Tongue Management

UV 1433/10,000 Tongue Management
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
James 3 v 2

Our tongues are the source of offending others just as we get offended by what others say to us. We need to examine our speech patterns and discover what are the many ways we offend others. We unintentionally hurt others. We grieve the Holy Spirit in the way we use our words. We need to bridle the tongue just as a horse is bridled with saddle and harness to enable people to ride it safely. The Word is the suitable saddle to place on our tongues. The instructions we receive on the basis of the Word from the Holy Spirit are the reins of self control and harness that enable us to move our tongues on the tracks meant for us. Our tongues are indeed like horses having power of life and death. They are much more powerful than their size indicates. The tongue is like the steering wheel of a ship. Even the largest ship can be turned to the right or left with a small turn of the wheel. No person who could not speak other than Helen Keller has achieved notable leadership. It implies that the tongue is the chief tool and weapon of a leader. How we use it makes or mar our leadership style.

Our speech should be wholesome and beneficial to the listeners. It should enhance their faith in God, their love, their wisdom and lift their spirits. It should be a source of blessing to others and not a source of curses. The tongue can bless the whole body. The Lord looks for consistency in the way we use our tongues. Is it always a sweet spring of blessing or at times does it turn into a bitter spring of cursing? What our tongue speaks become self-fulfilling prophecies in our lives and hence we should be wary of every negative word or emotion we express. Every word we speak is recorded and we need to render an account or justify every word. The Psalmist wrote, “ My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” It implies that we should write down the words the Lord gives us to speak. We must be willing to allow the Lord to use our tongues like a writer uses a pen.

Speaking more words than necessary leads us into many errors. Speaking at the wrong time gets us into all sorts of trouble in life. Speaking while in anger is destructive and harmful. Speaking the apt word at the right time is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Our words should be forged in the furnace of meditation like a furnace for purifying silver. Then it will come forth out of our mouths like well- formed golden apples. It will nourish people. It will be edifying people and glorifying God. It is impossible to tame our tongues on our own. It is best to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to take control of our tongues. A gentleman or lady is one whose tongue is controlled by the Holy Spirit. Our tongues are not forked like a serpent’s. If it speaks words of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and wisdom, it should not also speak words of hatred, sadness, strife, impatience, rudeness, evil, faithlessness, pride and folly. The two cannot mix as oil and water cannot. Just as Job made a covenant with his eyes not to lust, we should make a covenant with our tongues not to offend others, not to blame others, not to insult others, not to criticise, not to lie, not to discourage. Instead, we should resolve to be communicators of love and hope to others. People should feel glad they talked to us. Jesus is the speech therapist everyone needs for He said, “ The mouth will speak what the heart is full of”. If our heart is full of lust, our mouth will speak lustful words, if our heart is full of envy, our mouth will speak envious words, if our heart is full of prejudice, our mouth will speak words of bias, if our heart is full of anger, we will speak angry words.. If our heart is full of peace, hope and love, we will speak of peace, hope and love. Like David we need to store God’s word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him in what we speak.

Prateep V Philip