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THE POWER OF THE TONGUEByRev. Festus Asopuruchukwu Ekenyere Copyright © 2007 FESTUS A. EKENYERETHE POWER OF THE TONGUEAll scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King JamesVersion of the Holy Bible.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic,mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other without the written priorpermission of the publisher.National Library of Nigeria Cataloguing in Publication DataEKENYERE, Festus Asopuruchukwu, 1959 -The Power of the Tongue1.Christian life – Biblicval teachingI. TitleBV 54501.2 .E36 2007 248.4ISBN-978-33875-0-2 AACR2 TABLE OF CONTENTSCHAPTER PAGEDEDICATION…………………….iiiAKNWOLEDGMENT…………….ivINTRODUCTION………………...…4SECTION ONETHE NEGATIVE PERSPECTIVE1Lying and Negative Confession ……112Backbiting and Gossip……………...21
 
3False Witnessing and Accusation ….304Jesting and Boasting ……………….38SECTION TWOTHE POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE5 Confessing Jesus and life …………..466 Speaking the truth in love …….……517 Making Decrees ……..……………..588 Witnessing for Jesus ………..……...66CONCLUSION ………………………….70LIST OF OTHER BOOKS BYREV. FESTUS ASO. EKENYERE. ……71DEDICATIONTHIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNT TO BRIDLE THEIR TONGUES.ACKNOWLEDGMENTI want to first and foremost appreciate the Lord God Almighty for His immeasurablegrace upon my life. This is a burden that only HIM could lift; an insight HIMalone can give. Therefore to HIM be glory and honour forever and ever.The fatherly counsel of Professor Frank C. Carew of the Department ofEducation, University of Maiduguri, added the needed impetus, which made this worka reality. I so much cherish the professional touch you put to my works especiallythis one. The good Lord will take you to higher grounds. Amen.I appreciate the support of every member of our Church – FAITHRECONCILIATION CHAPEL INT’L, Maiduguri. Your presence in the ministry has kept mealways 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 theirunderstanding. I have to sit on the computers for virtually all the hours of eachday paying little or no attention to the home. The work became so tedious as Iworked 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. Godwill reward your patience.I so much appreciate all my friends and admirers for their numerouscontributions in cash and in words of encouragement. Your association hastremendously strengthened me. We will reign together with CHRIST!
 
 INTRODUCTIONAs I struck a match one day to burn some of my unwanted sheets of paper, I watchedthe whole lot being engulfed in the inferno. I wondered if the flame I saw was thecontents of a single match struck across the box. I admired the scene because myunwanted 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 hehad been discharged. As I was about to go, I met with a sister who narrated herordeal to me. It was a case of fire incident. She told me of how a stick ofmatches struck in the house already filled with spilled cooking gas burnt off thehouse of her brother. According to her, nothing was recovered from the house, thehouse-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 thehouse caused the evil. I quickly remembered my box of matches and found myself inbetween two opinions – to hate or to love my box of matches.Powerful! Powerful!! I exclaimed. Fire from the striking of a stick ofmatches! It has the ability to destroy and to organize. This in essence is themetaphor 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 itis 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 thetongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewithbless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made afterthe similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. Mybrethren, these things ought not so to be. – James 3:6-10How powerful is the tongue though a very small member in our body? With itwe can destroy and with it we can organize. These are the two main perspectivesfrom which we will view the power of the tongue in this book. Like the fireproduced by the striking of a stick of matches organizes or disorganizes, so isthe product of the human tongue.The tongue is so powerful that King Solomon says, “Death and life are in thepower 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 theHoly Spirit). I heard a true-life story, which I would love to share with you now.
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