Stick Out Your Tongue (4)

“We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.” James 3:2 (NIV)

One of the marks of spiritual maturity is controlling the tongue. James is saying that if you control your tongue you will be able to control your whole body. The sin nature seeks to be gratified. One of the most susceptible instruments to sin is your tongue. Someone has commented that your tongue is located in an area that is slippery when wet and for that reason God has placed the tongue behind a cage of teeth walled in by the mouth.

We have learned that it’s really not about the tongue, but about the heart. Jesus said that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. What does it take to align your heart with God’s heart?

Step 1: Ask God to search your heart.

King David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”(Psalms 139:23-24 NIV). Are you willing to pray such a bold prayer? When you ask God to search your heart, He will unearth sin that has been embedded in your heart. The light of God’s holiness will penetrate and expose any dark areas of your heart that are not in alignment with His heart. You may want to consider having a pen and some paper handy to write down what God brings to your attention. More to come…

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor