That Powerful Tongue of Ours

I am a very quick witted person. If you say something, I will almost always have a witty comeback. Sometimes it’s good because it can get a conversation rolling, but other times it causes me to either offend someone or put my foot in my mouth.

The tongue is a very powerful thing. It can bring someone up or tear someone down. I believe the worse thing about the tongue is that you can never take back what you said. I always found it weird that, when sending an email, you have every option except “un-send”. They have forward, resend, delete, ignore and flag, but not un-send. You can never take back anything you have said which is why we are to be careful with our tongue.

There are four different ‘types’ of tongues. There is the controlled tongue, the caring tongue, the conniving tongue and the careless tongue. We are to have a controlled and caring tongue, but we were born with a conniving and careless tongue. As Christians, we are to trying to develop a controlled and caring tongue. Now, I am going to explain to you what each tongue is with some verses to back it up.

The Controlled Tongue: To think before speaking, to know when to be silent and to give wise advice

Proverbs 10:19 says, “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refrained his lips is wise.”

Proverbs 11:12 says, “He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor: but a man of understanding holdeth his peace.”

Proverbs 13:3 says, “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wise his lips shall have destruction.”

These three verses wrap up the meaning of having a controlled tongue. We are to know when to speak and when to be silent. Sometimes, we tend to say things in the heat of the moment, but we have to remember that anger is never the right way to deal with things. It is much better to keep quiet.

The Caring Tongue: To speak with truth while encouraging

Proverbs 10:32 says, “The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh forwardness.”

Proverbs 12:25 says, “Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.”

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

Like I said earlier, our tongue can either build someone up or tear someone down and I think Proverbs 12:25 said that very well! We are to build everyone up, but do it in truth. To me, that means do not tell a girl you love her shoes when you actually do not care for them J

The Conniving Tongue: To speak gossip, twist words around or to slander

Proverbs 16: 28 says, “A forward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.”

Proverbs 18:8 says, “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”

Proverbs 25:18 says, “A man that beareth false witness against his neighbor is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.”

Wow! That last verse makes me want to sit back and think of all the horrible things I have said and go apologizes! Does it do the same for you? Proverbs 8:13 says, “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward mouth, do I hate.” God hates a forward mouth! This should encourage us to think before we speak.

The Careless Tongue: To speak with lies, curses and quick-tempered words

Proverbs 19:18 says, “He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.”

Proverbs 12:16 says, “A fool’s wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.”

Proverbs 17:9 says, “He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.”

Proverbs 12:16 stands out to me the most. It says the a fool’s wrath is known. People know that you are quick-tempered! I have an issue with being quick-tempered. If someone is yelling or saying things about me or the people I love, I find it very hard to control my tongue. I have gotten better, but I use to just let the words fly. I regret it so very much. Because of this, I have had to go back and apologize to people for some things I had said. Do no be one of the people known for their anger.

I hope that this has helped you gain a better understanding of how powerful your tongue is. I hope that you try to gain a better control of your tongue and ‘train’ it to be a controlled and caring tongue instead of a conniving and careless tongue like it tends to be. Never forget to pray to God and ask Him for His help in controlling your tongue. He is always there to help His sheep.

“Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” Proverbs 17:28