Curb Your Tongue

Your character, your Christianity, and even your life are reflected in the words you choose when you speak. Your tongue is the rudder, a guide that steers you throughout life. It defines who you are, where you come from, and, if you don’t change, where you are going. Choose your words wisely. Speak only when necessary. Do not speak out of turn and, keep your words to a minimum. All these are wise sayings that are well-spoken by parents and those who know better. They apply to hand gestures as well.

As a child I often expounded the adage “Sticks and Stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me”. At that age, it seemed to work when I was defending myself against attackers and bullies. But, as I grew older I quickly found this not true. Sticks and stones may break your bones but words can kill you. Later in life, I found many Bible verses to back this up.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. (Proverbs 18:21) ESV

“You can be sure of this: when the day of judgment comes, everyone will be held accountable for every careless word he has spoken. Your very words will be used as evidence against you, and your words will declare you either innocent or guilty.” (Matthew 12:36) TPT

Why Curse and Use Foul Language

I can think of many reasons. Among them: we want to be heard, we want to have the last word (retort), we are angry and frustrated if we are loud and use four-letter expletives we win, we want others to think we are important, we want our way and, of course, it’s cool because others do it. Good reasoning? I think not.

Do we use the S–t word, the F word, or perhaps we try to soften it and say F—-en instead? Never try to soften the Word of God to make it more palatable. Christians do this often. Does that make it acceptable? Are we able to express ourselves at all without using four-letter profanities? Wow! Some of us need to go back to school and learn how to speak effectively.

The Scriptures above say we are accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths. Boy, I have a lot of backtracking to do. By understanding this we can realize why remaining silent can be very wise indeed. Remember our parents telling us to “…speak only when spoken to”. Good advice, even when we are older.

Being able to control our speech and speaking articulately is a mark of wisdom and intelligence. But, if you don’t care about those things and just want to be heard and win your argument, you immediately become ignorant and are subject to God’s judgment. Some whom I know who are educated are just lazy and don’t care how they speak. How sad.

Forgive my French But…

How often do we hear that? My friends and relatives say it often because they know I’m a Christian. It’s used as an excuse for cursing and using foul language. In their minds if they say that first they automatically have our blessing and are forgiven. Sorry, I don’t pardon your French. (Besides I am part French and it’s insulting.) Are we so uneducated that we can not find the appropriate words by which to reflect our thoughts and feelings?

Many other words express hate and anger toward our fellow man or even anger toward ourselves. I am especially guilty of expressing anger against myself. For that, I must repent as soon as it happens. I pray that I may “bridle my tongue” and for my mind to be renewed. Sometimes I feel it’s slow in coming.

Did you hit your thumb with a hammer and curse God for something you did? That makes a lot of sense.

Unfortunately, to be understood we use these words because others will not take us seriously unless we do. The same is true about shouting. We’ve all seen TV programs where almost every sentence uses the “F” word. I can’t watch them and will turn them off regardless of how “good” the program is purported to be. That is a very sad case of moral decay and the use of an unbridled tongue in our society. In doing this we become just like them. Is that what we want to do? Surly TV writers can write a wholesome program. They have in the past. None of the things that I see or hear on these programs add one iota to the plot. They simply reflect the decay of our society.

Our President, elected politicians, and Mom and Dads should be examples of how we and our children should speak and behave. That segment of social behavior seems to have been lost years ago. Mom and Dad do it. It must be Okay. We continuously pass this behavior on to our children and it is becoming worse every day. I do remember having my mouth washed out with soap. Sometimes I feel I should carry a bar of soap in my back pocket and use it every time I hear foul words. The soap industries would thrive.

I grew up as a Catholic and am often thankful for many things I was taught. I’m much offended when I hear the name of Jesus taken out of context. When that happens I do what the Nuns in school taught and say, “Blessed be the name of our Lord”. A simple thing that doesn’t change a curse into a blessing but it is blessing the name of the Lord when a curse is heard.

There is much more

I do not need to expand upon this Scriptural discourse. It is very clearly spoken.

“My dear brothers and sisters, don’t be so eager to become a teacher in the church since you know that we who teach are held to a higher standard of judgment. We all fail in many areas, but especially with our words. Yet if we’re able to bridle the words we say we are powerful enough to control ourselves in every way, and that means our character is mature and fully developed. Horses have bits and bridles in their mouths so that we can control and guide their large body. And the same with mighty ships, though they are massive and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a tiny rudder in the direction of the person at the helm. And so the tongue is a small part of the body yet it carries great power! Just think of how a small flame can set a huge forest ablaze. And the tongue is a fire! It can be compared to the total of wickedness and is the most dangerous part of our human body. It corrupts the entire body and is a hellish flame! It releases a fire that can burn throughout human existence. Every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and creatures of the sea and land have all been overpowered and tamed by humans, but the tongue is not able to be tamed. It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison! We use our tongues to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image! Out of the same mouth, we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be! Would you look for olives hanging on a fig tree or go to pick figs from a grapevine? Is it possible that fresh and bitter water can flow out of the same spring? So neither can a bitter spring produce fresh water.” (James 3:1-12) TPT

“And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them” (Ephesians 4:29) TPT

Whatever Comes Out Of Your Mouth

You may not be cursing someone as mentioned above but you may be saying things you shouldn’t or using hand gestures you shouldn’t. Stupid, fool, jerk and I hate you, and flipping someone off; come to mind. How about gossip (click here for my paper on Gossip ), saying things about people and circumstances you are not clear about, and hurting people? You are still responsible for these words.

How about repeating the news we see on the internet? Do we check the facts first or do we just want to be the first to report it because it is exciting and it makes us feel intelligent, knowledgeable, and important? I feel this is exactly what newspapers do. They want to be first so their investigations are not complete. Of course, people in general want to hear and read about these exciting events. It is what sells news and makes money. We make it happen.

How About Blessings and Curses

God Himself states, “…will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 13:13) ESV

To understand this read, Deuteronomy 28:1-14 and 28:15-68. I can cut and paste this but it’s a long teaching. Please take the time to read it. It’s very interesting. This is a list of blessings and curses. Note there are many more curses for disobedience than blessings for obedience.

Can We Bless and Curse

We can bless others always by our actions and the things we say. I often say to people “You are a blessing, or “be blessed”. As for cursing, that seems to be God’s domain. People often accuse Christians of judging. They do not understand the Scriptures. If you take the time to read Deuteronomy you will see that people who trespass His word are already cursed.

“Speak blessing, not cursing, over those who reject and persecute you.” (Romans 12:14) TPT

“An undeserved curse will be powerless to harm you. It may flutter over you like a bird, but it will find no place to land.” (Proverbs 26:2) TPT

“Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.” (Proverbs 26:27) TPT

I was flipped off today because I wasn’t watching where I was driving. I was at fault but I was hurt that someone was so evil because of a mistake. I did pray for him but the feeling remained for some time. Am I too sensitive? Maybe and maybe that’s a good thing.

Correcting People

This is interesting. No one wants to be corrected. When we correct or are corrected it is seldom done in God’s way. For example, many of our politicians need correcting. When we see the political platform their party represents: abortion, gay rights, and, more, we have a responsibility to make certain of the facts and voice our opposition. This is usually done at the Poles and town meetings etc. If we don’t voice correction properly our country is destined to collapse to tyrannical leaders. Some of it has already. Those who hide their heads in the sand saying, “I’m not going to vote. None of the candidates are any good” or, “I don’t talk about Religion or Politics”, are fools and are destined to continue living their lives in despair. On the other hand, if someone drops a glass and breaks it, there is no need to call them stupid or clumsy. It would send a much more powerful message if you say nothing and help them pick it up.

If your retort does not offer any redemptive quality it is not worth saying. So don’t say it.

Conclusion

In the natural, we are what we speak. It’s a reflection of our soul which is our mind, intellect, and will. People see us through our tongues. In the Supernatural our tongue reflects life and death. We can bless or we can curse. God’s Word says to choose wisely. He clearly says that we can not curse what He has blessed. Those who need cursing have already been cursed by Him. Also, we are protected. Genesis 14 states that He will bless those who bless us and He will curse those who curse us. No need for retaliation. He’ll take care of it. Remember that this also means if we curse unworthy it will come back and land on us. It is best not to curse at all. If we claim to be Christians we must speak in a manner that reflects the heart of God. We are accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths whether it be good or bad. Choose good.

Enough said

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.”  (Jeremiah 15:16 ESV)