Organizing the Inside – Day 121 Is Your Religion Worthless?

January 2, 2012 at 6:30 am · Filed under Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, Love, Wisdom, Women's Ministry and tagged: Christianity, Tongue

If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. ~James 1:26

The tongue is a window into our heart.
You can learn an awful lot about yourself by your words; the words you choose and the way you choose to use those words. Do your words heal? Do your words bring about encouragement or restore the brokenhearted? Do your words speak life and hope? Do your words bring out the best in people and situations, like salt do they bring out flavor?
If you answered yes to the above questions then you most likely are a woman who chooses her words with prudence and compassion.

Controlling your tongue is tough, but not impossible.
Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.  James 3:2
Certainly you can’t control your tongue; at least not on your own. The power of God living on the inside of you can help you by cleansing your heart and therefore your mouth will speak good things.
…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34b

Talking too much can get you in a lot of trouble.
If this is your issue maybe it’s time you exercise some constraint. Don’t deceive yourself into believing that your religion amounts to much of anything when you cannot and do not control your tongue. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. James 3:6  If you tend to say whatever you think, and have a special knack for telling people exactly what you say they need to hear to set them straight; don’t blame that mess on your gifts. Religious people in churches everywhere spew out negative and hurtful words by gossiping, complaining, and criticizing their neighbors instead of loving them. God can help you get beyond this and make is easier to speak words that edify and encourage others.

Deal with the problem at the root.
Because, “Death and Life are in the power of the tongue, (Proverbs 18:21) make controlling your tongue and top priority. As mentioned before you can’t do this on your own. Turn to God and ask Him for help, and believe that He gives generously to those who seek Him. Then find those scriptures that speak to your problem and meditate on them.  Let the grace and power of God penetrate your heart and mind. If you keep meditating and seeking God for guidance you will find the strength to keep your tongue under control.

Look for opportunities to speak positive words that encourage.
As you allow God to move in your heart, many new opportunities to share a positive word of encouragement will become available. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. Give a compliment to someone who you may not usually speak to. Smile and greet a stranger on the elevator and tell them that God loves them and watch the expression on their face. You will begin to forget all the negative words that were a part of your vocabulary and bring words of life to every conversation you are a part of.

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