"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."

-          James 3:6

John opens his gospel with these words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).  According to the book of Genesis, the very first thing God did to initiate the formation of our universe was to speak his Word.  He said, "Let there be light: and there was light"(Gen. 1:3).  Hebrews chapter eleven, tells us, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear"(Heb. 11:3).  The creative nature of God released the power to bring into existence everything we see through his Word.

Proverbs tells us, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof" (Pro. 18:21).  When you look at this verse above, in James chapter three (which concerns the use of the tongue), what you find is a spiritual law being set in force by the sin nature of man.  Jesus said, "Whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goes into the belly, and is cast out into the draught; but those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man..." (Matt. 15: 17-20).  When God created man in his image and after his likeness, he empowered him with the same creative ability he himself had.  Satan took advantage of man's fallen nature to use that creative power for evil. But when a man becomes born again and his heart is recreated, then the tongue can become a power for good.  James actually begins his teaching on the tongue, saying, "For in many things we offend all. If a man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle his whole body" (Jam. 3:2).   How do you protect yourself from being an instrument of offense? You learn how to speak out of your spirit the Word of God instead of out of your flesh the words of sin and death. What many times we fail to realize is that the heart is the production center that steers the course of our life.  When your heart becomes fully surrendered to God and you feed on the Word, then the words of your mouth will change, and that will eventually change your situation.  From a believer's point of view, what James spoke could actually read like this: "And the tongue is a fire, an aggregate of righteousness; so is the tongue among our human parts, that it sanctifies the whole body, and ignites the wheel of genesis into motion; and it is set on fire of heaven."  That's literally what this phrase "sets on fire the course of nature" means.   The word "course" can be translated wheel, and the word "nature" is the Greek word GENESIS, which refers to giving birth to something or where something finds its beginning. 

Everything starts with words. That is the secret of what God wants you to know-in the beginning was the Word!  What comes out of your mouth has creative power. It is the mechanism of change.  Your tongue is like a conveyor belt that takes what is assembled in your heart and wheels it out to the public.  If you want to see goodly changes, then use the creative power of words to start the ball rolling.  Will the things you desire come to pass overnight?  No, not anymore than a seed you sow in the ground will bring a harvest overnight.  But once you plant it, and water it, and keep saying what you "will to come to pass" eventually it will come to fruition.  David said, "...to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God" (Psa. 50:23).  The word "ordereth" means to set in place, to plant, to fix, to establish in a specific direction.  When you plant your words in righteousness, then you will reap the salvation (deliverance, safety, welfare, prosperity, victory) of God.