"But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:8 NKJV
A horse has a bit place into its mouth so that they obey us and we are able to turn their whole body. This is only a small implement but it does a perfect job. After a while, the horse become rein-trained and able to safely have a rider on its back. A ship has a rudder, which again is only a small implement but, it is able to steer the whole ship into the direction that it should be going. The human tongue, again is only small, but unlike the other two, a person finds it practically impossible to tame it. We can come close but the only one who is successful in taming the tongue is God. This is why we need Him each and everyday, in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
James, in our text, says that it is unruly and full of deadly poison, and it certainly can be. It boasts and brags if we're not careful and can kindle a fire in no time at all. With the tongue, some people started gossip fires years ago and the flames are still burning. The uncontrolled tongue can set a life on fire; it can destroy self-esteem, devastate relationships, ruin careers and kill a ministry rather like a match or a discarded BBQ can start a forest fire.
With the tongue, we praise God and curse our brother or sister. We can praise God in church and have a great worship time and then, on the journey home, have an argument with a spouse or, shout abuse at another motorist, allowing words that curse. This happen when we're not in control. We think we are, but we allow the devil to trip us up because, like a poisonous snake he is waiting to strike and inject his poison. The one who controls the tongue is mature and it can be seen that this person spends a lot of time in the presence of God.
The uncontrolled tongue doesn't only leads us to use angry words and have a shouting match with someone. What about the words we use most days like, 'I feel awful today, I think I've got the flu.' Or, 'I feel like death.' And another favourite, 'I'll never get this right, I just can't do this.' These are words and phrases that we should avoid. We're confessing curses upon ourselves and we need to stop this habit at once.
In order to change this, we need to allow God to take the reins; we need to surrender all to Him and allow Him to teach us how to live; how to speak; how to think. It all comes down to what I always say, there's evidence that we need to spend more time in God's presence.
Try a little test, when you know that you have said something you know you shouldn't, try taking the word back and replace it with a more appropriate word. Also, try saying sorry more often. Just keep trying. God likes that!
Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard
No comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a message