The Art of Leadership By Dag Heward-Mills
Snakes are wise because they use their mouths as weapons to fight, to win and to dominate their enemies. A minister will be wise when he uses his mouth as a weapon to fight, to win and to dominate in the Spirit.
The mouth of a snake is an amazing weapon that it uses very successfully. Snakes do not chew their food. Their teeth are good for catching and holding prey, but not suitable for chewing.
They have a very flexible lower jaw, the two halves of which are not rigidly attached. They also have numerous other joints in their skull, allowing them to open their mouths wide enough to swallow their prey whole. Snakes are therefore able to swallow their prey whole even if it is larger in diameter than the snake itself. This kind of mouth combined with the venom we have spoken about makes a snake an awesome predator. Every minister has been given some power in the mouth. Even our salvation comes to us when we open our mouths and confess what we believe with our hearts. “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
Some people are able to use their mouths as weapons more successfully than others. You can hear it in their preaching, you can hear it in their confessions, you can hear it in their counselling and you can hear it in their teaching. Become a strong proclaimer and confessor of the Word and you will be as wise as a serpent.
Seven Ways You Can Use the Power in Your Mouth
- Develop your ability to speak forth positive confessions about your life and the ministry.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Mark 11:23
- Develop your ability to preach. For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
1 Corinthians 1:21
- Develop your ability to teach.
And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
Ecclesiastes 12:9
- Develop positive proclamations over your congregation.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Proverbs 18:21
- Develop your ability to counsel and advise people.
We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
Psalm 55:14
- Develop your ability to bargain with men and to persuade them. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
2 Corinthians 5:11
- Develop your ability to create and invent with your mouth.
By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.
Hebrews 11:3 (RSV)
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.
Hebrews 11:3
To be wise as a serpent, you must use the gift and the grace God has given you. You must develop the power of the mouth. You are snared with the words of your mouth and you are taken with the words of your mouth.
Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.
Proverbs 6:2
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