The Untamable Tongue
There is Power in the Word
There is power in the word we speak. Where does the word come from? It comes from the heart but it came out from a very small part of our body, yet, a very powerful one--- the tongue. But what is spoken by the tongue, it is what the heart says. That is why before you speak, think first whether it is a word to bless or a word to curse.
In the Holy Bible the book of James Chapter 3:2-12 speaks about the counsel of not rashly or arrogantly reprove others. It further says the importance of controlling the tongue. James 3:2 says "For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check." (NIV)
A whole world of wickedness
The tongue influences greatly in peoples lives and relationships. In fact, the scripture tells us that the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. It is untamable, uncontrollable. If anyone can control his own tongue, that man would be perfect. Since the tongue is so difficult to control, anyone who controls it perfectly gains control of himself in all aspects of his life as well. It corrupts the whole person. (James 3:6 NIV)
It is a whole world of wickedness. The tongue acts as an agent of the whole unrighteousness which is opposed to God, (James 1:27, 4:4) for it is set on fire by hell itself. It is the ultimate source of evil speech. (Matthew 5:22; John 8:44)
No one can tame the tongue. It has an astonishing capacity for committing evil. If its evil is motivated by hell (James 3:6 NLT), it certainly cannot be tamed by mere human effort.
A deadly poison
The poison that might be inflicted by the tongue can lead to disaster. Thinking of how the serpent tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden--- the lies of the serpent (Gen. 3:1) who is identified as the devil in Revelation 20:20, how Eve was tempted believing the words of the serpent about the fruit of the tree of the knowledge and evil.
People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7-9)
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing." (James 3:9-10 NIV)
The tongue speaks what the heart feels. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh." This is really very true for out of what is in our heart, the tongue speaketh. It is said also in the bible that the tongue is a poison, burning venom of poisonous snakes as witnessed by the Word of God in:
Psalm 34:13 "Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."(NIV)
Psalm 58:4 "Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. They are like the deaf cobra that stops its ear." (NKJV)
Psalm 140:3 "They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's; the poison of vipers' is on their lips." (NIV)
James 3:8 "But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison."
Choose to bless
Tongue restrained is described in the following verses:
Psalm 141:3 "Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips." (NLT)
Proverbs 13:3 "Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything." (NLT)
James 1:26 "If anyone considers himself religious, and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself, and his religion is worthless." (NIV)
1 Peter 3:10 "For whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech."
We should strive to control our tongue then; I am trying to control mine too.
Choose to bless instead of cursing. Remember cursing any human being is like cursing God our Abba Father, our creator. Every human being is created according to the image and likeness of God. Therefore-- if we curse anyone it is just like cursing God. Choose to love instead of hating, gossiping, slandering, and speaking all kinds of evil things against your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Paul said in 1 John 3:15, 18-19 "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him... let us not love with words or tongue but with actions in truth... for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Let us therefore control the tongue. Let our hearts be full of love for our brothers and sisters in Christ so that the words that will come out from our mouth shall be words of love, peace, and blessings. By then... the tongue has no power over us. The Word has power then... but by the Word of God... not just the words spoken by the tongue out of greed and evil.
