Our Fiery Little Tongue
And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself [James 3:6].
QUOTE: Be mindful when it comes to your words. A string of some that don’t mean much to you, may stick with someone else for a lifetime (Rachel Wolchin).
What comes off our tongue starts first as a thought. Our tongue is a doorway of life for our body, soul, and our life. The tongue is a tiny muscle with more power than anything else we have been physically given. Our tongue can bring healing, encouragement, life OR it can bring pain, sorrow, or even death. It’s up to us, how we choose to think and the words that we choose to speak.
It was a prayerful challenge to determine what Scriptures would be included within this book about our words and thoughts, because to be honest, there are hundreds more than what has been provided. This week I want to dig deeper into a few of them about the power of our little tongue.
OUR FIERY LITTLE TONGUE: Our tongue can be dangerous and hurtful, or it can bring healing and life. Our main Scripture for this week says
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. [James 3:6]
Yikes, this is another Scripture that if you look at it closely is profound. The verse provides another truth about the power of the tongue. Such as a tiny bit in a horse’s mouth can control the direction of the horse, or the small rudder that controls the direction of a large ship, or a small spark in the woods that can set the entire forest on fire. Likewise, our tongue is like that little powerful force that can be full of evil and can be very damaging if words are chosen unwisely.
WE WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE: If you still are not convinced that the words you speak are important, let’s take a look at
But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. [Matthew 12:36]
It makes you want to pause and think about every single word we say, which we should. I am a little concerned about meeting God face-to-face and having to be accountable for some of the things I’ve said and will say.
WE WILL BE ACQUITTED OR CONDEMNED: Our words are so important.
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned [Matthew 12:37].
Our idle words or words that are meaningless and senseless, we will have to account for why we spoke them. If we look at the definition of acquit, our words may clear us of any wrongdoing, depending on what we have spoken, or our words may condemn us. Yikes, this Scripture is so powerful and if we are honest, a little scary. Every single word we speak is IMPORTANT.
WISDOM VS FOOLISHNESS:
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge, but the mouth of the fool gushes folly [Proverbs 15:2].
This short little verse is packed with a powerful message of hope and warning. If we use our words with thought and care, we can speak life and goodness to others around us. With wisdom we will know what to say, how to speak, and when to speak. When we are loose with our tongue and without thought we not only hurt people, but we are also being a fool. When we speak without thinking and ramble on, we are not being a good steward of our thoughts or words.
SOOTHING OR CRUSHING: You can choose what your words will do to someone. We can choose to have words that will uplift, encourage, or comfort another person. Or we can choose to have words that literally will crush a person’s soul. We have all been on the receiving end of those sprit crushing words and it’s not warm and fuzzy.
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit [Proverbs 15:4].
I said something to someone when I was young and obviously didn’t even know the power of my words. Years later I ran into this person and asked whether she had pursued something we had discussed years ago. I will never forget the words she said. She never pursued that passion because I had told her she didn’t have the ability to do so. Honestly, I don’t even remember saying something like that, but I was mortified that years later “my crushing words” had destroyed her dreams and ability to do something that she loved and was very good at. Our words can be soothing, or they can be crushing; we so need to choose our words carefully.
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT: This is one of my favorite Scriptures about how to tame our tongue.
Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble [Proverbs 21:23].
Pretty straightforward. If we keep our mouth shut at times when we could speak out of line or hurtful words, we would be much better off. Easier said than done sometimes, I know. But these words of wisdom could reduce the stress, heartache, and even the loss in our lives; if we learn to keep our mouth shut.
OUR FIERY LITTLE TONGUE: As we have been learning throughout this entire book, what we THINK and what we SPEAK not only to others, but also to ourselves can have an effect on our overall physical, spiritual, and mental health but the entire direction of our lives. WE CAN SPEAK LIFE OR DEATH WITH OUR TONGUE, IT’S A CHOICE.
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DAILY ACTION STEP
Say to yourself out loud
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
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FRIENDLY REMINDER: Take out your journal and write down your thoughts, takeaways, and progress for this week!
TAKEAWAY GEMS
- The words we speak can give life or can crush a spirit.
- Our words can provide wisdom or bring foolishness into our lives and others.
- Every single word we think or speak we will be accountable to God Almighty (daunting thought).
- There are times when the best thing we can do is to keep our mouth shut
- Our tongue is like fire and sets things ablaze like a little spark in the woods.
QUESTIONS TO “THINK ON”
- Have there been times that you have let your fiery tongue get out of control? What were the results, who was hurt, or what damage was done?
- Looking at your life, who does your tongue impact? Are your words soothing or soul crushing?
- What are your thoughts on being accountable to God for every word we have thought or have spoken?
ACTION STEP-CONTROL THAT FIERY TONGUE: Write in your journal five ways to control your fiery tongue or post it some place where you will constantly see it. As with any exercise that we have done, don’t skip this one because it can be really powerful IF you do it.
DAILY SCRIPTURES
DAY 1: And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself [James 3:6].
DAY 2: Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? [James 3:9-11]
DAY 3: 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. [Matthew 12:36-37]
DAY 4: With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the wicked die. Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart. It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet. [Proverbs 11:9-12]
DAY 5: The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness. [Proverbs 15:2]
DAY 6: Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. [Proverbs 15:4]
DAY 7: Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble [Proverbs 21:23]