We know that if something is mentioned in the Bible even once, then that means it's important. If the only time we were told not to kill was when God gave Moses the ten commandments, we would still be able to classify murder as a sin. But apparently there are certain things that the Lord wanted to make abundantly clear to us, and therefore reminded us of them over and over throughout His Word.

One day I decided to see how many verses I could find about watching what we say. Below is only some of the passages that I found.

"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people... " -- Leviticus 19:16

"A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." -- Proverbs 11:13

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." -- Proverbs 18:8

"He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips." -- Proverbs 20:19

"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth -- Proverbs 26:20

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." -- Proverbs 26:22

"My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit." -- Job 27:4

"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." -- Psalm 34:13

"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue..." -- Psalm 39:1

"Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue." -- Psalm 52:4

"Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue." -- Psalm 120:2

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." -- Proverbs 18:21

"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." -- Proverbs 21:23

"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."-- James 1:26

 "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
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." -- James 2:5-6

"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:" -- I Peter 3:10

"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." -- James 3:9-10

I once heard a story about a family that seemed to have it all together. Every evening, the husband would come home to find his wife and children waiting for him in the front yard. The father had a very close bond with his children, and loved his wife from the bottom of his heart. Apparently though, somebody in the neighborhood became jealous and decided to start a rumor that this man was cheating on his wife. After the rumor circulated and made its way back to the wife, she was devastated. When her husband returned from work wondering why she was not waiting for him in the yard, he concluded that she must have just had a bad day. But the next evening when he came home he couldn't find her at all. He walked downstairs and gasped as he saw his wife and children dead! She had killed the children and then herself after leaving a note that said, "I couldn't stand the thought of living with a man who was cheating on me." Truly death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).

Our tongue is a very powerful thing. With it, we can build up, or tear down; we can encourage, or we can discourage. The choice is ours.

"This day You've set life, You've set death right before us
This day every blessing and curse is a choice now
And we will chose to be a blessing for life."*

* The Blessing - John Waller