Trainers & Tamers

James 3:

For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.

In the circus, we watch lion tamers, those who can get elephants to do amazing things, and dog trainers who make these animals leap through hoops that are on fire! But can you imagine going to a circus where we observe “tongue tamers?” What would that look like?

The fact is that we cannot tame the tongue.  We can bless God while in a great worship service, sing praises, and exalt his name. And later the same night, we can throw out curses to our husbands, our friends, etc. because they disappoint us, make us angry, or hurt our hearts.  

The tongue is so often just a part of our body that reacts…instead of directs.

Only the Holy Spirit, alive and well in our hearts, and our choosing to surrender to him, can enable us to use our tongues for good…and not evil.

And that surrender has to happen daily, hourly, minute by minute…in order to be trained – not for a circus show – but to show the world His love.