Year of the Bible: Part Eleven of TwelveSample

Getting Healed From “Foot in Mouth” Disease

We’ve all heard the saying about “putting your foot in your mouth.” Controlling the tongue and our words is probably our greatest physical challenge. We have two ears and one mouth, yet “being slow to speak and quick to hear” is difficult for the selfish nature of humanity. This problem relates to personal relationships and major cultural divisions—each side wants to be heard but refuses to listen actively to others.

When Jesus said, “out of the abundance of the mouth the heart speaks,” He gave us a clue about achieving victory over the tongue. The key to allowing only fresh water to come from your tongue is not to “try harder” (for “no one can tame it,” James said) but to focus on your heart. If you allow your heart to be filled by God with gratitude, worship, humility, love, and faith, then you will overflow with the grace and power of God to bring His life to others, not death.

The tongue—that powerful little muscle, that tiny life-guiding rudder or bridle that determines your life’s direction—is not corralled so much by external human pressure but from the inside out by the presence of the Lord in a heart yielded to Him every day. Spending time with and surrendering to Him will produce wisdom from above, yielding fruit for eternity. Consistently sowing good seeds into your heart will produce the fruit of a changed life.

Question: How are you doing with controlling your tongue? What steps can you take to be a channel of refreshing water to others?

Prayer: Lord help me consistently position myself to be with You, hear from You, and allow You to have Your way in my heart so that out of my life will flow words that edify, encourage, build up others, and please You.