𝓜𝔂 𝓟𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓻 𝓘𝓷 𝓜𝓮: 𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓕𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓱 𝓽𝓸 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮: 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓽’𝓼 𝓥𝓲𝓬𝓽𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓑𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻

6 hours ago
13 min read

𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓖𝓸𝓭: 𝓕𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻, 𝓢𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓗𝓸𝓵𝔂 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓻𝓲𝓽

Introduction

Explore how the power of the Holy Spirit transforms our hearts and governs the tongue, which no human strength can tame. Dive into scriptural insights and personal reflections on grace, mercy, and the Spirit’s work in overcoming the flesh.

Most of us have learned (often the hard way) that the tongue is not a small issue. Words can heal or wound, build or destroy, reconcile or divide. James doesn’t flatter human ability here—he exposes our need for something beyond willpower.

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)

If no man can tame it, then the answer must come from God.

The tongue reveals what rules the heart

Jesus taught that speech is not random—it is the overflow of an inner source.

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)

That’s why Scripture ties maturity to speech:

“If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” (James 3:2)

And it’s why the Bible repeatedly calls us to watch our words:

“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” (Proverbs 21:23) “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” (Proverbs 18:21) “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

Human strength can’t fix a spiritual problem

James’ conclusion is blunt: the tongue cannot be tamed by man. That means the flesh cannot be trained into holiness by mere self-effort. The flesh may improve outward behavior for a season, but it cannot produce the inward government of the Spirit.

Paul describes the conflict plainly:

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh…” (Galatians 5:17)

So, the question becomes: if the flesh is strong, how does a believer overcome?

God gives increasing grace to overcome the flesh

James answers with hope:

“But He gives more grace.” (James 4:6)

Grace is not only pardon—it is power. God supplies what the flesh cannot produce.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14) “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

And grace trains us to deny the old cravings:

“For the grace of God… teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly…” (Titus 2:11–12)

A personal witness: returning good for evil

The flesh demands repayment. When provoked, it wants to answer evil with evil—to defend itself, to retaliate, to justify revenge. That old principle is deeply rooted in fallen nature.

But the New Covenant calls us into a different response:

“Repay no one evil for evil… If it is possible… live peaceably with all men.” (Romans 12:17–18) “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21) “Not returning evil for evil… but on the contrary blessing…” (1 Peter 3:9)

Jesus Himself sets the standard:

“Love your enemies… do good to those who hate you.” (Luke 6:27)

Mercy replaces retaliation under the New Covenant

One of the Lord’s deepest works in us is teaching us how He deals with us now—by mercy.

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12) “He has not dealt with us according to our sins…” (Psalm 103:10)

When grace governs us, we stop demanding “fair” treatment as the flesh defines it, and we begin to reflect the mercy we’ve received.

The Spirit’s power in real time: restraint that wasn’t mine

There are moments when you recognize what is happening inside you: you’re being provoked, and the flesh should rise—yet something else rules. That “something else” is not personality, not discipline, not image-management. It is the Holy Spirit.

“‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) “If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

And the Word planted in us becomes a living restraint:

“Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21) “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

Emotional maturity: the flesh reacts, the Spirit governs

Many people are physically grown but spiritually unreactive—quick to speak, quick to anger, quick to defend. Scripture calls us to a different posture:

“So then… let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” (James 1:19) “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty…” (Proverbs 16:32)

The Spirit produces what the flesh cannot: inner government.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace… self-control.” (Galatians 5:22–23)

The test of belonging to Christ: the indwelling Spirit

This is not about adopting Christian vocabulary. Scripture makes the dividing line clear:

“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Romans 8:9)

And the Spirit does not merely visit—He witnesses, leads, and transforms:

“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16) “And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.” (1 John 3:24)

Jesus’ definition of the new birth: born of the Spirit

Jesus did not describe Christianity as moral improvement, but as a birth from above:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

And He explained the Spirit’s invisible reality with visible evidence:

“The wind blows where it wishes… and you hear the sound of it… so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

You may not see the wind, but you see what it moves. In the same way, you may not see the Spirit, but you see His manifestation—His restraint over the flesh, His fruit, His power, His transformation.

Conclusion: move from religion to reality

The tongue cannot be tamed by man—but it can be governed by the Spirit. And God gives more grace to the humble.

If you want, take a moment today to ask the Lord for that “more grace”—not only to hold your tongue back, but to let the Spirit rule your heart so your words become life-giving.

The Details You Need to Know:

Life in the Spirit Is Real: How God Gives Victory Over the Flesh (and the Tongue)

The problem God names plainly

James puts words to something every honest believer has felt:

James 3:8 (Living Bible) “But no human being can tame the tongue. It is always ready to pour out its deadly poison.”

That verse is not meant to shame us—it’s meant to tell the truth about the flesh. The flesh can be educated, trained, and restrained for a while, but it cannot be transformed by human willpower. The tongue is proof. Under pressure, what’s inside comes out.

Then James gives the other half of the message:

James 4:6 (Living Bible) “But he gives us more and more strength to stand against all such evil longings. As the Scripture says, God gives strength to the humble but sets himself against the proud and haughty.”

So the Bible gives two realities side-by-side:

I can’t tame my tongue by myself.
God gives more and more strength (grace) to overcome what I can’t overcome.

That is the doorway into “life in the Spirit.” It’s not theory. It’s not motivational talk. It’s God’s power meeting human weakness.

What God taught me about the flesh

Over time, God began to show me something that changed how I see people—and how I respond when I’m provoked.

He helped me understand that the flesh is like a baby.

People are made in God’s image, which means they were designed to live by love. But when people don’t receive love—when they feel rejected, unseen, disrespected, or threatened—the flesh reacts like a child:

it cries out for attention
it pouts
it lashes out
it demands “fairness”
it tries to punish
it tries to win

Even when someone is a full-grown adult, the flesh can still behave like a baby inside. And I used to live that way too.

I used to think in the old pattern: “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” If someone came at me wrong, my flesh wanted to answer back wrong. If someone hurt me, I wanted them to feel it. If someone disrespected me, I wanted to restore my “justice.”

But God worked on my heart for years to show me that under the New Testament, the whole foundation has changed.

The New Testament difference: grace instead of payback

God taught me that in Christ, He is not holding sins against us the way the flesh expects. The Holy Spirit breaks the bondage of sin and iniquity. We are brought under grace, not the old system of retaliation and repayment.

That means this:

It’s not about getting what I “deserve.”
It’s not about making people “pay.”
It’s not about matching their energy.
It’s about mercy.
It’s about returning good for evil.

And here’s the key: the ability to return good for evil does not come from my flesh trying harder. It comes from God’s Word giving understanding, and the Holy Spirit giving power.

A personal example: when the Holy Spirit returned grace through me

There was a time when someone provoked me—something unfair, something sharp, something that would normally trigger my old reactions. My flesh had a familiar script ready:

defend yourself
correct them
put them in their place
say the cutting thing
make sure you don’t look weak

That’s the “deadly poison” James is talking about. It’s always ready.

But in that moment, something different happened inside me.

I remembered what God had been teaching me: “This is flesh. This is a baby crying for love, control, or validation. This is not the Spirit.”

And as that understanding rose up, I felt something else rise up too—not human emotion, not my natural temperament.

I felt the anointing.

Instead of feeling the heat of vengeance, I felt a different set of “feelings” in my heart:

a calm strength
a steady love
a quiet joy
a peace that didn’t match the situation

And I realized: those weren’t my flesh-feelings. Those were the Holy Spirit’s feelings—spiritual senses inside my heart.

That’s when I understood something deeply: When the Holy Spirit is present and ruling inside, the flesh is no longer in control.

So I responded with grace. I returned good for evil. I spoke gently. I didn’t need to win. I didn’t need revenge. I didn’t even feel the old pull the same way.

And I knew: that wasn’t me. That was the Holy Spirit doing what James 4:6 promised—giving “more and more strength” against the evil longing.

What “victory over the flesh” actually feels like

People sometimes talk about victory like it’s only a decision. But when God gives victory, it’s deeper than a decision—it’s a change of inner government.

The flesh wants to react when provoked. But when the Spirit is ruling, something happens:

the urge to strike back loses its power
the need to prove yourself quiets down
the tongue doesn’t feel “itchy” to poison
you can see the other person differently
you can treat them like a child who needs love, not an enemy who needs punishment

That is emotional maturity—and only the Holy Spirit can produce it.

Because the flesh cannot become spiritually mature. It can only be managed. But the Spirit can actually transform what you desire, what you feel, and what you choose.

Why the “baby” understanding matters

When God showed me that the flesh is like a baby, it gave me a new lens:

Even though people are adults, many are still led by childish inner reactions because they don’t have the Spirit governing their feelings.

They can’t respond like God in their emotions. They need to be treated right to respond right. And when they don’t get what they want, the flesh cries:

“You didn’t respect me.”
“You didn’t give me what I needed.”
“You hurt me, so I’ll hurt you.”

But the Spirit teaches us to respond from a different place:

“Father, forgive them.”
“Bless those who curse you.”
“Overcome evil with good.”

That response is not natural. It is supernatural.

Why I opened with James 3:8 and James 4:6

I used those two verses because together they explain the whole message:

James 3:8 tells the truth: no human can tame the tongue. That includes me. That includes you. That includes the most disciplined person you know.
James 4:6 tells the hope: God gives more and more strength (grace).Not to the proud who think they can handle it, but to the humble who admit, “Lord, I can’t do this without You.”

So life in the Spirit is real because:

God speaks through His Word and gives understanding.
God moves by His Spirit and gives power.
God changes what we feel and how we respond.
God makes us able to return grace instead of revenge.

That is victory over the flesh—inside ourselves, and in how we treat others.

Epilogue: When Grace Governs the Tongue

The tongue is often the last place we expect victory—because it is usually the first place the flesh speaks. Yet the Lord does not call us to manage sin; He calls us to walk in newness of life. And that new life is not a theory. It is the Holy Spirit within the believer—God’s own power working where human strength fails.

If you have read these words and felt the weight of your own weakness, do not despair. The confession “I cannot tame my tongue” is not defeat—it is the doorway to humility. And Scripture says that to the humble, God gives more grace. The answer is not striving harder in the flesh, but yielding deeper to the Spirit.

So let this be your prayer and your expectation: not merely that your speech would be restrained, but that your heart would be ruled. For when the Spirit governs the inward man, the mouth will follow. And what once poured out poison can, by grace, begin to pour out life.

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

May the Lord bring you beyond religion and into reality—until His power in you becomes your testimony, and His grace in you becomes your way of life.

From Poison to Praise: An Altar Call to Receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit

You’ve just heard the truth from James:

James 3:8 (Living Bible) says no human being can tame the tongue—because the flesh is always ready to pour out poison. But James 4:6 (Living Bible) says God gives more and more strength (grace) to stand against those evil longings.

That means victory over the flesh is real—but it doesn’t come from trying harder. It comes from Jesus saving you, and the Holy Spirit living in you.

If you’re tired of the same reactions… tired of the same anger… tired of the same cycle of “eye for an eye”… tired of the flesh ruling your mouth, your emotions, and your relationships—Jesus is calling you right now.

Step 1 — Confess Jesus as Lord (Pray this now)

Use the prayer in the first image as your confession to Jesus. Pray it out loud and mean it from your heart:

Image 1: The Sinner’s Prayer

When you confess Jesus as Lord, you are not just joining a religion—you are surrendering to a living Savior who breaks the power of sin.

Step 2 — Receive the Holy Spirit (Pray the prayer in Image 2)

After you confess Jesus as Lord, you don’t have to go back to fighting the flesh alone. God promised the Holy Spirit as Heaven’s guarantee—and He will fill you.

Now pray the prayer in the second image to receive the Holy Spirit:

Image 2: Receive the Holy Spirit (Heaven’s Guarantee)

What to do right after you pray

Thank Jesus out loud for saving you and forgiving you.
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and to govern your tongue, your feelings, and your reactions.
Expect His presence—His love, joy, and peace are real, and they will teach you to return grace instead of revenge.

Let These Songs in the Spirit Move You

Some of these songs may be old—oldies, but goodies. But they are anointed.

The Holy Spirit does not live in our realm of time the way we do. He lives in another realm, and yet He dwells within us. His anointing is timeless. He still preaches, still saves, and still ministers through songs and videos recorded years ago—even when the people who sang them have long since gone to Heaven.

So don’t focus on how old the recording is. Open your heart and let the Holy Spirit touch you—reaching into your life from beyond time, beyond this world, and straight into your spirit.

Here are solid Scripture references you can attach to that paragraph:

“These songs may be old… but they are anointed.”
- 1 John 2:20, 27 — “You have an anointing… the anointing teaches you.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:21–22 — God “anointed us… and gave the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
“The Holy Spirit does not live in our realm of time the way we do… His anointing is timeless.”
- John 14:16–17 — the Spirit “dwells with you and will be in you.”
- Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
- 2 Timothy 1:9 — grace “given… before time began.”
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 — God has “set eternity in the human heart.”
“He still preaches, still saves, and still ministers…”
- Romans 1:16 — the gospel is “the power of God for salvation.”
- Hebrews 4:12 — God’s word is “living and active.”
- 1 Thessalonians 1:5 — the gospel came “not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit.”
- John 16:8 — the Spirit convicts the world.
“…through songs…”
- Ephesians 5:18–19 — “be filled with the Spirit… singing… spiritual songs.”
- Colossians 3:16 — “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… singing.”
- Psalm 22:3 (KJV) — God inhabits the praises of His people.
“Even when the people… have long since gone to Heaven.”
- Hebrews 12:1 — “a great cloud of witnesses.”
- Revelation 14:13 — “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord… their deeds follow them.”
“Don’t focus on how old the recording is… Open your heart…”
- 2 Corinthians 4:18 — fix your eyes on what is unseen and eternal.
- Proverbs 4:20–23 — “attend… incline your ear… guard your heart.”
- Hebrews 3:15 — “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

"𝓟𝓻𝓪𝓲𝓼𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭 & 𝓙𝓮𝓼𝓾𝓼 𝓘𝓼 𝓐𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓮

𝓛𝓲𝓿𝓮 - 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓿𝓮 𝓑𝓻𝓸𝓬𝓴, 𝓐𝓵𝓿𝓲𝓷 𝓢𝓵𝓪𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓻 & 𝓑𝓮𝓷𝓷𝔂 𝓗𝓲𝓷𝓷" (1994)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok3yiAaGDK4

Receive from the anointing of the Holy Spirit through this playlist by the late Keith Green, who went to be with the Lord in 1982. Even though the messenger is gone, the Holy Spirit still ministers through what was recorded. These songs will instruct you and make you cry because of the anointing ...