“Out of the same mouth proceeded blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” James 3:10
Out of the mouth comes either blessing or cursing. We have heard, seen, and witnessed what comes out of the mouth of people. Even children copy their parents in what they say. The negative talk of bitterness, hatred, and judgement. How words that come out of the mouth can hurt, destroy, and bring a person no hope but rather darkness. James the brother of Jesus said, “these things ought not to t be so.” James stated that every beast can be tamed except for men.
In verse 8 of James chapter three we read how the tongue “is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.”
Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. James 3:9
We can bless God, but not men and vice versa. Yet, men are made/created after the similitude of God. Men who are in the state of being similar to God. James states that the tongue is unruly, evil, full of deadly poison [see James 3:8]. How can this be possible? Because we have not surrendered all to the Lord. We have not yielded ourselves fully to God. I’m not sure if the newer generation has ever heard the traditional method for words of profanity, lying and a biting tongue. The discipline used was to wash out our mouth with soap. Our lips should be edifying and not cursing those in the body of Christ.
We may pray the Lord’s prayer to deliver us from evil, but we may not realize where evil comes from. The Hebrew word “Satan” means to accuse or be adversary. It means to obstruct or oppose someone. One can read about it in the story of Job. However, King David also prayed to be delivered from evil man whose tongue is sharpened like a serpent [see Psalms 140:3].
“Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity.” Psalms 141:2-4
Set a watch before my mouth and keep the door of my lips O Lord. Have we considered this prayer to the Lord? What is in our heart is what we speak, but please Lord, let not my heart be inclined towards wickedness. We need to be reproved, cleansed from all wickedness. Is your tongue on fire? What course of nature are you following? James tells us that it is set on fire of hell [see James 3:6]. This is what defiles the whole body. Jesus said that out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies, [see Matthew 15:18].
Bitter envying and strife come from the heart, and this effects the body and the soul. We just do not think ahead in the heat of the moment, when our mouth speaks. How can our body be a temple for God when it is defiled? We must let it go and give it to the Lord to cleanse our lips from all wickedness. We must pray to keep our mouth and tongue in order to keep our soul from troubles [see Proverbs 21:23]. Let us keep our mouth for blessing others in love and not for cursing in Jesus’ name. Let my tongue praise the Lord and be a tree of life and not death.
“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4
Do not put a breach within your spirit by speaking things that are not aligned to the word of God. If you do, you will lose the anointing of the Holy Spirit. You must ask for the mercy of God to give you grace and forgiveness for the negative words that has been spoken. Be reconciled to God and men. Speak words that will edify others in love instead of bringing them down. Words of life are the blessings we pass onto each other.
