Taming Your Tongue

James 3

The tongue is one of mankind's most dangerous organs. It has sliced and diced many a heart. Many have an unintentional problem with their tongues- they don't intend to hurt people, or speak out, or offend, etc., but it just sneaks out before we can catch ourselves. Others, often thinking that is the right thing to always do, "speak their mind" in ways that are offensive or at the very least not Christ honoring.

James spends almost a whole chapter of his 5 chapter book on the tongue. If you have a problem with your tongue, in what you say, or how you say it, what should you do? How can you deal with it when the Holy Spirit brings it up to your heart? Here are some helpful tips:

Acknowledge Its Power
Proverbs 18:21– “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue.” How many I've known through the years who have had a harsh or biting word said to them, that affected them to the core, and though it happened years before, they still remember it like it was yesterday. Your words are important, and have a power to touch, and change a life. Do you realize that every day, you have, by your words, the power to make someone's life better or worse, happier or more miserable? How do you use that power?

Admit Your Weakness
Rom. 6:13a – “don’t go on yielding your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness …” One of the signs of a mature believer is that the Holy Spirit shows them when they sin. Have you ever sensed the Spirit convicting you over your words? Have you ever felt guilty after going on a tirade, or gossiping, or criticizing unmercifully another...? You need to recognize the Spirit wants you to know it is sin, and wants to help you stop. But you must admit you have a problem (that's called confession), and then seek His help in changing you.

Agonize in Prayer
Rom. 6:13 – “yield your members as instruments of righteousness to God…”
Ps. 19:14– “Let the words of my mouth… be pleasing to thee”
Ps. 141:3– “Set a guard over my mouth O Lord…” These last 2 verses are prayers! They would be good to verbalize in our prayer time concerning our own tongue. We tend to pray in a very general way about sin. Pray and ask God to help you in a specific way-- "Lord, I yield my tongue to You, and ask You to help my words glorify You today...." May what I say be pleasing to You... Guard my mouth, help me to stop before I get going...."

Avoid Excessive Talk
2 Tim. 2:16 – “avoid godless chatter, because it will become more and more ungodly …”

Prov. 10:19– “When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable…”

Determine to Bridle It
Matt. 12:36– “in the day of judgment you will give account of every careless word…”

Col. 4:6– “Let your speech be always with grace…”

Eph. 4:29– “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only that which is good for edifying, that it may give grace to the hearers”

You can get victory over a loose tongue, over one that is constantly tearing down rather than building up, critical and negative rather than encouraging and positive. Determine it dishonors God, it hinders His work in His body the Church, and that you will allow Him to control it and bring glory to Himself.