Surviving Hoof and Mouth Disease

Pastors Blake and Andrew Cromwell

We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. — James 3:2 NLT

More often than not, we take for granted the central role the tongue plays in our lives. Did you know the average American has 30 conversations a day? This number doesn’t include the quick greetings we give to people we pass in the hallway in the office. All that conversation ends up taking quite a bit of time. So much so, that at the end of our life we will have spent one fifth of our waking hours in conversation.

It’s not just the sheer number of words that we speak that make our tongues such an important factor in our lives, but the words themselves. Our words have the power to change our life and our destiny. This is the power of the tongue — it directs where we go, what we have, and who we are.

You can tell a lot about a person by what they say. As a matter of fact, you can generally tell how a person’s life is going to end up by the types of words they use. Want to know how someone’s marriage is going to fair? Listen to the words they speak to each other. Are they critical or constructive? Detrimental or developmental? Leveling or loving? The words you use today determine the destiny you’ll live tomorrow. Don’t like the way you’re life is going today? Change the way you talk.

The great paradox of the tongue is that in one instant we can speak words of kindness and in the next, hate. On Sunday morning we go to church and worship God, and on Sunday afternoon we yell at our kids. We can speak both words of life and death out of the same mouth.

The tongue that blesses one moment and curses the next is in desperate need of spiritual medicine. The Bible says, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” If we have a problem with our tongue, we have a problem with our heart. The tongue reveals what is in the heart.

If you have difficulty controlling your tongue (and if you don’t you’re a better person than I), there are four important steps to take to receive a heart transplant. First, decide to drop all bitterness and offenses. In order to be able to receive a new heart, you have to understand that holding onto bitterness and anger results in a self-perpetuating curse. Bitterness is a poison you drink hoping the other person will die. Second, develop a sensitivity to God’s Holy Spirit. If you spend time with the Holy Spirit regularly, then He will warn you before you let those damaging words loose from your mouth. Third, you must develop patience and prudence. Prudence is wisdom to deal with a stressful situation. Prudence is the decision not to pick a fight with your spouse until you are well rested. Finally, develop a positive mindset by reading God’s written Voice, the Bible. When you immerse yourself in God’s Words then your heart begins to change. It is more difficult to speak damaging words because God’s Word becomes a part of your heart.

If you find that you don’t have quite as much control over your tongue as you’d like, you need to do these four things. You need to ask God to give you a heart transplant. God can take a filthy mouth and use it, but you have to first allow Him to change you on the inside.

The pastors of Kings County would love to see you and your family in church this Sunday and there you can find out more keys to gaining control over your tongue.