How to Clean up Your Mouth. (Something Better than Soap)

In olden days, when a child said something inappropriate, rude, hateful, crass, vulgar, dirty or profane his mother might wash his mouth out with soap. I’m not sure it got rid of all the uncleanness in the kid’s heart or lasted long to keep the mouth clean, but if the youngster thought his mom might find out he said something wrong, he would at least think twice before saying it again.

All sin is still sin. Some sins, however, are so unbecoming for Christian believers that they make God’s blacklist. There are several places in the bible where these lists appear.

In the book of Ephesians, where we find one list concerning such sins, it states, “let it not be once named among you, as is fitting for saints;” It includes, sexual immorality, moral impurity, and greed. 

Then it turns toward the sins of the tongue:

• Filthiness (obscenity)
• Foolish talking (empty speech)
• Coarse jesting (twisting your speech)

James, the brother of Jesus says, “If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man,”

He compares the little tongue to a bridle on a horse, which amazingly controls that big powerful animal. We put the bit into the horse’s mouth and that little bit will pull the horse in whatever direction its rider wants the horse to go. The tongue like that bit, seems to have control of most of us.

He mentions the great ships which are turned by a little rudder. The size of the rudder is only a small fraction to the size of the ship but it controls the direction of the whole ship. The little tongue is like that rudder, turning us every which way

Photo by Neven Krcmarek on unsplash.com

He talks about how a forest fire is kindled by a small flame. Even the flame on a little match can ignite thousands of acres, burning up trees, grass, homes, animal life and even human life. He writes, “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.”

Men can tame lions but can’t seem to tame the tongue.

I have had plenty of my own sins I had to repent of and be cleansed from. Some of them were not easy to break free from, so I am not judging anyone for their own struggles. We’ll let God do that.

Having said that; I wish to humbly say that I am still saddened by how some Christians engaged in sexually suggestive, sometimes blatant, sex talk. I hear all the same four letter words being spouted out by professing believers that I hear from those who do not claim Christ – even sometimes worse.

I hear those who name the name of Christ curse others instead of blessing. I hear vicious gossip and backbiting. I hear them criticize. I hear them use God’s name in an empty, demeaning way. I hear them belittle, and use crudeness and rudeness with their lips. I hear them misuse the term “hell” as if it were not real, “God,” as if he did not exist, and “damn” just about everything and everybody in sight. They can be just as vulgar and just as profane as anyone.

Maybe you struggle with this. I have had Christian brothers tell me, “I can’t help it, I’ve talked this way all my life and it’s just something I can’t change.” One brother told me he wouldn’t say anything in bible study because he was afraid that if he spoke he would cuss.

Dear friends, we are not to be in bondage. How can we be free?

Well, in the same verses in Ephesians, we are told these five simple words, “but rather giving of thanks.”

Don’t miss the key that can help you unlock this prison cell you are in. For those who struggle with their manner of speech, knowing it is wrong but feel helpless to change, here is an answer – giving of thanks.

Once we begin to use the tongue to bless, it is hard to curse. Once you use your tongue to express thankfulness to God, the abusive language will begin to topple. It will become a new way of life for you when you replace the profanity with praise and when you replace your evil speech with beautiful words of blessing.

I knew a man, a dear friend, (I’ll call him Dan) who, when he was lost without Jesus, used to darken the room with unseemly talk. Another friend (who I’ll call Jeremy) once told me that before the Lord changed Dan’s life, Jeremy wouldn’t allow his wife to go near him, for he didn’t want her to hear the vulgarities with which he spoke. But when Dan was saved, his life was changed.

I told Jeremy that I was surprised sometimes when Dan would let four letter words slip out of his mouth. His response was, “That’s nothing. You should have heard him before. The difference is like night and day.” For this, I praise God.

I often think of Dan. I remember hearing him give his Christian testimony about what Jesus had done for him and remember hearing him pray and thank God for his blessings.

Giving of thanks from our tongues will expel the tasteless and empty cursings that once prevailed from our lips before.

Folks, that works better than soap and tastes a whole lot better.