One of our daily struggles for all of us is controlling our tongues properly. Paul stresses in 1 Timothy 3:11 right after speaking about respect is, '...not to be malicious talkers...', and in Titus 2:3 he writes, '...not to be slanderers...'

But I think the book of James gives us the whole picture as far as the power of the tongue. The 3rd chapter in James tells us, that even though we stumble in many ways, the measure of maturity in a person is keeping his/her whole body in check.

No one will ever reach perfection in this lifetime, but how we use our tongues serves as a measurement of how mature we are as Christians. And if we can control our tongues, we can control other areas in our lives.

The tongue is small but very powerful. How we use it reflects on everything we do, and affects what we do, and those around us. Satan is the root of all evil and the tongue is capable of producing much evil in our lives; lies, rumors, gossip, malicious talk, slander, and saying hurtful things to those undeserving.

As Christians we live by example and being examples we carry a lot of responsibility. And one of those responsibilities is to help each other control that area of our lives. We must not give in to satan's temptations to gossip, slander, or speak evil of anyone. We must use wisdom and think about what we say and how we answer to temptation. Wisdom from God 'raises a harvest of righteousness.' (James 4) We alone cannot tame our tongue but calling out to God as our source of strength will bring us strength and wisdom. Proverbs 21:23 tells us, 'He who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from troubles.'

Before sharing any kind of information, with anyone, about anyone else, ask yourself...

1. Is all this information true?
2. Will it bring peace to the situation?
3. Will it show or produce good fruit?
4. Am I being sincere and unselfish saying this?
5. Am I doing good or evil?
6. Am I motivated by selfish reasons?
7. Do I feel anger towards this person and want to hurt them?
8. Will this create disorder, doubt, or division?

There are different kinds of gossip; malicious, rationalization and innocent. We have all been victims of gossip and have been part of bringing gossip to others. None of us are innocent in this but there is a chance to change. The bible tells us that God never allows us to be tempted without first giving us a chance to turn away from it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Before you start to give in to your tongue, take a moment to reflect on the results. Then voice it to that person, 'No, I'm not going to say anything, it's not worth it.' This will enable you to make a firm stand and at the same time serves as an example to that other person. They will see your strength and gain from it. Remember, 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat it's fruit.' - Prov 18:21