The Unexpected Power of What We Say: A Reflection on “Hung by the Tongue”

Published 16 January 2026 by

Martin Hamilton

Some books arrive precisely when you need them most. Hung by the Tongue by Francis P. Martin was one of those books for me—unexpected, unplanned, yet exactly what I needed to hear back in the early 1990’s.

A Simple Truth, Profoundly Confronting

Martin’s approach is refreshingly straightforward. He doesn’t bury you under layers of theological complexity or abstract theory. Instead, he asks you to notice something hiding in plain sight: the way we speak. Not just our conversations with others, but the constant internal dialogue we rarely pause to examine.

The central message circles back again and again, gaining clarity with each repetition: words shape outcomes. What we say carries weight. It lands somewhere—often deep within ourselves—and creates ripples we don’t always see coming.

Wrestling with the Message

I’ll be honest: the King James Version quotations occasionally slowed me down. My Bible memory runs in NIV, and the unfamiliar phrasing required extra attention. But here’s what surprised me—those verses weren’t obstacles. They became anchors, grounding an idea that’s easy to dismiss but hard to escape once you truly consider it: language is never neutral. Our words either build or erode, encourage or wound. There’s no middle ground.

The Question That Lingers

What stayed with me most wasn’t a particular chapter or verse. It was a simple, uncomfortable question the book kept raising: What messages am I repeating to myself?

Would I speak to a friend the way I sometimes speak to myself? The answer, if I’m being honest, is often no. Martin makes it impossible to ignore how careless words—spoken aloud or whispered internally—don’t just dent our confidence. They spill over into our relationships, our choices, our daily interactions with the world.

Uplifting, Not Naive

This isn’t a “think positive and everything will be perfect” kind of book. Martin doesn’t pretend life is easy or that speaking carefully will solve every problem. The challenge he offers is gentler and more demanding than that: take responsibility for your words. Recognize their power. Understand that we are created to be a blessing, and that calling begins with watching what we say.

It’s the kind of conviction that doesn’t shout. It settles quietly and refuses to leave.

Who This Book Is For

If you’re looking to strengthen your self-confidence, this book offers more than affirmations—it offers awareness. If you want to become more mindful in how you communicate, it provides a framework grounded in something deeper than technique. If you simply want to live with greater intention, Hung by the Tongue is a meaningful companion for that journey.

The Pause That Changes Everything

Since reading this book, I’ve noticed myself pausing mid-sentence more often. Reconsidering. Choosing different words—not because I’m trying to be artificially positive, but because I finally understand how much words matter.

They shape not just what others hear, but what we become.

And that’s a truth worth speaking carefully.

Proverbs 12:16 teaches that a fool shows their annoyance immediately, reacting impulsively to slights, while a prudent (wise) person shows restraint by overlooking or downplaying the insult, demonstrating self-control and inner calm rather than escalating conflict.

This proverb highlights wisdom as the ability to rise above petty offenses and choose a measured response, contrasting with foolishness’s quick, emotional outbursts.

10 Life-Changing Principles from “Hung by the Tongue”

Francis P. Martin’s Hung by the Tongue: What You Say Is What You Get builds its entire teaching on a startling premise: your life is shaped by what you speak. Drawing from Proverbs 18:21 and Mark 11:23, Martin argues that believers are literally “hung by the tongue”—their destiny tied to their words. Here are the ten core principles that form the foundation of this transformative book.

1. Death and Life Are in the Power of the Tongue

Proverbs 23:7 connects to Proverbs 18:21 by showing that what we think (23:7) eventually comes out in what we say (18:21) and do, shaping our character and influencing our destiny. A heart filled with wise thoughts (23:7) leads to life-giving words (18:21).

The Foundation: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

Francis Martin uses this verse as his cornerstone. The tongue isn’t merely a small organ—it carries spiritual authority to release either life or death into your circumstances. What you consistently speak, whether blessing or cursing, faith or fear, will eventually manifest in your experience. Those who “love it”—who delight in talking, especially negatively or critically—will inevitably reap the consequences of their words.

2. What You Say, You Get

The Kingdom Law: “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)

This is the biblical basis for the book’s subtitle. Jesus teaches a spiritual principle: when you speak with faith and without doubt, you receive what you say. Martin clarifies this isn’t magic—it’s a spiritual law. God created by His Word, and believers, made in His image, also create through their words when aligned with faith and God’s will. Speak doubt and fear, and you’ll get that reality. Speak faith, and you release God’s power into your situation.

3. As You Think in Your Heart, So You Are

The Mind-Mouth Connection: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…” (Proverbs 23:7)

Your inner thoughts directly shape your words and, therefore, your life. You cannot consistently speak life if your heart is full of fear, bitterness, or unbelief. What you allow in your mind will eventually come out of your mouth. Think “I’m always broke,” and you’ll say “I can’t afford it”—and that becomes your reality. To change your life, you must first renew your mind and guard your heart so your words align with God’s truth, not your feelings.

4. The Tongue Controls Your Life

Small but Mighty: Like a rudder on a ship or a bit in a horse’s mouth (James 3:3-4), the tongue seems small but directs the whole course of your life.

Though tiny, the tongue has enormous influence over your entire life, relationships, and spiritual condition. James describes it as “a fire, a world of iniquity” that can defile the whole body and “set on fire the course of nature.” Uncontrolled words—gossip, anger, complaining, cursing—bring destruction to health, finances, and relationships. Therefore, believers must learn to bridle the tongue and speak only what builds up.

5. Words of Faith Release Increase; Words of Fear Bring Decrease

The Law of Sowing and Reaping: What you speak, you sow. What you sow, you reap.

When you speak God’s Word in faith—”I am healed,” “I am blessed,” “I am more than a conqueror”—you’re sowing seeds of faith that will reap increase. Conversely, saying “I’m always sick,” “I’ll never get ahead,” or “This is hopeless” sows seeds of fear and unbelief, which reap decrease and defeat. The agricultural principle applies to words: you harvest what you plant with your mouth.

6. Guard Your Heart and Renew Your Mind

The Battle Is in the Mind: “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

Martin stresses that lasting change begins internally. If you allow negative thoughts—fear, doubt, bitterness—to remain, they will eventually emerge in your words and shape your life. You must “take every thought captive” to Christ and renew your mind with Scripture so your words reflect God’s truth rather than your circumstances. This is how you break strongholds and begin speaking life instead of death.

7. Speak Life, Not Death

The Call to Minister Grace: “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29)

Every Christian is a “minister” through their words—you’re either ministering grace and life or corruption and death. Gossip, slander, complaining, and harsh words grieve the Holy Spirit and quench His power. Instead, believers should speak words that edify, encourage, and bless others, creating an atmosphere of life and hope wherever they go.

8. Bless, Don’t Curse

The Path to Good Days: “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.” (1 Peter 3:10)

When someone attacks or mistreats you, the natural reaction is to curse back. But that only brings more death and cuts you off from blessing. Instead, you’re called to bless, which releases God’s power to vindicate and restore. If you want a better life and “good days,” you must first purify your speech—no evil, no deceit, no cursing.

9. Your Words Defile You

The Real Source of Uncleanness: “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.” (Matthew 15:11)

It’s not what you eat or drink that makes you unclean before God—it’s the evil that comes out of your mouth. The real battleground is the mouth itself. Bitterness, anger, malicious speech, and clamor defile a person and hinder their relationship with God. To walk in holiness and power, you must speak only what is kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving.

10. Practical Application: Change What You Say

The Daily Discipline: Since “what you say is what you get,” the practical path forward is clear.

Martin calls readers to daily “tongue control”: monitoring what comes out of your mouth, repenting of negative speech, and consciously speaking God’s Word in faith over every area of life. The practical steps are:

Stop speaking death, fear, and lack
Start speaking life, faith, and God’s promises
Guard your heart and renew your mind with Scripture
Bless others instead of cursing or complaining

Over time, this discipline renews the mind, transforms the heart, and changes the course of a person’s life from defeat to victory.

The Bottom Line

Hung by the Tongue presents a challenging truth: we are architects of our own experience through the words we speak. It’s not a call to magical thinking, but to spiritual awareness—recognizing that words carry weight, create atmosphere, and ultimately shape destiny. Whether you embrace all of Martin’s theology or simply appreciate the wisdom of mindful speech, the book’s central message is hard to ignore: what you say matters far more than you might think.

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