as we are the salt of the earth.
📍Repent if you’re fond of using your tongue to dishonor God because you’ve been made to possess nations. Bridle your tongue as the salt of the earth.
Psalm 120:2
“Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.”
📍Be mindful of the kind of company you keep. Evil communication corrupts good manners. Some people speak badly because they learnt it from their friends unknowingly.
What Are The Merits Of Bridling Your Tongue?
📍You are deemed as wise.
Proverbs 17:28
“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. ”
📍You enjoy the good of the living.
Psalm 34:12-13
” What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.”
Proverbs 12:19
“The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”
📍The words out of your mouth are deemed as precious.
Proverbs 10:20
“The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is a little worth.”
📍 You satisfy the hungry.
Proverbs 10:21
“The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die want of wisdom.”
📍The hunger talked about here is not physical hunger. Because they are filled with the Spirit and with the word of God, they are able able to feed those who are hungry in spirit.
📍Your words bring healing.
Proverbs 12:18
“There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.”
📍This healing can either be a physical one or not. Your words sooth the hearts of those who have been hurt. it turns around people whose lives are a living hell into a pleasant one.
📍Your words promote peace.
Proverbs 15:1
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
📍Learn to be a peacemaker as a child of God. Be mindful of the answers you give if even you are asked a silly question.
📍Be mindful of what you speak. if you speak positive things into your life, that is what you will reap and vice versa.
I called her after reading these notes to thank her for the powerful message she ministered to us. She allowed God to speak through her.
“Use your words as your testimony triggers. The words that you speak are either releasing the healing power of God to work in you or they are blocking the healing power of God from working in you. – Dr. Chris E. Kwapkovwe”
Dear readers, speak as Jesus will always do. Hold you tongue when have to. Be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to to wrath because the words we speak can make or unmake us. Have a wonderful week.
Mount Zion movies have been my favorite since the ages. I had planned to do the movie review for The Train several months ago but I hardly had time because of lots of things.The train is a bio epic movie of our daddy in the Lord, Mike Bamiloye.It dramatizes his life story into fulfilling his purpose. His drama ministry has blessed countless number of lives including me and my family.The train consists of seven different chapters. All the characters played their roles so well. The train, a journey of faith, made me realize the importance of obeying to the letter whatever the Lord tells us. The setting of the scenes of the olden days was so real you would think those scenes were shot during those times. The sound effects were done so well. I enjoyed every bit of the movie.
I wonder what is with Christian sisters and replying of proposals by writing. Somebody has gathered all his courage to face you and reply by writing when you’re facing the person. I never knew it was Daddy Mike who gave Mummy the name “Gloria” till I watched the train.If humans foreknew things like our Father in Heaven, I’m sure Mrs. Adesiyan; Abayomi’s sister would have retracted what she said at the introduction ceremony even before she uttered them out.When God is with you no matter how hardhearted a person you may need is, He will soften the person’s heart for your sake; as soft as silk just as He softened Abayomi’s sister’s heart. She finally allowed the union of Abayomi and Sola.Chapter 6 bears the title The Train which starts with a scene where Bro. Mike a.k.a. Abayomi and his group go to a church to perform a drama ministration. A two-hour stage drama was given fifteen minutes to be performed but God proved Himself strong. What the power of prayer can do is beyond our imaginations. the fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much. As the prayer team of the drama team were praying, God touched the pastor’s heart and the time was extended for them.
