Oh! My Troublesome Tongue!

I struggle with my troublesome tongue. Apparently the writer of James did too, because he talks about the tongue in chapter three. Listen to what he has to say.

 For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses’ mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. 

Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires.  Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things.

See how great a forest a little fire kindles!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.  For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 

James 3:2-9

Wow, look at some of those phrases- deadly poison, unruly evil, fire, a world of  iniquity. I don't know about you, but if I saw that list applied to anyone, I wouldn't want to be spending much time with them. I certainly wouldn't want them to be around my children. But, this is indeed, describing my tongue without the power of the Holy Spirit. 

In verse 2, it says someone who controls his tongue, is a perfect man. I'm not perfect by any means, and no one else is either this side of heaven, so I'm not alone in my trouble. 

I don't have any wonderful answers to this problem, but I know that the Lord can help me to be mindful of the words that I speak. The Psalmist prayed:

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.

Psalm 141:3

I'm making this my prayer and I hope you will join with me in it.