MANY people get into trouble because of the careless use of words. They talk uncontrollably; they speak most times, without thinking about the repercussion of their words. In the event, they engender disharmony in families and cause ill-feeling among friends.  John Wesley, the famous preacher, had the best advice on how to deal with our speech. He said: “Speak evil of no man; hear evil of no man. If there were no hearers, there will be no speakers of evil. The word that we speak can kill at a distance. The stroke of the whip makes marks on the flesh, but the stroke of the tongue makes marks in the soul and breaks bones.” John Wesley’s words echo those of Apostle James on the danger of the misuse of the tongue. “Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their body. Even, so, the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”

There are different kinds of tongues. One is the lying tongue, deceptively uttering bared-faced lies, unabashedly.  Next to it is the reviling tongue, which belittles other people and makes fun of them. There is the angry tongue, which cuts others to size, and the flattering tongue, which praises other people with a good deal of insincerity. There is the chattering tongue, which wastes time on inconsequential matters. There is the indecent tongue, which churns out ribald jokes and obscene words. There is the sarcastic tongue, which speaks with contempt and pride and the slanderous tongue, which takes pleasure in trading and spreading scandals that can destroy other people’s reputation. Ordinarily, it is difficult to tame the tongue. In fact, the uniform testimony of the Scriptures is that the tongue is untamable, humanly speaking. “What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper,” the Psalmist wondered. Conflicts in the home, frictions in the church and anarchy in the society, all caused by the misuse of the tongue, show that man is incapable of controlling this vital organ of the body. Once, while addressing religious Jews, Jesus Christ exclaimed: “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”

Though the natural man cannot effectively control the tongue, God can transform our hearts and as well touch and tame our tongues. Once He touches your heart, it will reflect on the way you speak. If we pray sincerely, the Lord can purge us like He purged the lips of Isaiah. A good tongue is the gracious work of the Lord. If you ask Him, He will make yours one. If you surrender your tongue to Him, He will order your speech. Everything about you and every word you speak will be under the control of the Spirit of God.

References: James 3: 3-6; 1:26; Psalm 39:1,2; 141:3; 120:3,4; Matthew 12:34; Jeremiah 9:5; Psalm 57:4; 52:2-4; 59:7; Isaiah 6:5-7; 50:4; Colossians 4:6; All scriptures are taken from Kings James Version of the Bible.