Having a Spirit-controlled tongue (1) - All The Word for Today Daily Devotionals for 2026

James 3:2 NLT

The Bible says: "If we could control our tongues, we... could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth" (vv. 2-3 NLT). If you've ever bridled a horse, you know the bridle that slips over the horse's head and behind its ears has a "bit," a metal bar that goes in its mouth and lies on top of its tongue. When the rider wants the horse to stop, he pulls back on the reins and the bit presses down on its tongue. The rider who controls the horse's tongue can actually control the horse's whole body - steer it to the right or left, and bring it to a stop with a simple pull of the reins.

Likewise, your tongue needs to come under the control of the Holy Spirit. A horse can't bridle itself; the one who masters it puts on the bridle. Try as you might, you can't control your tongue through your own efforts. Haven't you said things you wish you could take back? Haven't you caused trouble for yourself and others by some of the things you've said? And haven't you said things that, in hindsight, you can't believe actually came out of your mouth?

The trouble is that what you say does not originate in your mouth but in your heart: "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34 NKJV). So having a Spirit-controlled tongue is the result of being Spirit-filled and having a heart committed to doing God's will in every circumstance.

Soul food: Deut 3-4; Matt 6:1-18; Ps 37:1-7; Prov 11:24-26