Loose Tongue Disease

Dr. Kent Spann believes there is a disease spreading rapidly in our society, and the Center for Disease Control hasn’t acknowledged it. He calls it loose tongue disease, and as with most diseases, it presents itself in assorted ways. The disease compels some of us to spread rumors and gossip, some of us to tell lies, some of us to rant about people who upset us, and some of us to boast about our goodness and accomplishments. It is a deadly disease because it can destroy relationships and ruin reputations.

A little girl asked her mom, ‘Which is worse: to tell a lie, or to steal?’ Her mother replied that both were bad. The child said, ‘I’ve been thinking about it lately, and I think it’s worse to lie.’ ‘Why?’ asked her mother. The child responded, ‘Well, if you steal, you can take it back or pay for it, but a lie is forever.’

It would be nice if we could be immunized for this disease. Unfortunately it’s not that easy. In fact, the only cure is to work with God to build up an immunity to it. We do that first by recognizing the power of the tongue. In Proverbs, Solomon says the tongue has the power of life and death, and James says, Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

After recognizing the power of the tongue, the next step is to resolve to guard it. Again Solomon says, The person who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity. David was so determined to do this he said, I will put a muzzle on my mouth. In Ephesians Paul tells us, Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, and Peter says, Whoever would love life and see good days must keep her tongue from evil and her lips from deceitful speech.

Look for ways to guard your tongue. Try finding something positive to do or say. Weigh your words. The heart of the righteous weighs its answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil. And when you get a touch of loose tongue disease, run to the medicine chest and confess you have it. Isaiah did. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” If confessing the problem helped Isaiah recover, shouldn’t it do the same for you?