Your tongue an amazing creation! God designed one small muscle to taste your food, help you chew, and shape every word you say. And that last one might be the most powerful thing about it.

Think about what words can do. Your words can make somebody who’s having an awful day feel better. They can cheer up a friend who thinks nobody likes them. They can tell somebody about Jesus and totally change their life. They can say “thank you,” “I’m sorry,” “you did great,” and “how can I help?”

But that same little muscle can mess up things really fast. It can gossip, lie, brag, tease, and hurt somebody so badly they think about it for days, weeks, and even years later. But here’s the thing...a problem with your words doesn’t come from your tongue and mouth. It comes from a problem in your heart. Whatever goes into your heart (from what you watch, who you spend time with, what you think about most) eventually comes out. It’s like a tube of toothpaste—squeeze it, and whatever’s inside comes out. And just like toothpaste, you can’t shove those words back into the tube once they’ve come out.

So if you want to control the words your tongue says, don’t just work on your mouth. Fill your heart with good things.

Take Action: Do a word check for one whole day. Every time you’re about to say something about another person, run it through two quick questions: “Is this true?” and “Does this build them up?” If you the answer is “no” to either one, don’t say it. Instead, give a real compliment to that person instead. Not something silly like “nice shirt,” but something true about who they are, like “you’re really good at including people.”