Taming the Tongue

Introduction:  By Chapter 3, James has moved from teaching about our works, to teaching about our words.

James wants us to understand how powerful our words are, whether we speak a little or a lot.

I. Speech Assessment: Evidence of a Problem

There are speech patterns that Scripture would say are “on fire” and are evidence of an untamed tongue:


  • Lying and Deception
  • Gossip and Slander
  • Grumbling and Complaining
  • Profanity and Cursing
  • Rage and Dissension


 

II.  Diagnosis: An Untamed Tongue

  • Lying and Deception – Lying is speech that contains falsehoods; these are untrue statements we make that can have a little impact or devastating impact on our relationships and our lives.  Deception creates a false or misleading impression. 

 (John 8:42-45; Exodus 20:16; Exodus 23:7, Deut. 5:20, Mark 7:21-23, Romans 1:24 -32, Proverbs 12:17; 14:25; 26:18-19; 26:18, John 8:44, Ephesians 4:22-25, I Peter 2:1-3; I Peter 3:8-11, Matthew 19:16-19; Colossians 3:9-10; Proverbs 6: 16 -19).

  • Gossip and Slander: Gossip reveals personal, intimate or sensitive facts about other people.  Slander is when we intentionally hurt someone’s reputation by talking about them.  Gossip and slander are not just a speech problem, they are a listening problem. 

(Proverbs 16:28; 11:13; 18:8; 20:19; 26:20; 10:18 ; 2 Corinthians 12:20-21, Ephesians 4:29-32, Matthew 15:18-20, Titus 2:1-5; Leviticus 19:16-18; Titus 3:1-2; 1 Peter 3:15-16; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; 2 Timothy 3:1-5)

  • Grumbling and Complaining:  We feel it is our right to express our discontent or displeasure whenever things are not to our liking. 

(Philippians 2:12-16; 1 Corinthians 10:6-10; James 5:7-9; Jude 1:16; Numbers 14:26-30)

  • Profanity and Cursing:  Imagine our conversations are a well that others drink from.  Profanity is a pollutant and a toxin.   

 (Ephesians 4:29-32; 5:1-5; Matthew 5:21-24; Romans 3:9-14; 12:9-19; James 3:9-12)

  • Rage and Dissension:  When violent and uncontrolled anger combines with our words the damage is sometimes irreversible.  Similarly, a relationship can be destroyed by constant bickering and quarreling – people just get worn out from being in an endless state of battle.

(James 1:19-20   Ephesians 4:22-27; Proverbs 6:12-19; 15:18; 29:11; 29:22; 1 John 4:19-21; Romans 13:9-14)

III.  Speech Therapy Barriers: We ignore, excuse or explain away our behavior.

  • Denial  We won’t/don’t listen to ourselves or the Holy Spirit.
  • Comparison  We feel good about ourselves when we compare our speech to someone whose speech is really on fire.   
  • Environment  The “everybody’s doing it” rationale.  
  • Personality  “This is just the way I am” excuse.

 

IV.  Treatment Plan:  God’s Treatment Plan

  1. Confession through Prayer  Prayers of confession are our first step to getting rid of our speech problems. (Psalm 32, Psalm 51, James 5: 16)

2.  Cleansing through the Word   Commit to reading all of the related scriptures every day for one week for your particular speech problem. 

3.  Commitment to God’s Plan    James tells us that “no man can tame the tongue.”   Take your focus off yourself and put it on God’s power and plans.

 

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