What Did You Say? (cont'd)

The tongue is also a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. Coming your way next, Pastor Paul Shepherd talks about the power of the human tongue in his Destined for Victory message, What Did You Say? But first, he joins me from his studio in California to talk about a special gift we have available for you today. Well, Pastor, I'm excited for a couple of reasons about the thank you gift we have for those who are able to give generously in support of Destined for Victory this month. First, it's not often that we're able to share a video message, but we're doing this because I know you feel that Get Your Hopes Up is a message that everyone needs to see and hear.

Absolutely. I'm eager, too, to share this encouraging word with our listeners. We all know that hope is a premium commodity these days.

You can't find it easily at all. We look around and we see all sorts of challenges, both in the world at large and also in our personal lives. As a pastor, I'm seeing the effects of the vicissitudes of life on my members.

I hear from listeners, even, as they share their praise reports and prayer concerns. It's just a challenging world. The bottom line is, I thought this is a time for me to remind people that we've got to get our hopes up and we've got to keep them up because pain, heartache, reality is just among us and we are going to deal with these challenges.

But I believe God has given us every reason to get our hopes up and to keep them up because He is Lord of all, not just the good stuff. He's Lord of everything that's going on. Even when chaos surrounds us, His plan and purpose will prevail.

I constantly remind myself of what we say daily on this broadcast. He who began a good work in us is going to bring it to completion. So in this message, people are going to hear me share, and I'm going to use case studies from the scripture, how people who faced real life challenges, such as we're all going through, but how they saw the Lord's hand in the midst of it, how God brought them out of it and gave them hope and help even in difficult times. And I hope that people are going to be blessed as they receive this video message. Fremont, California, 94538. Again, our address is destined for victory.

Box 1767, Fremont, California, 94538. Revival would break out if we ever start repenting for what we've said wrong, that has offended God and disrespected people. Just repent.

It's a decision you have to make. You don't stop sinning with your mouth by accident. You do it only by resolve. The book of James is something of a how to manual on practical Christian living. It tells us to endure adversity with a joyful heart, to attract non believers by performing good works in the name of Christ, to treat all people with love and respect. Today on Destined for Victory, Pastor Paul sheds light and yet another important theme for James, the human tongue. We'll discover the damage it can do and the damage we can undo if we choose to repent. And now with this message, what did you say?

Here once again is Pastor Paul Shepherd. I want to let you know that there are many ways we can sin with the tongue. And if not sin, we can do and say unwise things with our tongue. Sometimes it's outright sin. What is sin? Sin is coming short of what God has marked out for us. That's sin. And then some things aren't sin.

Remember Hebrews, the writer to the Hebrews said, let us lay aside every sin and what else? And the weight, lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets us. There are some things that aren't sin, but they are weights. They need to be unloaded. They're cumbersome.

They don't make for smooth living and smooth moving through life. And so some weights have to be dropped and some sins have to be repented of. And there's a whole lot of sins we can do, sins and weights with our mouths. I just jotted down a list from A to Z.

It's just a sampling, just a sampling. A, you can have an angry tongue that sins against God. Not all anger is sin now. The Bible says there is appropriate anger. Be angry, but don't sin.

Remember Paul said that to the church at Ephesus? Now, if he said be angry, but don't sin, it means you can be angry without sinning. What kind of anger is that? That's appropriate anger when you are offended by something that really needs to be addressed and you speak your mind about it. Sometimes in your home, you have to say angry words, but they're appropriate. If you're a parent, sometimes you have to be appropriately angry with your children. Amen. Tired of this wimpy generation of parents who think they're supposed to be the kid's best friend.

My job to be a parent. And sometimes I'm going to have to get in you. Oh, I know that's too much. I'll just forget that. There's appropriate anger, but then anger that becomes sinful is anger that goes way out of bounds. It goes away from the issue. It begins to disrespect people. It begins to call them out of their name.

It begins to go to another place. So watch your angry tongue, boastful tongue. Some of y'all just brag. I'm not conceited. I'm convinced. You didn't say that, but somebody on your row said that. I'm convinced.

No, explore that a little bit. You can be aware of the gifts and the abilities and the acumen that God has given you, but it doesn't mean you have to take personal credit for it. And it doesn't mean you have to parade it around for the world to see. See, that's boastful. When the Bible talks about boastfulness in a regular way, it means you're not giving God the glory. You're taking all the glory for yourself. The fact of the matter is if you have a great intellect, God blessed you with that.

Come on, somebody. If you're great at your craft, God gave you the ability to excel at that craft. At the end of the day, you have to give Him the glory. And you say, I'm so grateful that God has given me.

And you have to wear it with some humility. Watch your boastful tongue. Watch your complaining tongue. Bible talks about that from Genesis to Revelation. People have to be careful that we don't complain and murmur because sometimes God Himself is offended. Don't believe me?

Ask Israel. When they were in the wilderness and they were complaining, God said, I'm not taking any of these complaining folk into the promised land. Watch your complaining tongue. Watch your discouraging tongue. It's not your job to go around discouraging other people. God hasn't called you to be that angel of discouragement. Somebody believe in God for healing and you're busy telling them you've got an aunt who died with what they have? That's not going to help anybody get healed. Well, I don't know.

Do you have your grave picked out? This isn't the time for all of that. Speak words of faith. E, the envious tongue. Some of you all, we know envy is in your heart because it's always in your mouth. That indicator light is always on. You always look across the church as somebody who has what you want.

And you've got to tear them down. That's the envious tongue. I don't know why he picked her. She tore up from the floor up.

She's so dumb it takes her an hour to make minute rice. I'm about to get on a roll. I'm going to stop right there.

I felt the roll coming. You know the way you tear people down with your tongue? No, you got to learn to rejoice. Don't envy folk because what's for you is for you.

When you wanted somebody and the other girl got him, that wasn't for you. That's all. Congratulations. God bless you all. You don't have to give them a gift, but at least wish them well. The F, F, the flattering tongue. You say, what's wrong with flattery? When the Bible speaks of flattery, it's never good. Flattery is never good. Flattery is when you use exaggerated compliments for a personal reason. See, I can compliment you just because, oh, that's a beautiful dress you have on. Oh, man, I like that haircut. They faded you just right.

That's fine. Compliment. But when you just go on and on, oh, my goodness, I never in my life saw anything so beautiful. The Bible warns us against a flattering tongue. Not all flattery means something positive.

Could mean you're being set up. You ever read the book of Esther? Haman, he was setting something up with his flattery of the king, with his overindulging of the king, always up in the king's face. And so the king, not being wise, gave him power that he didn't deserve. And he tried to use it against God's people. Fortunately, no weapon formed against us is going to prosper.

And the very setup he planned for Mordecai is what God brought back on him. But watch flattery is my point. Watch flattery coming to you and watch how you flatter other people. Put other people in perspective. You can admire them. You can see them as a model for some things. But don't overdo it. That's just a man or a woman at the end of the day.

Don't overdo it. I have lots of pastor friends whose ministries dwarf mine, whose anointing dwarfs mine. I have preacher friends. I say, my God, I wish I could preach like that. But at the end of the day, I know these people, and they have trials and tribulations you know not of. You see somebody up preaching and just, I mean, just winning the world. You don't know what they're going through. I've had the chance to get up close and personal with some of these folks that you admire on TV. Oh my goodness.

But you have to look at the flip side. There's some other stuff going on. I don't envy them. I love them. I pray for them.

But I don't envy them. And we'll be back with more of today's Destined for Victory message from Pastor Paul Sheppard. Listen to this program anytime by subscribing to the podcast version. It's available at Apple Podcasts or wherever you get yours. You can also listen on demand at PastorPaul.net.

That's PastorPaul.net, where you'll find a host of great resources at our online store, including books and DVD messages from Pastor Paul. Gossip not only has the potential to damage relationships, it can destroy a church. For more on the power of the tongue, let's join Pastor Paul again for the rest of today's message.

What did you say? Gee, gossip. Gossiping tongue. Churches are full of them. Churches are full of them. Gossiping tongue.

They call it prayer requests. I've been around church for my whole life. Look, I'm not telling you what I think. I'm telling you what I absolutely know. My whole life.

Call you a girl. We got to pray. Just so that they can introduce some junk that you wouldn't know about. They don't necessarily know it. They think they know it.

And they want to share with you. And they call it a prayer request. The problem is they don't pray. That's how come you know it's not a prayer request. I've made gossips pray.

You know, because I'm offended that you call me with junk. And gossips can be male or female. Don't get it twisted. Don't act like all the women are the gossips. There's some gossip in men. Some of the biggest gossips I know are preachers. I'm telling you, I've been in the preacher world a long time. I know some preachers who would gossip you under the table. Talking about other ministries and other... And just running their mouths.

I made them pray once. Call me with junk. I say, is that right? Do you know that for sure? Because you're saying that like it's really true.

I don't know. I have this on a reliable source. People always tell you they got a reliable source. How come you don't name it? If it's so reliable, share it with me.

I don't want a newspaper article and that you don't tell me where you got this information from. But we think it's okay. But next time a gossip calls you with a bunch of junk, say if that's really true.

I don't know that that's true. You say it is. But if it is, that's terrible and we really need God to intervene. Tell you what, let's stop and pray right now. Then tell them, you lead in prayer, I'll agree with you.

I've done it. That'll be the last time they gossip to you because they don't want to pray. They want to talk. Hasty tongue. I mean, you talk too fast instead of thinking first. Come to your head, out your mouth. Not you, not you. Somebody on your row.

Look down the row, see who it is. You got a hasty tongue. Give me the rest of my list real quick.

I got to get this wrapped up. I, the indiscreet tongue. Indiscreet tongue. You say what you know, say what you don't know. But you say it like it's truth. Indiscretion. You don't know what to say, what not to say.

You ever met anybody like that? Don't know what to say. Some things can be said and be edifying. Other things have no business coming out of your mouth.

But they come out anyway indiscreet tongue. The judgmental tongue. Always passing judgment on somebody. Judgmental people, when you hear judgment, don't ever align yourself with it. Because the same people who are judging others will judge you. See, you happen not to be the target, so you think it's safe.

And you go jumping right in there. Just let the right set of circumstances take place in your life. And they will be judging you first and foremost. And here's what's dangerous about being judgmental. If you pass judgment on other folk, you set yourself up to have judgment passed on you. I've seen people talk about other folks' families in a hellacious way. Only down the road to have a worse problem break out in their family. And I've noticed the same folk who judge other families when something bad or worse happens in theirs, suddenly they get a revelation on grace.

This is good, I'm getting this CD. The know-it-all tongue. Know-it-all tongue. Not you, but there are people who say stuff like it's fact. They have no idea whether it's fact. But they're know-it-alls. They're just always telling you what is, definitively. And they'll argue. You ever met somebody who will argue? And they don't know what they're talking about, but that doesn't mean they won't argue with you about it. The lying tongue.

Self-explanatory. You're just a liar. You're a liar who happens to be saved in church. At least you have a spoken faith.

You need to have a real one that makes you confess the sin of lying and start telling the truth. Paul said it to the church at Ephesus. He said, speak the truth, quit lying. There is no such thing as a white lie. Lies don't have colors. Lies offend God.

They hurt people. Stop it, in Jesus' name. M, meddling tongue.

Meddling tongue. You're in other people's business talking about stuff that doesn't pertain to you. Just because it happened doesn't mean you have to talk about it.

Some things happen, then they happen. I'm not talking to you about it. Naysayers. You're already somebody trying to build up their faith and get ready to do something, take some real leap of faith, something like that. And you're a naysayer, always knocking it down.

You're like Sam Ballot in Tobiah. That's no wall. If a fox walks on that, he'll tear it down. That's not your job. Oh, obscene tongue. Watch what you say.

Watch how you say it. Your language ought to honor God. Your language ought to respect people. No need to be obscene. One of the things I hate the most happened recently is when you go to see a movie because you think there's some good entertainment value in it, the obscenity is so strong until you can hardly enjoy the entertainment value because they've covered it up with all this obscenity.

And it's a shame that our world has just grabbed all of that up and called it entertainment. P, the prideful tongue. Q, the quarreling tongue. R, the rude tongue. Say it as nice as you can. Now sometimes you've got to say tough things, but try to be nice. S, the slandering tongue.

Lying on people, slandering them, running them down. T, the tactless tongue. You ever met a tactless person just say, you trying to lose weight? You say, yeah, girl.

Yeah, I'm working on it. Oh, I'm glad because, oh, Lord, I tell you. Because I was wondering, I was looking at you, I was wondering.

I said the other day. How that going to encourage them? Just tactless. Unbelieving tongue.

Expressing doubt instead of faith. The vicious tongue. And that's why for W, I use weaponized tongue. You know you can use your tongue as a weapon and it can come against people and destroy people and tear up relationships because you've got a weapon in your mouth. X, the X-factor tongue.

What's that, pastor? I meant we don't know what you're about to say next. X-factor, as my X. The X-factor tongue. We don't know what's fitting to come out your mouth.

I wanted to say it the hood way. We don't know what's fitting to come out your mouth. You ought to have deliberate words. We know what you're going to say is edifying. And these are the things that displease God.

Yeasty tongue. That means words that produce upheaval and agitation. You say something and it produces agitation. It never settles things. It stirs things up. That's what yeasty means.

And Z, the zigzagging tongue. You can't stick with one point of view. First you say this. Next thing we hear you say is something completely different.

Oh, you know this is good. And many of these produce, if not sins, weights that need to be cast off. Some of them are flat out sin because God has clearly spoken against them.

So what do we do? His third point is we're called to bring our words into alignment with God's word. That's my exhortation to you because that's what James is getting at. Bring your words into alignment with God's word.

It means repent. When you realize you're speaking wrong or have spoken wrong, repent. Say, I'm sorry. I said such and such and it's not true or it wasn't helpful or it wasn't edifying. It was inappropriate. It was uncalled for. It was disrespectful.

It was vicious. And I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Repent to God and to anybody who was directly impacted by what you said. Flat out revival would break out if Christians would learn to take back what they said wrong. I get sick of seeing people grin at me who need to apologize to me.

Happens on a regular basis. You see them somewhere pop up somewhere and they know they've done you wrong. I know they've done me wrong.

I've heard it all over the place and now all I see is your teeth. Revival would break out if we ever start repenting for what we've said wrong. What has come out of our mouths that has offended God and disrespected people.

Just repent. The psalmist said in Psalm 17, the second part of verse 3, he said, I've resolved that my mouth will not sin. My mouth will not sin.

Has not transgressed. It's a resolve. It's a decision you have to make. You don't stop sinning with your mouth by accident. You do it only by resolve. It has to be resolved.

You have to make up in your mind. And when you hear something come out wrong, grab it. Say, you know what? That's out of order. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said that. I take that back.

Please disregard that. Like they say in court, strike that from the record. If you would do that and live your life that way, you'd teach yourself to stop sinning with your mouth. If you make yourself own the consequence right then and there, it would make a world of difference. So the question is that we started with, what did you say?

What was that? Learn to say that to yourself before somebody else has to say it to you. But if they do, give your friend permission to check you on your mouth.

Give your spouse permission. Listen, I want to be that perfect person that James said we need to strive towards. So honey, when you hear me say something wrong, say, what did you say? And check me. But we ought to check ourselves and make sure that we don't dishonor God at the time. Thanks for being with us for today's message, What Did You Say? If you'd like more information about the Destined for Victory program or the DVD we're offering as our thank you for your generous gift this month, be sure to stop by our website, pastorpaul.net.

That's pastorpaul.net. There are three enemies that militate against what God wants to do in our lives. God has big plans for you. And there are three built-in enemies that want to come against and knock you out of the place where you can experience God's best for your life. That's next time in Pastor Paul Shepherd's message, Facing Your Three Worst Enemies. Until then, remember, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are destined for victory.