Robert Morris - Bridling The Tongue

Only God can tame your tongue, but you have the responsibility to bridle your tongue. Listen as Pastor Robert uncovers the three keys to transforming your speech.

Just as a bridle in a horse’s mouth doesn’t immediately tame the horse, we go through a process to tame our tongue. Here are three keys to bridling our tongues:

We should pause before we speak. Often, when we have a problem with anger, it’s because we’re quick to speak and slow to listen (James 1:19). On the other hand, when we guard our mouth, we keep our soul from troubles (Proverbs 21:23). We show wisdom when we restrain our lips (Proverbs 10:19; 17:27–28; 18:13). An acronym to help us remember to pause before we speak is: W.A.I.T. – Why Am I Talking?

We should ponder what we’re going to say before we speak. We think, not only with our mind, but also with our heart (Proverbs 23:7; Luke 2:19, 35; Hebrews 4:12). If we pause and consider what we’re planning to say, we can think about our words in our heart, not just in our mind. This is important because our heart was cleansed and made new when we were saved, but our mind is still in the process of being renewed. Our converted heart can tell our renewing mind what to say so we can always speak life and not death.

We should pray for our mouth before we start our day. In Isaiah 6:1–8, we see an example of how to live this daily prayer. Like Isaiah the prophet, we come into the presence of God in worship. As we have an encounter with God, we confess our sins and weaknesses, and He cleanses us, which includes redeeming our mouth. Then we’re able to go out and help others in the society we live in today with people who have unclean lips.

Transformation in our life and speech happens only when we fully surrender ourselves and give God everything.