“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This statement is false! Words can hurt. Words can damage. Words can bring pain for a long time.

Our tongue may be the most powerful thing we possess. It can impact the people we interact with like no other member of our bodies. The Bible has much to say about our tongues.

The Tongue

  • It is powerful (Proverbs 18:21; James 3:3-12). While it is a small member of the body, it can be a consuming fire. It has the potential to burn things down. It can be full of poison. There will never come a time when we can let our guard down and avoid working hard to control it.
  • It reveals what is in our hearts (Luke 6:45). Our words reveal our character and priorities. They reveal what kind of hearts we have before God.
  • It speaks words that God can hear (Mark 2:8). If Jesus can hear our thoughts, He certainly can hear our words! He can hear every lie, misuse of the Lord’s name, and conversation of gossip. He can also see every word we write, post, and text.
  • It can cost us our souls (Matthew 12:36-37). We will be judged even by the words we speak.

What should we do with our tongues?

  • We need to be wise (Proverbs 15:1, 23; 12:18). Before speaking whatever pops into our minds, we need to ask questions like, “Is this the right time to say this? Is this the right time to go to this person with this criticism? Is this the right time to bring this complaint? How are these words going to impact the person I’m talking to?”
  • We need to be prayerful (Nehemiah 2:4). Nehemiah prayed (probably quickly in his mind) before speaking to the king of Persia. We also need to ask for God’s wisdom and blessing to say the right things in the right way.
  • We need to be encouraging (Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:5-6). We need to serve in the kingdom by speaking encouraging words to our shepherds, teachers, parents, senior saints, and young people dealing with challenges as they try to serve the Lord.
  • We need to be honest (Ephesians 4:29). We always need to speak the truth. We must never lie to anyone under any circumstance. We also need to be willing to hear and receive the truth spoken to us.
  • We need to be quiet. Job’s friends spoke foolish words (Job 16:1-2). They were lousy comforters. They would have helped Job by being quiet! We need to avoid speaking without all the facts and against the will of God (Proverbs 17:28).

Conclusion:

Since our tongues can both help and harm others, let’s always guard and be wise with how we use them.