Your life is a ship, and your tongue is the rudder. So says James, the brother of Jesus:

“…take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body…” (James 3:4–5 NIV)

The words on your lips steer your life.

Tug Boat Words & Let’s Go Promises

There are also other words that direct us, and the Holy Ghost today described them to me as being like tug boats that we attach our faith to and guide us into harbour.

Our faith will always be hitched to a word. Always. Without exception, there’s a word that our faith is attached to tugging us in one direction or another.

God asked me today what words I’m hitching my future to?

I want to ask you the same question.

Choose Your Destination Harbour

Let me remind you of another boat, one crowded with rowdy disciples. Strong men of action, not unfamiliar with choppy weather and adverse conditions.

Here they were hitched to the words of their Captain, “Let us go to the other side” (Mark 4:38). Then it happened. A massive, sudden, and shocking storm that terrified even the hardy fishermen among them.

In the face of adversity, they unhitched their faith from the words, “let’s go to the other side” and instead secured them to, “God doesn’t care and we are all perishing!”

Which harbour destination would you choose? “The other side” or “Lord, we perish!”

Is this not the challenge that we face too? God speaks and we hitch ourselves to His words, we cherish them, allowing them to pull us forward in faith.

You look across from where you are now, to where God wants to take you and start making moves.

Then something happens that runs contrary to the promise we have cherished, and it seems God has hit the snooze button.

Lord I Cherish, or Lord I Perish

Instead of, “Lord, I cherish”, our confession becomes, “Lord, I perish!”

Staying hitched to the promise is most essential not when the skies are blue and calm waters sparkle. The test comes when the rope pulls tight and the wind and waves shake your resolution to go all the way.

You’ll need two strong ropes fastened to the words the Lord has spoken to you; faith and patience.

Couple your future, short and long term, to these two things.

Lash your life to the tug boat of God’s personal words to you, bringing you over to the other side and safely into harbour, and set the rudder of your own spoken words to agree with both God’s written word in the Bible, and the specific tugboat promises designed to sustain and supply you on route, and gently guide you to your destination.

God has set His course for your life. He has His “Let’s go” promises specifically for you, designed to bring you to your destination.

What are those promises? Drop them in the comments and share them here if you want to…