The Power of the Tongue

‘…Whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you’ (Mat 12:34-37).

"Men's language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of" (Matthew Henry). Death and life lies in the power of the tongue and the world has witnessed many leaders that have impacted millions by the effective use of the tongue. Effective orators have changed the world, for both noble and ignoble purpose; examples of which are Adolf Hitler, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Barrack Obama, not forgetting Jesus of Nazareth, the all time most effective orator. The Bible teaches that the tongue is a small thing but can do enormous damage. It is a flame of fire that can set a great forest on fire by one tiny spark. It is full of wickedness and can poison every part of the body.  Literally, people can experience hell on earth because of their tongue or the tongue of others. The tongue can turn our lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster (James 3:2-8). The lives of many people have been destroyed because of some negative words that were spoken to them during infancy. It isn’t surprising Jesus said that, ‘everyone will give an account on the judgment day for every idle word spoken’ (Mat 12:37). This lesson focuses on the importance of controlling the tongue.   

‘If anyone controls his tongue, it proves that he has perfect control over himself in every other way’ (James 3:2). The control of one’s tongue is a great test of one’s discipline. It is not every thought that passes through the mind which should come out of the mouth. As a sign of integrity you are supposed to believe whatever you say, but it is not everything you believe that you have to say. Saying everything you believe regardless of the place or time can cause a lot of trouble for an individual and others. Below are some important keys to controlling your tongue.

         The first step to controlling your tongue is controlling the decisions of your heart. Thoughts may come into your mind in the form of temptations but once you accept the negative thoughts or decide on them in your heart you are responsible for them, even if you don’t get the opportunity to act on them (Mat 5:28). Jesus said, ^‘a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart’ (Mat 12:35). The tongue is a channel through which the intents and desires of the heart are revealed; ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh’ (Mat 12:34). Confucius, the Greek philosopher said, ‘Words are the voice of the heart’.

         Secondly ‘be quick to listen but slow to speak’. God gave us two ears and two eyes but one mouth, so that we may listen and observe more but talk less. There is more hope for a fool than a man that is hasty in his words and a fool's voice is known by a multitude of words. Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. (Prov. 29:20, Eccl. 5:7, Prov. 17:28).  Sometimes our problem is we want to impress others with our knowledge, but it is said that, ‘better say nothing than nothing to the purpose, and those who know much speak little; whereas those who speak much know little. ‘The empty vessel makes the greatest sound’ (Shakespeare). Sometimes ‘Silence is the best reply to the ignorant’ (Persian Proverb). It takes the wisdom of God to know when to speak and when not to (Prov 26:4,5). Today, ask God for wisdom, Christ has been made unto us wisdom from God.

         Finally, remember that words once spoken cannot be taken back. The damage that a single word can cause may be irreparable. One negative word spoken may destroy lives or a reputation that has been built over a life time. ‘Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles’ (Prov 21:23). Remember, ‘you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you’ (Mat 12:37).