What Your Speech Says About You.

     From the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
     Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
     Can a fig tree my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
                           James 3:10-12 NASB

     Consider what James is saying here. There are many supposed followers of Christ who use filthy language on a regular basis, with little or no thought of what they are saying, or how offensive it is.
     James is telling us that those who both bless and curse, are an anomaly. They deviate from what is a set rule, from the way things are supposed to be. Look at the examples he presents in nature. Fresh and bitter water do not come from the same fountain, figs come from fig trees, olives come from olive trees, and salt water does not produce fresh. There is something wrong with the testimony of an individual claiming Christ, but using filthy language.
     Look what Jesus says about our speech in Matthew's gospel.

     "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.
     "You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.
     "The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.
     "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
    "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
                             Matthew 12:33-37 NASB

     These are very sobering words that we as Christians need to take very seriously. We tend to think that somehow, because we have made a profession, or said a prayer, that what we do does not matter. In this instance our speech is a very accurate indicator of our spiritual life, or lack thereof.
     Look at what Jesus is saying here. Our speech comes out of what fills our hearts. The ruling preference of our lives determines what flows out of our mouths. If Christ is on the throne of our hearts, we will speak in a manner consistent with this. If we are in control of our lives, if Christ is dethroned, or we have never even been truly saved in the biblical sense of salvation, our mouths will run consistent with that.
     You will say that no man can tame the tongue (James 3:8). I agree! An individual apart from Christ cannot tame his tongue, or any other sin or bad habit in his or her life! We need Christ on the throne, the Holy Spirit dwelling in the temples of our hearts. When we walk by the Spirit we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16), including our speech!
     What does your speech say about you!