Begin by praying about how you used your tongue since yesterday.

The tongue can reveal terrible inconsistency in our Christian lives. James speaks of how with the same tongue we praise God and then curse other people (v9-10). Such inconsistency is clearly wrong, especially as we are to show our love for God by loving other people and particularly our brothers in Christ (see 1 John 4 v19-21). Do you accept that being critical of others and being sharp in how you speak to them is not showing love for God?

Wrong words coming from our lips reveal a problem that is much deeper within us (v11-12). Our words are the fruit of our hearts and reveal what we truly are like inside. Hateful words show a hateful heart. If our words are evil it shows evil lurks in our hearts.

When we understand that the problem of our words is really a problem of the heart then the answer has to be deep reaching to our hearts. To control our tongues we need the power of the cross putting to death the sin within our hearts. We need to be dwelling in God’s Word to have our minds transformed. This is the slow and steady work of sanctification which is the only answer to tongues set on fire by hell.