Say AAAHHH!

by David Burka

As a child I did not like going to the doctor. Dr. Fillmore, our family physician, always made me stick out my tongue as he put that huge tongue depressor in my mouth, and he�d say, �Say aaahhh!� Yuk. Dr. Fillmore, like most doctors, could tell a lot about a patient by examining the tongue. The tongue reveals a lot about your physical health, but it also shows some things about your spiritual health.

The way we use our tongues is an indication of our spiritual well-being. The people we interact with daily can tell a lot about us by what we say and the way we say it. The tongue can show whether a person has control of it.

I struggle with the issue of controlling my tongue. Rather than think before I speak, my mouth has already started babbling before I really hear the full question. Am I the only one who has this problem? James 3 indicates that EVERYONE has trouble controlling the tongue. James will go on to say in Chapter 3 verse 6, �And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity�and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell� WOW!! This is serious.

Here are three of the many ways the Bible teaches us to gain control over the tongue:
1. Work on your heart. Matthew 12:34 says that the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
2. Ask God for wisdom, as James 1:5 recommends, in dealing with the tongue.
3. Keep quiet!! Proverbs 10:19 says, �When there are many words, transgressions are unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.�

King David was a man after God�s own heart and he also struggled with the tongue. Recorded in Psalm 141:3 is a most amazing verse that we can use as we talk to God in prayer:
�Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips�

We work hard to keep our bodies physically healthy, and it is of even greater importance to work on our spiritual health. Let�s be aware of the influence of the tongue, and of keeping it under control.

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• Speech Seasoned with Salt - May 02, 1999
• Falling Down - Mar 21, 1999