It is said that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. But the tongue is much stronger than just the physical sense. Sure, we use it to eat, speak and drink, but its effects are lasting. The words we say when using our tongue can cut deeply. How could a muscle that is so small in comparison to the rest of our body pack so much power? The answer is within us. Yes, it starts as a generational curse so to speak that is passed down through generations, until someone is stronger than the tongue and breaks the cycle. Some people grew up hearing nothing but “You’re stupid. You’re dumb. You’ll never be anything in life.” While some are able to roll these words off their backs like water, others are pierced and stung by these words that have a lasting effect. The question is, do we love ourselves (and the people around us) enough to recognize the evil in this and stop the cycle before it continues?

Then there’s the circle of people we surround ourselves with. You can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. It’s no secret that positive people tend to attract positive people, just like negative people attract those that are negative. But what happens when you slip up and let someone in your world that plants seeds of doubt, fear and jealousy in your mind? Could they be just bringing out our natural character? Maybe so, but maybe not. Friends and associates are just like food. Whatever we feed ourselves will eventually manifest itself in an external and internal fashion. Are you full of trash or substance? Deep down we really know the answer, but will we fix it is the questions.

Ok, so you may be thinking, “What if I can’t change my surroundings?” That’s when you have to dig into yourself to turn that tongue kiss of death into one of life. I think we all can agree that we are often our own worst enemy. We speak defeat on ourselves sometimes before anyone else ever will. We become what we speak, without ever realizing it. A lot of people know that TLC is one of my favorite singing groups. A few years before Left Eye died, she made the statement in an interview, “Sometimes I just hope a car hits me or something and takes me out of this mess so it won’t all be my fault”. As we all know her tragic ending, she was killed in a tragic car accident 10 years ago. Could this have possibly been a self-fulfilling prophecy? Maybe you’re not making statements that are that drastic. But even telling ourselves things like, “I’ll never be good enough for this job” or “I’m always broke” has a way of haunting us.

So what will you choose? The tongue kiss of life or death? It’s not easy, but let’s all make a conscious effort to be careful of the things we say to others and even to ourselves. This does not mean we should walk around with our feelings on our shoulders, but it does mean that we have a greater awareness of the power of the tongue. Use the strength of that muscle to build up, instead of tear down.

Proverbs 18:21 Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.