Before
I talk about ways in which we can tame our tongues its good to mention a few
ways in which it gets out of control.....you cannot come up with a remedy without
first understanding the problem, right?
Problem
#1 : Curse words/Vulgar language
We
have diluted the use of the curse words by either abbreviating them or by
incorporating them into jokes then at the end we say "pardon my
french"....so does this make it okay to use them? Indulge me for a second
(please sit down)
Synonyms
of Vulgar language: (courtesy of thesaurus.com)
- Dirty word
- Filthy language
- Obscenity
- Foul language
- Cursing
- Profanity
Ephesians
5:4: Let there be no filthiness nor
foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead
let there be thanksgiving.
Colosians 3:8: But now you must put them
all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from
your mouth.
We
are warned against using such words, we are not given options that it is okay
to use them when ....but we are told we MUST put them away, there should be NO
filthiness in our talk. Note the words MUST and NO...they do not give a leeway
for us to give options or alternatives....
Abbreviating
them or inserting them into jokes does not make them lose meaning, they remain
curse words.
Problem
#2: Swearing
There
is a trend of people saying..."I swear this...I swear that" mostly
used to show our degree of certainty of whatever we are saying is true or for
us to promise someone we will keep our end of the deal...
Matthew 5:33-37:“Again you have heard
that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall
perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take
an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by
the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the
great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair
white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than
this comes from evil.
James
5:12: But above all, my brothers, do not swear,
either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes
and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
It
is enough to say yes or no.....let someone take you at your word, if they do
not then there are some trust issues probably...but do not sin so that you can
get them to believe you...
Problem
#3:Calling the name of the Lord in vain
It
is equal to mean calling His name for no purpose, you know the OMGs (again
abbreviating it), we throw around.....we tend to use His name in
insignificant ways making Him look less that who He is....(calling His name in
vain means a lot more than saying"Oh my God!") but I will focus on
this today...because....
This
usually shows the condition of our hearts, like how much do we revere Him? How
much does He mean to us? Do we not understand that He is GOD, the maker of the
Universe, the beginning and the end? the one who will stand before to give an
account of our lives?
Problem
#4 : Speaking negative words to yourself
Proverbs
18:21: The tongue has the power of life
and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words.
This means that the words we speak are alive, so when
we speak negative words about ourselves they are alive until we counteract them
with positive words. You will eat the fruit of every word you speak about
yourself if you call yourself a fool that is exactly who you will turn out to
be. Learn to talk positively about yourself and trust me you will see life
getting better.
Problem
#5 Not knowing when to keep quite
i.
Stay silent when you are angry
It
is always best to hold your tongue because most likely you will not speak
pleasant words. You will only stir up trouble. It is normal to get angry but do
not let your anger cause you to sin, sit back relax then speak when you are
sober minded to avoid trying to take back words spoken out of anger.
Ephesians 4:26 Be angry
and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.
ii. Do
not gossip
When
someone confides in you about their lives, tame your tongue to not share with
others what was shared in confidentiality. You will be labelled a blabber...and
no one wants to hang out with one..
Proverbs
20:19: Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not
associate with a simple babbler.
Lastly,
always keep quite when you are tempted to say anything that will hurt or
discourage anyone, remember you cannot take back your words nor the feelings
created by them.
Solution
#1: Hope in Jesus
James
3:4-8: Or
take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong
winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of
the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set
on fire by a small spark. The tongue
also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts
the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself
set on fire by hell.
All
kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have
been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless
evil, full of deadly poison.
We
are warned that our tongue as small as it is can cause us to end up in hell,
that it is restless and full of deadly poison and then again we are told that
no human being can tame it.....so is there any hope for us?
Yes, the
hope is Jesus, because what is impossible with man is possible with Him. By
accepting Him into your life, He will direct you on how to tame your tongue; to
know the right words to use, to know when to speak and when to keep quite, to
be able to use your words to encourage and praise and not to destroy.
It
is only through having life in Christ are we able to change our hearts because
out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, it all begins with a change
in our hearts something only Christ can do, we may try to do it ourselves
but we will fail because their only much we can do and our will is never
enough. Through HIM we can do all things...in this case...tame our tongue....
