The Power to Bless and to Curse is in the Power of the Tongue
The Power and Authority of The Tongue!
By Dr. Lindy S. Diffenbaugh, D.D.
Always Be Mindful of What Comes Out of Your Mouth
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a conversation with someone that you know and respect, but without realizing it you open your mouth and without even trying, you allow a grievous insult to roll off of your tongue?
In fact, when that happens, you certainly realize that there is no place to run and no place to hide. Your only option at that point, is to apologize and graciously move on with your conversation!
While I am not an expert on conversational etiquette, I am aware that in such a predicament, you must swallow your pride and apologize for what you had just spoken. In fact, it might help to say something like, “I honestly do not know where that came from; I pray that you will forgive me!”
In fact, if you are having lunch with them, then you might offer to pick up the tab for their meal! If the other person is someone that you are just getting to know, then it is important that you clean up the issue and move on with something less hurtful to them and you! In fact, true friends are often hard to come by, thus it would be a good thing to treat the ones that we have like true Royalty!
The Universal Issue with That Unruly Tongue
When we consider the depth and width of the power that we possess in that one little power filled appendage in our mouths, it would surely do us good to pay close attention as to how we employ it. Thus, just as we would with any other critical issue, it is vital that we first consider what our God has to say about the issue!
Let us start with Proverbs 18:21, where we read, “The tongue has power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
In Colossians 4:6 we are admonished to “Let your conversation be full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer anyone.”
In Ephesians 4:29 we read, “Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up!”
Proverbs 10:19 admonishes us that “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.”
In Proverbs 15:5 it says that “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
Proverbs 21:23 informs us that “Those who guard their mouths and tongues keep themselves from calamity.”
In Psalms 34:13 we are admonished to, “keep our tongues from Evil and your lips from telling lies.”
Titus 3:1-2 admonishes us to “Remind people to be subject to rulers and authorities and to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always be gentle towards everyone!”
In closing, if you are asking yourself, “Why did she lay all of that on us? We can certainly hold a conversation without tearing someone apart?” In fact, I certainly believe that you, your friends, and me and my friends can hold a strong conversation without insulting the other person.
With that said, I am not questioning your ability to be cordial, but I also believe that there are times when all of us open our mouths and speak something that we may not have planned, or something that would hurt the person that is before us.
In fact, I am writing this post because it is something that I and most everyone else on the planet, sometimes need to be mindful of. In fact, good friends, as well good business associates are sometimes hard to come by. When we do find such “jewels,” we must treat them like Royalty, or better yet, like Family!
I will end this writing with the quote from the Book of James, Chapter 3:6: “The tongue also is a fire, a world of Iniquity, so is the tongue among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on the Fire of Hell!
