James 3:9-10 – With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same of same mouth come praise and cursing – my brothers, this should not be.
Our words are powerful. Sometimes we don’t understand just how powerful they are. We like to quote the old saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But the truth of it is that words do hurt.
We hold the power of life and death in our tongues and it is our choice which power we release. In this passage James is pointing out how we will go both ways. One moment we will be speaking life and the next moment death comes out.
Think about how many times you’ve gone to church on a Sunday and all through service you are praising God. Then you leave and someone cuts you off coming out of the parking lot. All of a sudden you hear someone yell “idiot”. As you look around to find out where it came from you realize it was you. Praise and cursing out of the same mouth; this should not be.
Examine yourself and you will realize that you have been guilty of this at some point. It is time to take control of our tongues. Proverbs tells us, “When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.” Sometimes the best thing to do is to say nothing. At least then you will have a chance to think before you speak something you may regret.
Speak Life in all situations. It won’t be easy at first. You must make a habit of it. You’ve spent years practicing saying the wrong thing, it might take a little time to change it, but make a conscious effort to do so. Learn to control your tongue and you will be able to control your whole body.
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