Is Your Tongue a Weapon?

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Such an untrue saying. Words can hurt deeply. The tongue can be a powerful weapon.

People can have a good heart and really care for others, but still cause a lot of grief with their tongue. It doesn’t matter if they do all kinds of good works. If they can’t control what they say, trouble will surely come their way. Someone will get hurt.

Not to say we should never speak up when necessary. Jesus spoke very harshly about the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. But He spoke as a teacher and out of love (Scriptures 1. – Jesus Spoke Harshly).

Setting boundaries – Is Your Tongue a Weapon?:

There are times when it is proper to say something that may not be well received. Setting boundaries sometimes hurts people’s feelings, but we must do it. You may be accused of not being a forgiving good Christian when you set boundaries. But don’t listen to that. Let Jesus lead you when setting the needed boundaries in your relationships.

Keep each other in check:

Also, we are taught in the Bible that we should keep each other in check. If someone is doing something that is separating them from God, we should speak up (Scriptures 2. – Keep Each Other in Check).

What the Bible says:

The tongue is spoken of many times in the Holy Bible (Scriptures 3 – The Tongue). James explains that the tongue is like the rutter of a boat. Even though the rutter is a small part of the boat, it controls which way the boat will go. Such is the tongue. It is a small part of our body, but can cause so much grief and trouble.

The Bible also talks about deceit and lying. That may be the worst thing that can come out of our mouths. Criticism and hurtful words are bad enough, but deceit is totally unacceptable. Once I know a person is prone to lying, I will never believe a word that person says again. Dishonesty brings distrust.

Personal testimony:

I used to be pretty outspoken and angry all the time. But since I’ve come to know Jesus, I’ve gotten better. The Lord has helped me be more patient and to see things differently. He has also helped me with setting boundaries and not allowing others to cause harm.

Conclusion:

If people get angry at you for being too outspoken, let Jesus help you with that. I know it’s not easy to change the way you talk, but with God’s help, you can do it! Living a Christian life changes the way you think, which in turn changes the way you express your thoughts.