3 Shocking Biblical Statements About Your Tongue

Why your words are one of the most important things about you.

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The Bible talks about the tongue as a symbol for the words we speak. Our words and the way we use them can make a lifetime impression for good or evil. I can still remember saying words in high school that I regret over 40 years later!

Over the decades since then, I’ve said many more regrettable words. Sometimes I’m shocked at what’s come out of my mouth! It’s no wonder the Bible book of James has some strong things to say about our tongues and the words we say.

Here are 3 shocking statements about the tongue from James 3:

Shocker #1. Your tongue is the most powerful part of your body.

Our tongues are small, but what a powerful punch they pack!

Here’s what James says:

“We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire.” (James 3:3-5 NLT)

These verses give three illustrations of the power of the tongue:

• The little bit that directs a powerful horse

• The small rudder that turns a huge ship

• The tiny spark that sets a forest on fire

What’s the lesson in these illustrations? James is telling us how important our tongues are and how much good or damage we can do with our words.

Think about the power of the tongue to create…

• love or loathing

• assurance or doubt

• harmony or hatred

• joy or sorrow

The wrong use of our tongues has…

• Destroyed marriages

• Broken partnerships

• Gotten people fired

• Started fights

• Devastated self-images

• Estranged family members

• Caused neighbor to hate neighbor

• Resulted in assault & murder

• Separated friends

• Started skirmishes and wars

The point is that we had better pay attention to the small yet most powerful part of our bodies and the words that come from it. When used well, it can generate great good. When used wrongly, watch out!

Enter your tweets“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21 ESV) | CLICK TO TWEET

Shocker #2. The tongue is set on fire by hell.

This shocker is found in James 3:6: “And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” (NLT)

What’s the point of this discouraging statement? The point is that we’d better be super careful about the words that come from our tongue.

We might be tempted to think that what we say is “no big deal.” Jesus said something quite different in Matthew 12:36-37, “And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Those in a place of leadership, especially spiritual leaders, need to be particularly mindful of their words. A leader’s position magnifies our words. An idle comment might be ignored if made by someone in a non-leadership role, but for leaders, I heard someone say that every word weighs 100 pounds.

Years ago, a supervisor made a very discouraging statement to me. He said something like, “Can’t you do any better than that?” Later he explained that he was trying to motivate me. It didn’t motivate me. It discouraged me and created a wall in my heart. I didn’t want to ever see him again.

I know that my experience with that supervisor is miniscule compared to the verbal abuse suffered by some. Indeed, the tongue is “set on fire by hell!”

Shocker #3. We’ll never tame our tongue…without God’s intervention.

James writes, “People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:7-8 NLT)

The tongue is a slimy, slithering snake-in-the-grass and impossible to tame…without God’s help. Just when we think we’ve got it under control, out comes something we quickly regret, perhaps forever.

Why is this so? It’s because “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:45b NLT)

“What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:45b NLT) | CLICK TO TWEET

The words we say reflect the sinfulness inside us: the anger, bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, pride and so on. The only way to clean up the tongue is to clean up the heart.

Is there hope for our slimy, slithering tongue? Yes, the power of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling in us and His power to change us from the inside out. He is the tongue-tamer!

There is an answer: God’s help.

His power is so great that 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises to Christians:

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (NLT)

Our only hope is for a change inside: spiritual restoration from the inside out.

Here are some suggestions for making this happen:

• Invite Christ into your life. Click HERE to learn how to do so.

• Ask God’s Spirit to change you from the inside out

• Pause before speaking. Consider the impact your words might have.

• If you slipup, confess your sin to God (1 John 1:9) and apologize to those offended.

Are you prepared to tame your tongue? Your thoughts are welcome! Please leave your comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Forgiving is So Important It’s Scary

• Why I Burned My Sister at the Stake

• How to Handle Guilt and Stop Holding a Grudge Against Yourself

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• 3 Acceptable Sins You Can Enjoy Today…or NOT!

• What is True Forgiveness?

• How Can and Should a Christian Apologize?

• Podcast: Are all Sins Equal?

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Let’s Stop Majoring On Minors In The Christian Life

The difference between biblical essentials and nonessentials.

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Recently a friend related how he was nearly kicked out of his friend’s house for apparently majoring on minors of the Christian life. It seems that he was insisting on what seem to be relatively minor theological points. Later when relating the encounter, he explained that this was a fairly normal experience for him. He said that he has a “prophetic” gifting that compels him to confront.

(this is not the friend referred to in this article)

The issue, it seems to me, is not a prophetic gifting, so much as it is majoring on minors and doing so insistently and ungraciously. But my friend isn’t the only Christian doing this. Many Christians bicker and sometimes separate over minor issues of difference, majoring on minors in the Christian life.

So, what’s the answer? The best way I’ve heard the solution expressed is in the maxim:

“In essentials, unity, in nonessentials, liberty, in all things, charity.”

This guideline is biblical and can be quite helpful to guide us to keep from majoring on minors and yet stand firm on what is vital.

Let’s consider the three parts of this statement about majoring on minors:

1. In essentials, unity…

This means that when there are beliefs integral to the Christian faith, Christians should affirm their agreement with Scripture.

Why Scripture? Because it is our only unshifting, reliable source of God’s Truth.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV)

In the Bible, we find two kinds of essentials:

• Beliefs that are central to the Gospel.

These are the beliefs that are affirmed by believers throughout the centuries. They are often expressed in the Creeds and in doctrinal statements of an organization like the one I am leading called Discipleship Journeys with Jesus. You can see our doctrinal statement HERE.

This is why various authors have warned about the book and movie The Shack. It undermines several cardinal doctrines of Christianity. In my article Warning—Stay Out of the Shack!, I reference four articles which spell out the issues, written by four excellent and well-known Bible scholars.

Other issues to which the Bible speaks clearly.

There are other topics on which the Bible speaks clearly and on those Christians must take a biblical stand. For example, Scripture says clearly that homosexual practice is sinful and while societal pressure is strong to deny it, we must side with Scripture.

A temptation for many is taking dogmatic stands on issues that are not clear in the Bible. It takes study, discernment and spiritual maturity to know when to stand firm, and when to admit that Bible-believing Christians can have differing views.

2. In nonessentials, liberty…

Scripture speaks quite a bit about Christian liberty. Here’s one example.

“So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.” (Colossians 2:17 NLT)

So, we are not to be majoring on minors, but instead to focus on Christ.

But what are minors? Here is a comparison to help keep us from majoring on minors:

Bible verses that undergird Christian unity in the essentials listed above:

• Jesus was born of a virgin, Mary. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38)

• Jesus rose bodily from the dead. (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20; Romans 1:3-4; 2 Timothy 2:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-7)

• Jesus is the only way to salvation. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12, 16:31; Romans 10:14-15; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 John 2:23, 4:15; 2 John 1:9)

It isn’t always easy to determine what are majors and when we might be majoring on minors. To help determine which issues are and are not essentials takes:

• Careful personal study of Scripture. (2 Timothy 2:15)

• Consulting with mature Christian leaders. (Proverbs 11:14)

3. In all things, charity.

Even when we must oppose false teaching, we must remember the principle of charity. Charity in this sense means lovingkindness.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

The practical outcome of our charity (love) is that we will be kind, gracious, appealing and therefore persuasive.

“Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6 NLT)

An old adage says, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” My friend wasn’t convincing and my hunch is that it was because whether he realized it or not, he was vinegar instead of honey, concerning issues which are not even essentials of the Christian faith.

In conclusion, may this great statement guide us:

“In essentials, unity, in nonessentials, liberty, in all things, charity.” | CLICK TO TWEET

Instead of majoring on minors, let’s focus on essentials and always, always speak and act in love.

What do you think? Have I truthfully covered the point? Your thoughts are welcome! Please leave your comment below. Just remember that if you disagree, to do all things in charity!

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• 3 Keys to Maintaining Unity

• 5 Outstanding Qualities of True Friends and How to Be One

• 4 Reasons You Can Love and Trust the Bible Today

• How Digging in the Dirt Proves the Bible is Reliable

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?

• Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

• Podcast: How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?

• Podcast: Why do some Bible versions omit certain verses?

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How To Balance Content And Discontent In The Christian Life

We need some of both.

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Recently I woke up feeling discontent. It didn’t take me long to figure out why. Interestingly, last week my good friend and DJJ Board member Steve Foster recommended a book titled The Magic of Thinking Big. It’s a classic about how so many people are content with small things because they don’t think big. A great message, but the problem is it can have some unintended consequences, at least for people like me.

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I started reading the book not long before I went to bed. Consequently, I’m sure that the book and its theme was the root of my discontent:

• Have I settled for less than the best?

• Could I have done more if I’d just have thought bigger?

• What can I do to shift my thinking to create bigger outcomes?

• I’d better hurry up and get going or I’ll miss the bus!

So, after wakening with discontent, all this got me to thinking about what the Bible says: Is thinking big God honoring? Can discontent be godly, or does God want us to be perpetually content, no matter what?

Here’s my answer to these questions:

1. Discontent is godly when…

…we want to see God’s Kingdom expand and all people to hear the Gospel.

2,000 years after Jesus, there are still over 2 billion who have never heard the Gospel message of Jesus. Should we be satisfied? Emphatically no! It should bother us enough that we work to fulfill the Great Commission.

…we’re discontent with mediocrity in serving God or our employer.

As Christians, no matter if we’re serving God or an employer, we are duty-bound to do our best. If we work for money or as a volunteer, we should do our best, knowing that no matter what, we are serving the Lord.

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV) 

…we’re being lazy.

God doesn’t approve of laziness. In fact, we should be discontent if lazy, as seen in this verse:

“A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” (Proverbs 13:4 NIV)

2. Discontent is ungodly when…

Our discontent can certainly be ungodly.

The Apostle Paul penned some of my favorite words of Scripture when he wrote,

I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11b-13 NLT)

How do we know when discontent is ungodly? Let me suggest that happens when…

…we can’t be thankful for what we have

Scripture instructs, “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

If we cannot find reasons to be thankful in every situation, then we need to readjust our attitude. Note, this doesn’t mean to be thankful FOR every situation, but IN every situation.

…we can’t rest.

God created the Sabbath, instructing and requiring that His people observe the Sabbath and rest. It was not optional. It was one of the 10 Commandments:

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11 NLT)

If we are so driven we never rest, we need to rethink our level of drivenness.

…we expect others to be perfect and aren’t content if they’re not.

This can certainly get us into trouble.

“Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.” (Proverbs 19:11 NLT)

…we are discontented about things we (and perhaps others) cannot change.

If we and no one else can change circumstances, it’s best to be content, rather than stewing or seething about something that cannot change.

3. What to do When Discontent Gets Out of Hand

There is no doubt that discontent can be ungodly. So what can we do if our discontentment gets out of hand?

Here’s what I plan to do:

Start counting your blessings.

It’s hard to complain when you’re being thankful. The old hymn Count Your Blessings said it so well: When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

Help those who have so much less.

Part of the problem with discontent is that the focus is on ourselves. Instead of focusing on “woe is me” it helps immensely to consider the problems of others, and do what we can to help them.

Helen Keller was born deaf and blind. Yet she learned to focus on others and is quoted as saying, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”

Talk with a friend or your spouse.

For balance, it is so helpful to talk with someone who can give perspective.

In my case, I have a great, godly, wife who has a lot of common sense:

• When I feel like a failure, she reminds me of my successes.

• When I feel haughty, she lets me know I might not be the hotshot I think I am.

• Back off on the motivation stuff.

I think I’ll read The Magic of Thinking Big when I need a new shot of motivation, but not as a steady daily diet. Why? I don’t think my personal system can handle it.

What helps you balance content and discontent? Your thoughts are welcome! Please leave your comment below.

“I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”—Helen Keller | CLICK TO TWEET

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Five Simple Steps Steps to Conquer Complaining and Find Happiness

• How to be Joyful When You Are Really Suffering

• 5 Smart ways to Resist Revenge and Enjoy Peace Today

• 4 Ways to Find Contentment Now

• How to Renew Your Mind and Think More Positively

• 5 Ways to Deal with Regret and Move On Today

• Facing Death Fearlessly4 Reasons Christians Shouldn’t Worry About Election Results

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth