Taming the Tongue

LIVE IT | Week 5
James 3:1–12 (NLT)
Pastor John Thiessen · October 4, 2026

Bottom Line: God gave us the ability to speak as a tool to reflect His character, His truth, and His grace.

Where We've Been

Genuine faith and action are inseparable partners.
Scripture is a mirror. Unless it leads to change, we're only fooling ourselves (James 1:22–25).
Living faith results in mercy, and mercy wins over judgment.
Abraham trusted God when he didn't understand. Rahab trusted God with only secondhand knowledge.

With influence comes responsibility. Those who teach will be judged more strictly.
Don't rush into leadership (1 Timothy 5:22). Test character, calling, and skill.
Teaching isn't a platform for pride. It's a calling to serve with humility and truth.
This applies to anyone with a teaching or leadership role in the church.

"Perfect" here means complete or spiritually mature (James 1:4).
We stumble through boasting, exaggeration, pride, and selective reporting.
Even when we try our hardest, we'll say things we wish we could take back. That's why James says to be slow to speak (James 1:19).
Our words give a clear picture of where we're at spiritually.

A bit lets a small rider steer a large horse. A rudder turns a huge ship. A spark sets a forest on fire.
The tongue is small, but it has a hugely disproportionate influence over our lives.
Words can bring life or death (Proverbs 18:21).
One careless word can break trust, destroy a reputation, divide a church, or scar a child. Our words don't vanish. They live on in people's hearts.
It's not just what we say aloud. It's our tone, our body language, our texts, emails, and social media posts.

What you say flows from what is in your heart (Luke 6:45).
A wise person uses few words (Proverbs 17:27).
There's a time to be quiet and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7).
Timing, tone, and truth are all elements of godly speech. Without all three, it's better to stay silent.

We bless God one moment and curse people made in His image the next.
That's as unnatural as a fig tree growing olives. It shouldn't happen, but it does.
James isn't only writing to early believers. He's writing to us.

A bit, a rudder, and a spark can be used for harm or for good. It depends on whose hands they're in.
No one can tame the tongue in their own strength (James 3:8).
Only as we surrender our voice to God can we consistently use our words for His purposes.

Give God your tongue, and your whole life, each day. When Jesus fills our hearts, words of truth and life will flow.