Controlling The Tongue

As we saw in the previous post, the tongue is the cause of a great many problems, and it is inspired by our heart attitude.  Despite our best efforts, we will never be able to completely control it by ourselves.  James 3:7-12 describes the problem.  “For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.  Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?  Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.” 

We can be talking about how wonderful God is one moment moment and a moment later be emotionally destroying our mate or one of our children, even though God gave them to us.  Our tongue is the only part of our body that can even come close to keeping up with our emotional and mood changes, often responding even before we think, especially when we train it to do so.  As we saw earlier, it is controlled by our underlying attitude, with the result that it can switch from good to evil without warning, making it more harmful than many other things.  It is not surprising that our tongue so easily says wicked things since our heart is naturally sinful.  In Matthew 12:34-35, Jesus said, “O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.  A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” 

Natural humans are like a poisonous snake, ready to lash out and poison anyone who is perceived as a victim or threat.  It is impossible for us to completely overcome that natural instinct unless the nature is changed.  Fortunately, when we accept Christ, we receive a new nature, as II Corinthians 5:17-19 tells us.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

The old nature was against God and the things that are good.  Unfortunately, we spent years exercising and practicing the attitude that old nature produced.  When we become a Christian, it easy to lapse back into those old habits we have practiced so long.  To prevent that, we have to learn to allow the Holy Spirit to take control of our attitude.   This is known as walking in the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit gave us Life, but we can keep on living in the old fleshly attitudes.  Galatians 5:25 commands, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Galatians 5:16-17 promises, “… Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”    Our actions will be controlled by which ever nature we allow to take over.  If we allow the old attitudes and habits to guide us, we will continue to do the things that defile and make a person unfit for heaven, as described in Galatians 5:19-21.  “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”  

If we allow the Holy Spirit to produce a spiritual attitude in us. These things will no longer be a problem.  Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” When the Holy Spirit is in control, the tongue will come under control just like the other aspects of one’s life.  Because the tongue is so difficult to control, it a very good indicator of our spiritual state.  As Matthew  12:35 said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” 

James 3:2 says, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” A man who is able to control his tongue must be allowing the Holy Spirit to control his life and can control his other sinful desires and lusts.