Stick Out Your Tongue (6)

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:7-8 (NIV)

As a child, my favorite part of the circus was watching the lions do tricks at their master’s command. To see the lions that normally would devour a human being for an afternoon snack, now obeying their master, was breath taking. The lions had been tamed.

James says that no man can tame the tongue. He goes on to say that the tongue is a restless evil. To add another layer, James says that the tongue is full of deadly poison. That doesn’t sound too good does it? Is it even possible to control the tongue? The answer is “no.” You cannot control the tongue on your own. That brings us to the final step in aligning your heart with God’s heart.

Step 3: Surrender to the Holy Spirit’s control.

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19-10). By refusing to give the Holy Spirit full control of your life, you will grieve and quench the Holy Spirit. You do not have the power in and of yourself to tame your tongue. You do not have the power to change your heart. Only the convicting, convincing, and comforting work of the Holy Spirit in your heart can produce lasting life change. To surrender to the Holy Spirit’s control is a perpetual process of yielding to His prompting.

Jesus modeled this concept of yielding in the garden of Gethsemane when He yielded to the Father’s will by saying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will but as you will”(Mt. 26:39 NIV). Jesus is our model to follow.

Are you willing to surrender to the Holy Spirit’s control? Are you willing to experience the heart transformation that will in turn transform your speech? Align your heart with God’s heart.

Pursuing God,

Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor