From James 3:6 we understand that the tongue has the ability to destroy a person’s destiny eternally. Why is the tongue so deadly? A study of the tongue’s characteristics will shed light on this. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit has explained some of its traits in James 3:1-10. Most notably, the tongue is ambivalent in some of the things it does. It sings the praise of God one moment and the next moment curses a fellow humans being created in the image of God. How then can we handle this thing, which the Bible in James 3:8 describes as “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison?” We thank God because Jesus in Mark 16:18 promises that no poisonous thing can harm us; Hallelujah! Jesus is able and willing to solve every problem of ours, including those created by the tongue, if we surrender our entire lives, including our tongues, to Him. Indeed, every problem of life ends at the cross of Calvary for those who lift their eyes to Jesus Christ and call on His Name for help.

The story was told of a woman who almost destroyed her marriage with her tongue. She did not like what was going on in her marriage, but could not figure out what was wrong, so she consulted a native doctor to help solve her marital issues. The old man knew that the woman’s tongue was her problem; he therefore gave her a smooth stone he had gotten from a nearby river, instructing her to slot it into her mouth and begin to suck on it anytime her husband picked a fight with her. He also strictly warned her not to speak whenever the stone was in her mouth, otherwise the charm would fail. She took the stone from the man and went home. As usual, she did something wrong and her husband corrected her, expecting her to respond in her usual manner. However, to his surprise, this woman kept mute! Unknown to him, she had put the stone in her mouth and was being careful not to speak while it was in there. This continued for many days, and peace returned to their home. Her husband began to love and cherish her for the great change he had seen in her virtues. She ran to the old man to show her gratitude for the effectiveness of the “charm”, only to discover that the stone he had given her was ordinary and powerless. The old man then told her that if she could learn to bridle her tongue, she would enjoy peace with her husband and with everyone else for that matter. Proverbs 16:24 says
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”
If a soft answer turns away anger, according to God’s word in Proverbs 15:1, imagine the power of silence!
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.