PUT THAT TONGUE ON CRUISE CONTROL!

James 1:26  If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 

This is my grandson Zakkary with his Aunt Kristen's dog, Stanley.  Stanley cannot control his tongue.  If he gets close to your face, you will be licked repeatedly.  In fact, if you are laying down on the floor be prepared to have Stanley in your face and he goes right for the mouth!  It's may seem gross but it is so hysterical to watch!  He just loves those kids and loves to hear them giggle.  He loves to chase them around and get them down to the ground and get in their face.  Stanley cannot seem to put his tongue on cruise control.  Speaking of cruise control, why did the makers of cars put cruise control in vehicles if people aren't going to use it?  I'm sorry but cruise control is there for a reason!  It is to be used!  Living where we do, Jerry and I drive a 2 lane highway 80% of the time.  The speed limit is 55.  We always seem to get behind someone, who like Stanley doesn't learn to use tongue control, doesn't use the cruise control in their car.  Their speed goes from 45 - 65.  Slower than faster.  I'm sorry that drives me crazy.  Cruise control is so awesome!  We can actually set our speed to meet the speed limit and forget about it.  We don't have to worry about speeding and get a speeding ticket.  Cruise control keeps us on the straight and narrow.  It keeps us legal.  It helps us maintain the proper speed limit.  Okay rant over!  But do you get what I mean?  Imagine if we could put our tongue on cruise control?  

Listen, it's okay for Stanley to lose control of his tongue but it is not alright for us believers to lose control of our tongue.  It says right here, if we claim to be believers and do not control our tongue our belief is worthless.  For me that is powerful stuff.  There are so many times us believers fall into the trap of using our tongues to give someone a piece of our minds.  Number one, some of us do not have that much in our mind that we can risk giving someone a piece of it.  Ha Ha!  But seriously, why do we have give someone a piece of our mind?  Is it because we feel we are justified and right?  Is it because we think so highly of ourselves that we have to prove our point?  Is it because we are playing God and feel we need to correct someone?   Do we really have to yell and scream?  Do we really has to curse and swear to get our point away?  "Oh well I just get carried away."  "Oh I really didn't mean it.  I just got carried away."  Really?  Because I don't think we need to let out emotions get the best of us and end up saying something we deeply regret later on.  Yet how many of us have done this?  We say something in the heat of the moment, then when we play that scene back in our minds we are filled with regrets.  

Listen we can try to say that our words do not always echo what our heart feels, but that would be a lie and we know it.  What we speak with our tongue, comes from our heart.  It defiles us and makes us ugly.  Our words can cut right through the heart of someone we love.  Our words can kill.  Don't believe me?  Look at the suicide rate among teenagers who are bullied.  It is sad to me that believers use this mouth and tongue, given to them by their creator, to destroy others.  Okay lets not lie hear.  We all do this to one extent or another.  We gossip, we judge, we criticize, we condemn, we point fingers and laugh, we speak words of anger and hatred, then we walk into church and use that same mouth, that same tongue to praise God, really?  Trust me I have seen it, I have heard it and unfortunately I have done it.  I know we are human beings and that sometimes we let our emotions get the best of us.  But as believers we are held to a higher standard, at least I think so.  Read this next verse and you will get what I am saying.

Mat 15:18  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

Listen I am not perfect by a long shot, but from this moment on, I pray that I keep my tongue on cruise control.  I will listen to the whispers from the Holy Spirit and learn to keep my mouth shut when needed and speak when necessary.  Over the years I have become much better at this.  Reading the Bible I found that Jesus never really yelled at people.  He never got in Mary Magdalene's face about being a prostitute.  He could of, but He didn't.  He simply said, "Sin no more."  There was no pointing fingers, no condemnation, no criticizing.  Just a few simple words spoken with love.  The only time Jesus raised His voice was when the religious leaders couldn't control their tongue.  Okay I don't know about you, but I want to be more like Jesus.  I want to stop letting my emotions and feelings rule my tongue.  I am putting my tongue on cruise control and the one who is controlling it will be Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.  I am done with my mouth controlling me.  I am putting on cruise and letting the spirit direct my words, but I will always use my tongue with love, for that is what is in my heart.

Lord, I am sorry for the times I used my tongue in ways that are not your ways.  Today I am putting my tongue on cruise control.  If you say speak I will, with love in my heart.  If you tell me to keep my tongue silenced, I will.   I trust in you alone and I give you my heart to fill with your love, in Jesus name I pray, amen!