“I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle…” (Ps. 39:1)
Few things give us more trouble than our tongue. James said, “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity…” (James 3:6). How many times have you said something ugly or hateful out of anger only to regret it as soon as the words left your mouth? The trouble is we cannot take back hurtful words once they have been said. We can apologize for them, but it is too late…the damage has been done.
Someone can say something hurtful to you and then say they are sorry, yet you will still remember those words years later. Why? Because just saying the words, “I’m sorry” cannot erase the hurt that person caused with their tongue.
No wonder the psalmist said, “I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue…” Sinning with our tongue is a very easy thing to do! So how can we keep from sinning with our tongues? The psalmist has the answer. He said, “I will keep my mouth with a bridle…”
A bridle is used around a horse’s mouth. It includes a piece called a bit, which lays on the horse’s tongue. With a bridle on the horse’s mouth, the rider can control that horse; he can direct that horse to go where he wants the horse to go. In other words, because of the bridle, the horse is under the control of its master!
As Christians, our tongue needs to be under the control of our Master, Jesus. Ask the Lord to help you guard your tongue and bridle your mouth, so that you will not say sinful things OR say things in a sinful way, today.