How to Control Your Mouth

“The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.”—Proverbs 16:1

Relating Thoughts to Personal Experience

As I meditated on this scripture, I began to understand that people have the power and the responsibility to control what they put into their hearts so that what comes out of their mouths will be good. That is the only way to control your mouth, because what goes into your heart (your “spiritual womb”) will come out of your mouth in words that are born like a baby being expelled from its mother’s womb. Once it is time for delivery, the “baby” (i.e. your words) is going to come out. You have no control over that; it’s automatic.

Not Just For Children

There is a children’s bible song with lyrics that say, “Be careful, little eyes, what you see; be careful little ears, what you hear…” You may see this as just a cute Sunday school song that children sing and dance to. However, the message applies to everyone, whether you are a child or not. Your heart is the soil of your soul; and if you are aware of what you sow there, you should not be surprised by the harvest that you reap. Your outcome is determined by what is put in. So, if you want to control your mouth, you need to exercise twice as much control over what you see and hear. Is it any coincidence that you have two ears and two eyes?

So What Do You Do?

You should watch, read, and listen to the things and people that will manifest the results that you want. The mouth will automatically speak what is in your heart, whether good or bad. It will either betray you or exalt you by exposing what you’ve been exposing yourself to. Your mouth will give you away and let the cat out of the bag; it will tell on you. Your own mouth that you sometimes have to put your hand over — to stop what you hear coming out of it, will give you up.

The Apostle James puts it like this:

If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man…We put bits in horses’ mouths…to control them (my interpretation). A large ship can be controlled with a small rudder…But the tongue, even though it is a small member of the body is like a fire…a fire that can set a forest ablaze. (James 3:2-5)

James 3:6, 8-12 reads thus:

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell. (vs. 6) But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. (vs. 8) With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. (vs. 9) Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. (vs. 10) Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter water from the same opening? (vs. 11) Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus, no spring yields both salt water and fresh. (vs. 12)

There Is Hope After All

Thankfully, there is something that you can do to clean up your “muddied” spring (i.e. your heart) and get it back to sending out only fresh water (i.e. good words). The first thing you can do is to ask God to clean it up for you. You invite Jesus Christ into your heart and ask Him to cleanse and purify you. Ask Him to remove anything that displeases Him and to fill you with His Holy Spirit. If you ask with a sincere heart, Jesus will do it. He did it for me.

After you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart, then you need to read the Bible (i.e. The Word of God). Study it; meditate on the scriptures, and let it feed your soul. You need to do this every day, just as you eat physical food every day. The Word of God is the ultimate “super food” for your soul.

You Can Do This!

As David said in Psalms 119:11, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” The more of the Word that we take in, the healthier we will be spiritually. Our hearts will be full of good so that what comes out of our mouths is good.

If you are a Christian who has a problem with your mouth (i.e. saying things you shouldn’t say), it is because you have allowed your “spring” (i.e. your heart) to get muddied. It became polluted by you watching, reading, and listening to things that are contrary to the Word of God. The saying that “the eyes are the windows of the soul” is true. And so are the ears. They are the gateways to your heart, the place where everything springs from.

Guard your heart by being careful of what you let in through the gateways. Some things that you let in may destroy you, if you are not careful. Beyond just being embarrassed by what comes out of your mouth, those negative (ungodly) words that you speak could bring death. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those that love it will eat its fruit.”

So if you want to have life (“and that more abundantly”), keep your heart pure. Be careful of what you hear, read, and watch. Be careful of the places where you go and the people you hang out with, lest you become just like them.

Instead, read the Bible and good (i.e. positive) books. Listen to good music and words. Watch good, wholesome shows (if you must watch). Turn off the TV (as there’s hardly anything good on it these days).

Don’t Be Fooled!

Everyone has an agenda, even if the shows seem harmless and innocent. Say NO to porn, R-rated, and X-rated movies. Don’t buy, look at, or read anything that is illicit. Don’t muddy your spring! Fill your heart with only good, and your mouth will speak only good.

Do you have problems controlling your thoughts or with thinking the right things? Paul has a solution for that problem.

Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy –meditate on these things.—Philippians 4:8

No Excuses!

According to this scripture, there are eight (8) different, good categories to choose from that will help you focus and control your thoughts. So, there is no excuse for “stinking” thinking (Meyer, 2012). You have choices, and it is your responsibility to make the right one. Don’t be a “victim” of circumstance and say, “I can’t help it. That’s just the way I am.” Remove yourself from the toxic situation or environment that you are in; and begin to experience peace, joy, and freedom in your heart.

Prayer Really Does Change Things!

Finally, you should also pray like David did and ask God to “let the words of your mouth and the meditations of your heart be acceptable in His sight.” The Lord is your strength and your redeemer.

Reference: Meyer, Joyce (2012). Stinking Thinking Will Affect Your Life. Retrieved from YouTube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxK0iwhij4w