Insert Foot in Mouth

We’ve all been there - that slip of the tongue that we wish we could take back. How about the gossiping? As women, we can be quite good at it. What about non-stop complaining? Are you guilty?

Last year, I did a series on “Girl Talk” with my group of junior high girls. We discussed about how destructive our words can be. Teenage girls are faced with it every day as they try to live up to the social standards our society has placed on them. As we grow older, we realize that sometimes we do not grow out of our youthful bad habits.

James 3:8 states, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”

How important is this issue of taming the tongue? Can an uncontrollable tongue really be that sinful?

James 1:26 says, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”

Ouch! A loose tongue can make your every spiritual doing useless in God’s eyes! Read that one more time. Yes, you may be holy and loving and kind, but if you go about your life with a sharp tongue, all your efforts at spirituality are in vain, even worthless!

This is probably one of my top “forgive me” requests. Sometimes we do it and don’t even realize we’re doing it. That’s why we should always pray and ask God to guard our tongues; but, not just our tongues, our ears as well. Listening to the gossip can be just as bad as speaking it.

So, let’s be accountable for all of our words. If you realize that your tongue is out of control, look to the Lord for His forgiveness. Allow Him to change the attitude of your heart, so it will be pleasing to Him.