Bridle Tongue

[James 3:5] Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
[8] But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
[9] Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
[10] Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
James exhortation to them who wished to thrust themselves into the teacher's office, supposing, because they had the gift of a ready flow of speech, that therefore they might commence teachers of Divine things; he proceeds to show they need to guarded their words.
If a man can control his tongue, he has complete dominion over himself, as much as a man has over a horse by the bit, or as a steersman has over a ship if he has hold of the rudder. He is perfect in that sense, that he has complete control over himself, and will not be liable to error in anything. The design is to show the important position which the tongue occupies, as governing the whole man. To control his whole body, that is, every other part of himself, as a man does a horse by the bridle. The word rendered "to bridle," means to lead or guide with a bit; then to rein in, to check, to moderate, to restrain. A man always has complete government over himself if he has the entire control of his tongue. It is that by which he gives expression to his thoughts and passions; and if that is kept under proper restraint, all the rest of his members are as easily controlled as the horse is by having the control of the bit.
We put bits in the horses' mouths, the meaning of this simple illustration is, that as we control a horse by the bit-- though the bit is a small thing--so the body is controlled by the tongue. He who has a proper control over his tongue can govern his whole body, as he who holds a bridle governs and turns about the horse.
The design of the apostle is to illustrate the power and influence of the tongue. This may be done in a great many respects: and the apostle does it by referring to its boasting; to the effects which it produces, resembling that of fire, to its untameableness and to its giving utterance to the most inconsistent and out of place thoughts. The particular idea here is that the tongue seems to be conscious of its influence and power, and boasts largely of what it can do. The apostle means doubtless to convey the idea that it boasts not unjustly of its importance. It has all the influence in the world, for good or for evil, which it claims.
A very little fire is sufficient to ignite a large quantity of combustible materials, and that the tongue produces effects similar to that. A spark will kindle a lofty pile; and a word spoken by the tongue may set a neighborhood or a village "in a flame."
The fire of the tongue has been used to burn many. Children are told sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. But that child's rhyme isn't really true. The bitter pain of a word spoken against us can hurt us for a lifetime, long after a broken bone has healed.
What others say to us and what we say to others can last a long time, for good or for evil. The casual sarcastic or critical remark can inflict a lasting injury on another person. The well-timed encouragement or compliment can inspire someone for the rest of their life.
Proverbs 10:19-21 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is worth little. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.
Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
No man can tame the tongue: Yet it can be brought under the power and the control of the Holy Spirit. We might say that only G-d Himself is mightier than the human tongue!
The untamable tongue is even more dangerous when we consider the deadly poison it can deliver. With it we bless our Heavenly Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of G-d. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Our speech should be consistently glorifying to G-d. We shouldn't use one vocabulary or one tone of speaking at church, and a different one at home or on the job. Y’Shua taught in Matthew 12:34-37 that a man's words are a reliable revelation of his inner character. What we say can indicate what we are.