A Glad Tongue
Something wonderful happens when a godly person gives him or herself wholly to the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Every part of their life becomes a fountain of Jesus Christ. He does not want us to imitate Him. He wants us to be filled with His very person. His divine nature absolutely flows from the saint that is wholly filled with His Spirit. I’m a Pentecostal and I can tell you that we Pentecostals have put too much emphasis on the ecstatic experiences and too little on the authority of His divine life in us. The gifts of the Spirit should not be ignored, but the life of Jesus Christ in us should be the central focus.
That life produces power — the fire of enthusiasm — and a total readiness to be spent for Him. All our physical facilities are Spirit-saturated and nothing is so sure a fountain as the tongue. A spirit-filled believer will manifest “a glad tongue.” Read carefully as Apostle Luke shows us a prophecy from the Psalmist David that connects Pentecost with “a glad tongue.” “Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption” (Acts 2:24-27).
David was speaking from His revelation of this coming Pentecostal baptism that was to occur at the “Feast of Pentecost.” He was overjoyed with this prophecy and stated, “Therefore did my heart rejoice and my tongue was glad.” The fullness of the Spirit has always been associated with a happy spiritual life. You cannot be full of Jesus Christ and act like a prude. “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (I Peter 1:8) The greatest witness in the world for Jesus Christ is when your “tongue is glad.” We possess no capacity in our physical person more powerful than our tongue. It (can be) an unruly evil full of deadly poison or it can be a fountain of joy and praise. It is your choice.
The Lord wants to sanctify our tongue, to strip it of quick unmeasured words and careless confusion and to make it “a glad tongue.” Too many Christians speak without wisdom — hasty words, condemning words, noisy words — and ruin their influence. In most lives, the tongue is the last stronghold of the flesh. If we can measure our tongue, we are called “perfect” (mature).
The Holy Ghost wants to quicken your entire body. “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). The tongue is the mouthpiece of the body, soul, and spirit. You can always tell the level of maturity, both personal and spiritual, by the tone of the tongue. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). “A glad tongue” can make almost every gathering a place of pleasure and enjoyment. If this is so in the natural, imagine the power of “a glad tongue” in the House of God.