Tongue Control
James 3:1–12
No human being can tame the tongue. James 3:8

You and I cannot control our tongues, but God by the power of his Holy Spirit within us can control them. Let me give you three helpful principles, based upon the fact that the tongue speaks what the mind thinks.

1. Present your mind to God. In Romans 12:1–2 the apostle Paul speaks of mind control: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. . . . Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” If anything good is to develop in our lives, there must first be the transformation of our minds since what we think will always determine what we do. Moreover, it is only as we present our minds to God that we can be kept from thinking according to the world’s standards. Only when we give our minds to God can they be channeled to think according to Christ’s standards.

2. Begin to obey Christ’s teachings. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “[We] take every thought captive to obey Christ.” We must be serious about seeking out what Christ has said and striving to obey it. You are not Christ’s unless you are obeying Christ, and you are not obeying if you do not pay attention to what Jesus taught. As we search the Scriptures to see what the Lord would have us do and then set about to obey it through the power of his Holy Spirit, God will begin to change our way of thinking. We will start thinking the thoughts of God after God; and as we begin to think differently, we will begin to speak differently and the matter of tongue control will become a reality.

3. Practice speaking helpfully. We must also control our tongue positively, so we say the things we ought to say. That will take conscious effort. Why not set some personal goals in this area? You might determine to say one good thing in praise of God to someone every single day. You might determine to memorize a Bible verse each week, so you can recite it to others. You might want to say something good about someone else. There are dozens of possibilities.

It may be helpful to remember that God tells us that he hears what we say and takes note of it himself. Malachi 3:16 says, “Those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name.” If we use our tongues in a disciplined way to praise God, not with speech only but with the mind that goes behind it, God will bless our words and remember them and give us the ability to be a blessing to other people.

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.