Me and My Big Mouth!

While the Legs move and the Mind stores information, our Mouth Decrees, Declares, Heals, Seals, and Shapes. 

Book Reviewer: David Oletu (DCM)

Book Author: Joyce Meyer

About: Joyce Meyer – Wikipedia

Publisher: Harrison House. (January 1, 1997)

ISBN-10: 0739403125

ISBN-13: 978-0739403129

Page: 279

When we complain about our current situation, we remain in it, but when we praise God amid difficulty, He raises us out of it.

Meyer acknowledges that we will experience the storms of life in varying degrees where our faith will be tested and tried,

and where it will be difficult for us to discipline our minds, mouths, moods, and attitudes during the storm.

However, to cross over the storm, Joyce Meyer says we must learn how to behave in the storm. 

Meyer emphasises the need to caution our words when we are in the storm—controlling our emotions in the storm.

Me and My Big Mouth!

Our mouth is indeed very big!

The mouth is that vital part of our body that is responsible for the majority of the favours, gifts, and miraculous things we receive today. 

For instance, the gift of salvation is initiated by the mouth.

We first heard about the gospel of our salvation, which was spoken by someone (Ephesians 1:13).

If nobody tells us about it, we won’t be saved. The mouth is the instrument we use to spread the gift and miracle of salvation. 

The gift of ‘help’ is also initiated by the mouth.

If we don’t ask, we cannot receive (Matthew 7:7-8). No one will naturally know what we want because they can’t read our minds.

The miracle of healing is initiated by the mouth, for our confession is our reality, and we will declare a thing, and it will be established for us. 

While the legs move and the mind stores information, our mouth decrees, declares, heals, seals, and shapes. 

We should never underestimate the power our mouths carry.

It may appear small, but it is capable of making big things happen! 

Me and My Big Mouth!

According to Joyce Meyer, there is no subject in the Bible that we should take any more seriously than the mouth,

for it can be used to bring blessings or destruction, not only to our ‘own’ lives but also to the lives of many others.

Also, it can be used to verbalise God’s word or be a vehicle to express the enemy’s work. 

Joyce Meyer doesn’t believe that any child of God wants to be used as a mouthpiece for the devil, but many are. 

Hence, Joyce Meyer’s ‘Me and My Big Mouth!’ in its 13 detailed chapters is fully dedicated to showing us how we can train our mouths to speak words that will give us an edge in life. 

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter One, Joyce Meyer discusses how we should ‘learn to speak God’s language’. 

She reminds us of the scripture verse Mark 11:22–23, where Jesus empowered us to speak to our mountain in faith,

commanding it to be lifted and thrown into the sea, and it will be done!

With such power and authority given to us, Joyce Meyer boldly claims that every answer we need to solve our problems is right under our noses,

and that anyone who uses the power of their mouth well in faith can live in victory even without being well informed concerning the power of words. 

However, while we may be feeling so empowered to speak to our mountains,

Meyer deems it fit to caution that;

‘speaking to our mountains’ is not a magic charm or incantation that we pull out and use when we are in trouble,

or when we want something for ourselves, and then continue in carnality and a disobedient lifestyle. 

Therefore, Meyer exhorts that just as natural babies must learn to speak the language of their elders, Christians must learn how to speak God’s ways,

which are not of wrong purpose, evil, or selfish motive (James 4:2, 3), but of love, balanced, full of wisdom, prudence, and good judgement. 

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter 2, Joyce Meyer discusses the effect of words in the natural realm.

She took our minds back to the creation story, where God created the whole world out of nothing and through words. 

When God spoke, things began to appear—light, the sky, earth, vegetation, plants that yielded seed, and trees bearing fruits; the sun, moon,

and stars; fish and birds; every kind of living creature; livestock; creeping things; wild beasts; and domestic animals. 

Meyer claims that we can also do what God did because we were created in God’s image and we ought to be His imitators as His well-beloved children (Ephesians 5:1),

declaring in the spirit what we want to see happen in the natural. 

God has given us the power to do so, and His word is His promise to us.

Hence, we should speak of those things that He has promised us as if they already existed. 

For instance, God has said in His word that by His stripes, we are healed.

So, whenever we don’t feel good in our body system, we should decree healing by faith in the spirit, and it will manifest naturally.

 Me and My Big Mouth!

Similarly, in Chapter Three, Joyce Meyer reignites us to ‘Call Those Things That Are Not As Though They Are’

just as ‘God calleth those things that are not as though they were’ according to Romans 4:17. 

Joyce Meyer claims that the greatest privilege we have as God’s children is that of reaching the realm where God is and calling ‘those things that are not as if they were.’

However, to strike a balance in her claim,

Meyer pointed out that such practice can work against us if we are calling for things that are not God’s will but the enemy’s. 

Joyce Meyer says that speaking in agreement with God’s word—His written word or a specific word he has given us—helps keep our faith strong until manifestation arrives. Amos 3:3

And, for us to receive from God, believing is the first important step, because what is in our hearts will come out of our mouths. (Matthew 12:34). 

Therefore, Meyer asserts that ‘we draw to ourselves whatever our souls are full of.

If we keep our souls and mouths full of doubt, unbelief, fear, and every negative thing, we will draw those things to ourselves.

On the other hand, if we keep our souls and mouths full of God and His word and plan, that is what we will draw to us.

The choice is ours!

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter 4, Joyce Meyer admonishes us to ‘Prophesy our Future!’

Meyer rewinds our minds to how important and powerful our words are, and we will be held responsible for them.

Jesus warned in Matthew 12:37: ‘For by your words, you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words, you will be condemned and sentenced’. 

Meyer says that is why each of us needs to learn to tame our tongues, and we need the help of the Holy Spirit to control our tongues. 

However, she also pointed out that God will not do it all for us, so we must learn to discipline our ‘own’ mouths and take responsibility for what comes out of them.

How do we then talk about our future if we are not satisfied with our lives and want to see them change? 

Joyce Meyer claims that we can prophesy a better future for ourselves and our loved ones according to God’s word,

for without God, we cannot change anything. But, in agreement with Him, all things are possible. 

Joyce Meyer observes that many of us don’t use our mouths at all for what God gave them to us.

Some have only learnt the dangers of speaking negatively, but God wants us to go a step further.

He wants us to start prophesying what we desire to see happen in our lives. 

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter Five, Joyce Meyer exhorts us to ‘Become God’s Mouthpiece’.

We are a mouthpiece in the body of Christ, and we have the awesome privilege of teaching the word all over the world!

As God’s mouthpiece, we are exhorters, and according to Joyce Meyer,

“Exhorters bring comfort: they make people feel better about themselves, about their circumstances,

-about the past, ‘about the present, ‘..about the future, and about anything else that concerns them,” as seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Joyce Meyer says that regardless of our specific ministry within the body of Christ, each of us is a mouthpiece for God in some way.

And God wants us to use our mouths for him. 

If we desire the word of our mouth to be seasoned with God’s grace and power, our mouth must belong to God. 

Is your mouth God’s mouth? Have you’really’ given it to Him for His purpose?

Think about it!

Me and My Big Mouth! 

In Chapter Six, Joyce Meyer warns that if we complain, we will remain the same, but if we praise, we will be raised. 

Jesus instructed in John 6:43, “Murmur not among yourselves.”

Joyce Meyer asserts that complaining is a sin,

and it is a corrupt form of conversation that causes many people a great deal of problems in their lives, as it opens many doors for the enemy. 

Meyer exposes the reality that the world is full of two forces: good and evil.

And the Bible teaches us that good overcomes evil (Romans 12:21), but we must choose the good.

If we find ourselves faced with a negative (evil) situation, we can overcome it with good.

According to Meyer, when we complain about our current situation, we remain in it, but when we praise God amid difficulty, He raises us out of it.

Meyer exhorts that the best way to start every day is with gratitude and thanksgiving.

She believes praise and thanksgiving release physical energy and healing.

Therefore, we should get a jump on the devil, for if we don’t fill our thoughts and conversations with good things, the devil will fill them up with evil things. 

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter 7, Joyce Meyer discusses how we can cross over to the other side of the storm quietly, especially when emotional.

Meyer acknowledges that we will experience the storms of life in varying degrees where our faith will be tested and tried,

and where it will be difficult for us to discipline our minds, mouths, moods, and attitudes during the storm.

However, to cross over the storm, Joyce Meyer says we must learn how to behave in the storm. 

In this chapter, Meyer emphasises the need to caution our words when we are in the storm—controlling our emotions in the storm.

When Jesus, for instance, was experiencing the most intense pressure, He decided that it must be wise of Him not to open His mouth.

Why?

Joyce Meyer believes that in Jesus’ humanity, He would have been tempted to do something every one of us would do: doubt, question God, complain, say something negative, etc.,

but Jesus didn’t!

Meyer believes that is a wise decision for anyone to make during times of stress and trials.

She observes that many people backslide during challenging times,

and a part of the reason they do so is because they have never learnt how to talk. 

Meyer says,

“A trial is discouraging enough in itself, but we don’t need to add insult to injury by depressing ourselves through negative speech.

But, when we find ourselves in a time of trial, we should try not to just look at where we are right now and at what is happening to us at the moment;

rather, we should see ourselves and our circumstances through the eyes of faith. 

So, instead of speaking out of upset emotions or wounded feelings, it is always best to be quiet and allow the emotional storm to subside.

Me and My Big Mouth! 

In Chapter 8, Meyer addresses a crucial question: ‘Is Your Mouth Saved?’

The above question may sound strange; however, Meyer claims that it is possible to be saved and does not sound like it.

An individual can be a child of God yet not talk like one. 

Therefore, after being saved, we should ensure that our mouths are saved,

as that is part of the process that the Apostle Paul referred to as “working out” one’s salvation. (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Meyer asserts that God is calling us up higher.

He is challenging us to no longer speak with our own words. And He wants us to speak not out of the soul but out of the spirit. 

According to Meyer, for God to use us to fulfil his mandate on earth, we must work on our mouths.

Meyer alludes to three men in the Bible who were called by God but had mouth problems:

Jeremiah had a fearful mouth (Jeremiah 1:4–10).

Moses had a slow and awkward mouth (Exodus 4:10).

And Isaiah had an unclean mouth (Isaiah 6:1–9).

However, before God could use them the way He planned, He had to do something about their words. 

Jeremiah, Moses, and Isaiah all realised that God had to change some things about their mouths if they were to fulfil their divine call. 

Meyer states that the same will be true for us.

God will heal our mouths, but first, we must realise that we need healing. 

Jesus said that it is the truth that will set us free,

and according to Meyer, the truth is that we need to say to the Lord, “My mouth needs to be saved!” Proverbs 8:6-8.

Me and My Big Mouth! 

In Chapter 9, Joyce Meyer admonishes that ‘fasting includes our mouth’.

Many times, whenever we fast, we realise our prayers are not answered.

So, it all feels like we only starved ourselves and not truly fasted. 

According to Meyer, the purpose of this chapter is not to teach us all the principles of food fasting.

Meyer believes that there are many varieties of ways that people are led to fast.

We should not be like the people in Isaiah 58 who had been abstaining from food, but they had missed the real point.

Meyer states that “true fasting is supposed to be to break the power of the flesh.

It is meant to be a time of special prayer in which God’s people seek Him more earnestly for breakthrough for themselves or others.”

Therefore, according to Meyer:

When we fast, we cooperate with the spirit of God to break the yokes of bondage in our lives and the lives of others. 

Also, When we share—to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and hide not ourselves from our flesh and blood.

And When we fast, we do not judge or scorn people.

Meyer claims that one thing God has told us to do is to take away the yokes of oppression in our midst and to stop pointing the finger of scorn towards the oppressed or the godly.

And, when we stop judging one another, things will begin to improve in our lives.

Aside from placing judgment, we should stop speaking falsely, harshly, unjustly, and wickedly. 

Additionally, when we fast, we bless and do not curse.

We must stop expecting God to pour out blessings on us while we pour out-of-mouth curses on others.

So, for our prayers in fasting to be answered, the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts must be acceptable in God’s sight.

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter 10, Meyer talks about ‘The Slanderous Mouth’.

Meyer emphasises in this chapter that if there is any place in our lives where we need to exercise discipline and self-control, it is the choice of our words.

With close reference to Proverbs 18:21,

Meyer asserts that with the power in our words, we have the capacity for great good or great evil, for great benefit or great harm.

We can either use our words to create death and destruction or use them to create life and health.

With the power in our mouths,

we can speak forth sickness, disease, dissension, and disaster, or we can speak forth healing, harmony, exhortation, and edification.

The choice is ours!

However, God cannot be mocked. Whatever we sow, we will reap. 

Meyer leaves us with several thought-provoking questions to ponder in this chapter:

Are you using your mouth to exhort and edify, or are you using it to discourage and destroy?

And Are you using it to build yourself and others up, or are you using it to tear them down?

Do you have any idea how important the words in your mouth are?

And Do you have a slanderous mouth or a soothing mouth?

Finally, when you open your mouth, what comes out can either be the devil or the Holy Spirit. 

Which will it be for you?

Let us examine ourselves.

Me and My Big Mouth! 

In Chapter 11, Joyce Meyer addresses the issue of ‘Anger and Impatient Words’. 

Meyer recalls how she once had anger issues and struggled to give it up and learn to be gentle.

She believes that if God can deliver her from anger, He can as well deliver you.

Meyer claims that we do not have to have bad tempers.

We don’t have to get mad every time something doesn’t go our way because we have the ability in the Holy Spirit to be adjustable and adaptable to them (Rom 12:16). 

Meyer further admonishes that to overcome anger:

We should be slow to speak and slow to get angry (James 1:19).

We should be adaptable and adjustable—living in harmony with one another, not haughty,

but readily adjusting ourselves to and giving ourselves to humble tasks.

Never overestimating ourselves or being wise in our own conceits. Rom 12:16

We should be calm and exercise a bit more humility when things don’t go on as we want them to,

realising that the minor things we fuss and argue over don’t make that difference in life.

We should learn to love peace and harmony and to love them with all our being.

We should watch our language when we are angry. 1 Timothy 1:8

Ultimately, in the words of Meyer, “Our past hurts and wounds may cause us to react negatively,

but we overcome those negative responses by learning the word of God and choosing to act upon it rather than to react to circumstances.”

Me and My Big Mouth!

In Chapter 12, Joyce Meyer charges us to ‘Speak No Evil’.

Meyer says that we should never say things that are going to make people want to give up or quit.

We are not to pollute ourselves or each other with the negative words that come from our lips.

And We are not to use our mouths to hurt, break down, or depress, but rather to heal, restore, and uplift.

To achieve the aforementioned, Meyer elaborates on how:

We must magnify the good over the bad.

And We must overcome the stronghold of negativism.

Also, We must promote good reports of people and circumstances over evil reports.

And We must keep our vessel clean and fit for the master’s use.

We must know when to keep quiet and when to speak. 

Yes, We must forget the past and press on.

And We must recognise that in our covenant with God, He has a part to play, and we have a part to play. 

Also, We must recognise the root of evil speech.

”We must not judge, criticise, and condemn others so that we may not be judged, criticised, and condemned. 

And We must keep the law of truth in our mouths.

Indeed, We must not be busybodies.

And, overall, as God’s masterpiece, we must make sure that both the law of truth and the law of kindness are in our mouths. 

Me and My Big Mouth!

Finally, in Chapter 13, to crown it all, Meyer says our tongue must be soothing!

According to James, both blessings and cursings ought not to be issued from our mouths;

instead, we ought to be like the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. 

As children of God, our mouths should be filled with God’s spirit—’we are to manifest the fruits of the spirit in our speech. 

Watchman Nee says, “If you listen to a person, you can detect by their words the spirit that is coming forth from them.”

Thus, “We must place a guard on our lips so that what issues from them is not only truthful but also kind, positive, edifying, and in line with the will of God.” Joyce Meyer

Also Read: The Untamed Tongue – Diademng (thediademng.org)

Me and My Big Mouth!