James 3:7-12 (KJV) Says, "For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."
In the above scripture it is brought to our attention that mankind can control every lesser creature, but can't seem to control his own tongue. James explains that man is made in the image of God, and therefore, to curse people and bless God out of the same mouth is inconsistent with who we are to be as children of God. James teaches here that as salt water cannot make sweet water, the person who curses others cannot bless God. The cursing of people truly indicates what lies within a person.
Our tongue, although the smallest member of our body, can land us in the most trouble, and how we use it shines a great deal of light on who we truly are. As Christians, we should have the desire in our hearts to use our tongues to express edification, understanding, compassion, encouragement, love, and all other things positive. Having freewill, it is up to us to decide what we are going to allow to come out of our mouths. The above scripture makes it crystal clear that a fountain cannot send forth salt water and sweet in unison. We can't allow ourselves to say whatever comes to mind the moment someone makes us angry. We can't tell a dirty joke, curse, use our tongues to spew hatred and gossip, only to turn around and bless God with the same tongue believing that to be acceptable. The above scripture tells us that this should not be done. We must decide who we are going to be, and our tongues play a large role in demonstrating who that is to other people. Are we going to be one who goes about using our tongue to gossip, curse and complain about people and situations, or are we going to demonstrate through our words that we are created in the image of Christ, and have chosen to follow Him? We must decide which it is going to be because it cannot be both.
When I say that we should have the desire in our hearts to speak right things, that is not to say doing so always comes easy. Learning to control my tongue has been one of the most difficult things for me to do, as it has been a weakness of mine. With that said, I have the desire in my heart to do so, and I work on it daily. God knows that we are only human, and therefore are imperfect. He knows we have weaknesses, and he knows that controlling my tongue is one of mine, but He also knows my heart and knows I am working on it constantly. For me the difficulty comes when someone says or does something that upsets me or makes me angry. I am happy to say that I have come a long way with this, and have much better control over my tongue than I had in my younger days. I pray everyday for God to help me control my tongue, and to put the right words in my mouth to be spoken at the proper time, and He continues to bless me with growing strength in this area.
If you have difficulty controlling your tongue, but have a true desire in your heart to do so, pray about it. Ask God to help you. Stop and think before you speak, and ask yourself if God would approve of what you're about to say. Ask yourself if you are handling the situation the way God would want you to. Ask yourself if what you are about to say is going to diffuse the situation or inflame it. Ask yourself if what you are about to say about someone will help them or if it is simply gossip. Words are very powerful whether spoken or written. I urge you to consider that they can be used for good or they can inflict pain and cause a great deal of hurt. I also urge you to stop and think about whether or not your words, whether spoken or written, coincide with who you are in Christ.
If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.
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