Call on our “Divine Firefighter” to Tame the Tongue

     I enjoy collecting quotes. Here’s a good one from George Eliot, a popular Victorian novelist in England: “Blessed is the man who having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.” I smiled then traveled a road into my thoughts where I did not abstain, and I was not amused! I recalled many times I’ve talked too much, or gossiped, or said something I wish I could take back. We cannot lasso our words and put them back into the corral as if they had never been spoken. Oh, that it might be that simple! 
     We cannot tame the tongue alone. We must commit our words to the Lord asking Him to be our “Divine Firefighter,” asking for His transforming power.  Our social media culture offers endless opportunities for communication but too often we find ourselves in a morass of ill-spoken or written words. 
     In the south where I grew up, our parents trained us in manners and civility. “Yes sir, yes ma’am, thank you, and you’re welcome” flooded our everyday interactions. We were expected to speak kindly sometimes to the point of complete dishonesty, while holding in our ill-thoughts and opinions. Now, our culture has made a steady U-turn where lots of folks say anything that comes to mind. Yes, the comments might be honest, but they are wrapped in ugly tones or lack of consideration or consequences. 
     The bible is filled with verses that I and most of us can benefit from; a sobering reality check on thoughtless words: •Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." • James 3:5-8 "No human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God."
     Other verses open a world of benefits when choosing wise words: • Proverbs 25:11 "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances." • Proverbs 15:4  "A gentle tongue is a tree of life." • Colossians 4:6  "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." 
     Scrolling through the verses of consequences and benefits is eye-opening. But, how do we go in the right direction?  First,  let love be our guide: Ephesians 4:15 exhorts us…"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ." Matthew 5:37 is handy: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' …" 
     Here are 2 ideas which help asking the Holy Spirit to transform our tongues. Psalm 141:3 "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!"  Secondly, memorize favorite verses, emblazon them into your mind. Ask the Lord to build up a big deposit to draw from when you are about to lie, speak harshly, or inconsiderately. Psalm 119:11, "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You." 
     Taming the tongue is NOT an easy task. James 3:6 describes it this way: "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." #DivineFirefighterCanTameTheTongue