Bridling the Tongue

Articles

Derek Long
11/15/20 - Christian Living

Bridling the Tongue By Derek Long

James 1:26 plainly states, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (NKJV). A person may view themselves as religious, do a lot of religious things and yet an unbridled tongue shows one’s religion is useless. God expects our speech to be impacted by our service to Him. A person who claims to serve God and yet does not control his speech is showing the falsity of their claim by the way they speak. Sins of the tongue are many and varied and yet many of them have some of the same solutions to learning to overcome them. James 3:1-12 warns us of the dangers of the tongue, saying, “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father and with it we curse men. who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh” (NKJV). The tongue is certainly a hard member of the body to control at times. The Bible though emphasizes the importance of us controlling our tongue. What are some tips for how to better control our tongues? • Be slow to speak. James 1:19-20 says, “So then, by beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (NKJV). In many instances, we say the first things which come to our minds. It would sometimes be better for us to think about what we are about to say before we actually say it. Once we say something we cannot undo the harm which our words might cause to another. Let’s be careful not to say things which are not fitting for a child of God and think before we speak. • Realize where our words come from. Jesus plainly teaches us our words proceed from what is in our hearts. Matthew 12:34-37 says, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment” (NKJV). Our words end up really being a reflection of what is in our heart. We are sometimes tempted to think our heart is clean when our speech is dirty; however, a clean heart leads to clean speech. When we listen to the things we say we begin to see what sort of person we truly are on the inside. If we want to control our speech, it is best to control our thoughts. • Watch the things we allow to influence us. 1 Corinthians 15:33 reminds us of an important truth when it says, “Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits’” (NKJV). Evil company may come from people we interact with, songs we listen to, books we read, movies we watch, etc. If we expose ourselves to a constant stream of complaining, we will likely become a complainer. If we expose ourselves to a constant stream of profanity, we will begin using profanity most likely. If we expose ourselves to an angry person, we will probably begin speaking out of anger ourselves. If we find our speech is not what it ought to be due to what we are allowing to influence us, find a way to be influenced by something better. One of the greatest ways to do so is to start working on filling our hearts with the word of God (Psalm 119:11). Hopefully these few thoughts will help us in bridling our tongue!