Taming The Tongue Series

a. We need to stop – walk - pray – and mediate before we respond to other people’s tongues or to a given situation.

i. Have you ever had, “Hot headed responses of the tongue?”

1. Emotions take over! Anger speaks through our tongues cutting, ripping, tearing, apart another persons life or predicament.

2. Our words ignite a mouth-grenade onto another and then we are left to pick up the pieces and to put them back together.

3. Or have we found ourselves after hurling our mouth -grenade been responded to with mouth-grenades being thrown right back at us.

ii. Have they ever resolved the problem? Or have they made everything worse?

1. 9 times out of 10 it’s worse.

iii. Psalm 39:1-11 David talks about this dilemma of how to handle out tongues.

1I said, “I will watch my ways

and keep my tongue from sin;

I will put a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

2But when I was silent and still,

not even saying anything good,

my anguish increased.

3My heart grew hot within me,

and as I meditated, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue:

4“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end

and the number of my days;

let me know how fleeting is my life.

5You have made my days a mere handbreadth;

the span of my years is as nothing before you.

Each man’s life is but a breath.

Selah

6Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:

He bustles about, but only in vain;

he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

7“But now, Lord, what do I look for?

My hope is in you.

8Save me from all my transgressions;

do not make me the scorn of fools.

9I was silent; I would not open my mouth,

for you are the one who has done this.

10Remove your scourge from me;

I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

11You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;

you consume their wealth like a moth—

each man is but a breath.

Selah

1. Just remember who we are answerable too. The Lord!

2. Just remember one day we will see Him face to face! Yes, God!

3. In the comparison of time it’s not worth blowing our relationship with the Lord over a fleeting second in time. Our relationship with Him is the most important relationship to maintain.

4. So -STOP- meditate, pray, think calmly and respond appropriately as the Lord directs.

a. Never be directed by your sinful nature. This is called SELF:

i. S = Sinner

ii. E = Elevating

iii. L = Life

iv. F = Foolishly

b. Also called the EGO:

i. E = Edging

ii. G = God

iii. O = Out

1. We must nail our EGO to the cross and let it be crucified.

iv. Remember we need to manage the tongue by learning to solve the problem by Stopping, Walking, Praying and Thinking calmly through the situation.

1. It is always wise to delay “Hotheaded responses!”

2. We must learn to use “Coolheaded responses!”

a. A tongue cooled off by cool refreshing living water of Jesus!

b. The second step in this process is to ask the question, “Why are they speaking to me like this or doing what their doing?”

i. Get the facts do the research.

1. Roman 7:15 “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

2. Job 42:3-6 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,