Change the Fountain: How to Finally Take Control of What Comes Out of Your Mouth

I’m excited to put something in your hands today that could change the trajectory of your entire life — not next year, not someday, right now.

We’ve been talking about the tongue. About how it functions as a bridle and a rudder. But I know what some of you are thinking: “Pastor Kurt, I’ve tried to watch what I say. I’ve failed every time. Nothing changes.”

That’s exactly why we need to talk today. Because the problem isn’t your willpower. The problem is your fountain.

You can’t tame your tongue — and James never told you to try.

James chapter 3 is one of the most misread passages in the Bible. Most people read it and walk away feeling hopeless. He says the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. He says no man can tame it.

And they stop right there.

But here’s what James is actually doing. He’s describing Christians who are completely given over to the flesh — people who let every feeling, every frustration, every offense drive what comes out of their mouth. He’s not writing a verdict on your future. He’s diagnosing a root problem.

And a few verses later, he gives you the answer — though most people never get there.

Your tongue is only as clean as what it’s hooked to.

James asks a simple question: Does a spring send forth both fresh water and bitter water from the same opening? No. Can a fig tree bear olives? No. Can a grapevine produce figs? No.

In other words, you cannot get something different out of a fountain by clamping your hand over the spout.

If your tongue keeps producing poison — cursing, complaining, “I never catch a break,” “Nothing ever works for me” — it’s because it’s hooked to a bitter fountain. You are speaking out of the abundance of whatever is in your heart. Jesus said it himself in Luke 6.

Trying harder not to say the wrong thing without changing what’s inside is like whitewashing a dead man’s tomb. It looks better for a day. And then it doesn’t.

The words you speak are working — even when you can’t see it.

Before we get to the fix, you need to understand something about how this works.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

— Proverbs 18:21 (NKJV)

Jesus cursed a fig tree. He spoke to it out loud, intentionally. The next morning, Peter points and says, “Look — the fig tree you cursed has withered away.”

Notice: it didn’t die the moment Jesus spoke. It died from the roots first. The words went to work on the inside before anything showed on the outside.

Some of you have been praying for God to move the mountain. But Jesus never told you to ask the Father to move it. He said you speak to it. He said if you believe in your heart and do not doubt, you will have whatever you say.

That’s not me talking. That’s Jesus. Mark 11:23.

So how do you change the source?

Two steps. Not complicated, but they require commitment.

First, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, that is where you start. Not because it’s a religious formality — but because you need the fountain on the inside of you to change from bitter to sweet. That’s not something positive thinking can do. That’s a new birth.

Second, you renew your mind. Romans 12:2. You get into the Word of God and you stay there until you don’t see yourself as cursed, broke, unlucky, or stuck. Until you begin to see yourself the way God sees you — blessed going in, blessed going out, equipped with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

When the fountain changes, what comes out of your mouth changes. You won’t have to fight your tongue as hard. The source will be different.

You need to open your mouth and start speaking.

Once that fountain is right, use it. Out loud. On purpose.

If you’re sick, speak to your body. “By the stripes of Jesus I was healed. Body, I’m talking to you — line up with the Word of God.” That sounds strange to some of you. But it is exactly what Jesus modeled.

If you’ve got a mountain of debt, a mountain of fear, a mountain of sickness — stop begging God to move it. He already told you what to do. You speak to it. You use the authority you have been given as a believer. Death and life are in the power of your tongue, and you need to start using that power.

Start. Today. Out loud.

Get planted in a local church that feeds you the truth.

Here’s something I’ll tell you straight: watching my broadcast is not enough. I’m glad you’re here. But you need a pastor and a local church where the Word of God is preached boldly, week in and week out. That’s where your mind gets renewed over time. That’s where the fountain gets cleaner. If your church isn’t feeding you truth, find one that will.

You need people around you who are going in the same direction. Get planted.

Your words are steering your life whether you’re intentional about it or not. The rudder is always working. The question is, who’s got hold of it — your flesh, or the Word of God?

Hook your tongue to the truth. Renew your mind. Open your mouth and speak life.

Fight To Win. Start today.