Control Your Tongue
We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. James 3:2
The saying goes, ‘We are like cats; we lick ourselves with our tongues!’ When someone spreads gossip, mark that person carefully. Why? Because if they talk to you about somebody else, they’ll talk to somebody else about you. The Bible warns us about three things: 1) a hasty tongue. ‘Do you see a man hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him’ (Proverbs 29:20). If you take time to get the facts, much of the time you’ll speak differently. Hannah prayed so passionately for a child that Eli the high priest thought she was drunk. When the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the Sea of Galilee, they thought He was a ghost. So think, or better yet, pray before you jump to conclusions. 2) a flattering tongue. ‘…There is no faithfulness in their mouth…they flatter with their tongue’ (Psalms 5:9). Say what you mean and mean what you say. Be genuine. When you flatter people, you manipulate them for your own ends. Don’t do that. Give it to them straight. If you love them, be truthful with them. 3) a judgmental tongue. Jesus said, ‘Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you’ (Matthew 7:1-2). If you live long enough, you’ll be guilty of many of the same things you’re so quick to condemn in others. The truth is, how you deal with other people determines how God deals with you.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me control how I speak to and of others so good, wholesome, and upbuilding things come out. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
There is an important difference between filtering your emotions out of your speech and spouting insincere flattery just to curry favor. For example, if you believe someone is not telling you the truth, saying “I don;t believe you,” that is genuine, But it is also a communication -ender. Another non flattering option would be to say “Say it ain’t so!” “Is that right, Miss Dawn?” or “What’s our source of information on that?” These kind of responses also indicate you are not ready to believe what you are hearing. But they are less likely to offend to the point of shutting down all communication This is important to me because I can sometimes gain a new perspective by listening more instead of being brutally honest. And to be brutally honest I’m not always right, even when I truly think I am.