Question:

A lot of what we think about is what we say and talk about.  How hard is it for you to bring up God in a conversation among your friends?  What type of crowd is it?  Read James 3:1-12.  Like a small bit in a horse’s mouth, or a small rudder of a ship, so can our small tongue do great things!  What are some things we can do to guard our tongue? 

Answer:

We can try not to say things, but this concentrates on the tongue.  Instead, concentrate on your heart, which leads to your thoughts, which leads to what you say with your tongue.  Read Luke 6:45 and Matthew 15:18. 

Analogy: If my leg hurts, taking Tylenol treats the symptom, but what I should really do is remove the dog that is biting my leg!  GO TO THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, the heart.

Practical things we can do in situations where we find ourselves gossiping, for example:

·         Pray, consult God.

·         Think of praise/worship song.

·         Be slow to speak (James 1:19).

·         Refrain lips, don’t talk too much (Proverbs 10:19).