Now, on to Pastor How's sermon last Sunday. He did a recap on taming the tongue part one, and also went deeper into why we should tame the tongue. Pastor talked about the seven diseases of the tongue.

1.Excessive talking.
I know many of you out there can relate to that. At some point of your life, you must have met someone , or mabye its even you, who just cannot stop talking. Referring to proverbs 18:21, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit." Also, from Proverbs 10:19, " When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

This basically means that many a time, by talking excessively, you tend to say more bad things than good, and as the tongue has the power of life and death, you may put down those around you rather than pull them up. He who holds his tongue is wise, and that is very true. For if you do not know something for example, and remain silent while others talk, you may be taken for a very observant person and a good listener.

2.Idle or careless speaking of words.
According to Matthew 12:36-37, " But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word that they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. " This basically means that we should really think before we speak, because once we speak something undesirable, the damage cannot be undone, and there is no such thing as "I didn't mean it!" , because if you didn't mean it, you would not have said it. So remember this : If you have nothing good to say, DON'T SAY IT!

3.Gossip.
Yes, we just love this one don't we? Juicy news, scandals, the paparazzi( They seem to be rather heartless and without conscience, mindlessly chasing people around like zombies, they just won't leave others alone), and mabye even people you know. According to the bible, the devil is referred to as satan, in a way the accuser of brethren. Referring to Proverbs 20:19, "A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much."

What the verse is trying to say here is that you cannot put confidence or trust in someone who gossips, because a secret will never remain a secret. Most gossipers like do what they do because they feel insecure and want attention, even if its for a few minutes, and it makes them the "centre of the universe". By gossiping, those people are actually letting the evil of satan manifest in them, and they are helping to do the work of the devil. Just imagine, with gossipers around, the devil can just take a vacation and just fly off to hawaii, because his job is already done for him, and that is to spread lies about others and cause chaos.By the way, the devil does not live in hell, contrary to popular belief, he roams the world, waiting to devour people.

4.Lying.
Yes, this is the crowd winner! We have all lied in our lives, whether its to get out of trouble or just for the fun of it. According to Proverbs 6:16-19, " There are six things the LORD hates , seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue,hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush to evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."

Out of those 7, 3 of them involve the tongue! Relationships are based on trust. no trust = no relationship.Simple as that. Lying breaks trust. For example, you did something serious and you lied to me to cover it up. Then I find out the truth, but then I think to myself, " How am I supposed to trust this guy in the future? And has everything he said in the past been a lie as well?" So you see, lying breaks trust and if you lie to cover up for a mistake, you sin, and this will lead to more sinning as your lies get bigger and bigger. So, we must remember to always have integrity and speak the truth!

5.Sowing discord.
God hates manipulative people who cook up wicked schemes in their hearts and breaks the bonds of trust between people.

6.Flattery.
According to Proverbs 26:28, " A lying tongue hates those it hurts, and a flattering mouth works ruin." This means that flattery is a bad thing( obviously), because it is false encouragement, and more often than not, you hurt the person more than you're trying to help. Sometimes, flattery has an ulterior motive. Flattery is giving to get something in return. For example, you flatter someone by saying nice things to him or her because you need a favour. Don't continue with it!!

7.Hastiness of speech.
This verse says it all. Proverbs 29:20, "Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him."