Proverbs 18:13
If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.
Devotional Thoughts
By David Wilkerson
"But the tongue no man can tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8).
In this verse from his epistle, James is talking about the tongues of believers. He is issuing a call to the church to gain control of their tongues — before they are destroyed by them!
How serious is this matter of taming the tongue, you ask? Can an "unruly tongue" really be that sinful?
Indeed, many Christians right now are waging intense spiritual warfare against powerful habits such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco, lust. They can't imagine an unruly tongue as being a very serious sin.
Dear saint, I tell you, an untamed tongue is the world's deadliest weapon! An unsanctified, loose tongue is worse than drug or alcohol abuse — it is worse than any sin of the flesh! The Bible calls the tongue a world of iniquity, a defiler of multitudes, a taste of hell on earth! (See James 3:6.)
The secret to victory over an uncontrollable tongue is closeness to Jesus — intimacy with Him — knowing Him! Drawing nigh to His presence will reveal what is in your heart. Many Christians continue to gossip and slander because they never really have been close to Christ. They have never been intimate enough to see how unruly their tongue is!
Let this word go straight to your heart and purge you with its fire. Confess, "Yes, it's me, Lord! I'll not let this word pass me by! Purge my lips, purge my tongue. Cleanse my mouth and my heart!"
May only blessings come forth from your life — from a pure heart and a kind tongue — tamed by prayer and by the Holy Ghost!