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Managing March 28, 2007

Posted by Han in : Human Relationship , trackback

Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:5-6

Do not underestimate the power of tongue. It has the ability to destroy marriage, friendship, family and business associate. It breaks the heart, it weakens the faith and it causes distrust. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 12:36, men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. Look how serious it is!

Your tongue is not like a tap water. When you turn on the tap, water flows without stopping. Let not your tongue be like the tap water, once you turn it on, there is goes….bla, bla, bla….never ending!

On the other hand, if you control your tongue and speak the right thing then your words will bring faith, healing, peace and unity. It’s a positive impact. Indeed, pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16:24). A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11).

How to manage your tongue?

1) Be with the right group of people.
Many of your words are the product of the people you mix with. There are 5 types of people whom you must be careful – those that are critical, cynical, negative, quarrelsome and pessimistic. Let not their words influence your confidence, faith and belief.

2) Think before you speak.
I think this a good practice – listen and think first. God gave us 2 ears to listen and I mouth to speak. Do not be so rush as reckless words pierce like a sword. Intelligent people think before they speak. What they say is then more persuasive.

3) Always speak the truth.
We often hold back the truth to avoid conflict. We don’t want to rock the boat but eventually it makes things worse. Dishonesty destroys human relationship! An honest answer is the sign of true friendship. A real friend will level with you and at the end people appreciate your frankness more than flattery.

4) Speak with sincerity and love.
Remember, thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal. A word of encouragement does wonders. If you are sincere and with much love, people can feel it and they will be opened to you.

5) Ask God for help in managing your tongue.
Human relationship is a very complicated subject. There are times you need to be harsh, there are times you need to be gentle and there are times you need to be silent. The most important thing is to seek God for help on how to deal with the circumstance – how, what and when to speak!

Conclusion

If you are having problem relating to people, take sometime to pray and ask God to show you your weakness. Maybe you are a very direct person, maybe you are a very talkative person, maybe you cannot keep secret, maybe you ignore others’ feeling, maybe you are a very negative person, maybe you are a selfish person or maybe you are very nagging, whatever it is, ask God to help you. Remember, we cannot influence others to Christ with such kind of tongue!

Tongue has the power to build and to destroy - do your agree? Please share with us how you have been affected or encouraged by others.