“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
-Proverbs 18:21 (KJV)
An Opening Story: The Craftsman with the Sharp Tongue
There was once a gifted craftsman known throughout his town for the beauty of his work. His hands were precise, his vision refined, and his results excellent. People traveled far to learn from him.
Yet apprentices never stayed long.
Though his skill built masterpieces, his tongue destroyed relationships. He corrected with insult, instructed with contempt, and responded to mistakes with humiliation. Over time, his workshop grew quiet. Talent without people cannot scale. Skill without character cannot last.
Years later, another craftsman emerged, less naturally gifted but gentle in speech. His words taught, healed, and encouraged. Soon his workshop overflowed with learners, collaborators, and innovation.
The town learned a silent lesson: excellence does not survive where the tongue poisons the atmosphere.
Excellence Is a Moral Environment, Not Just a Performance
Excellence is not merely about output; it is about the environment that produces consistent greatness. A bad tongue creates disorder in that environment.
You can be intelligent and still be destructive.
You can be gifted and still be toxic.
You can be right and still be ruinous.
True excellence requires harmony between thought, speech, and action. When speech contradicts values, excellence collapses from within.
The Tongue Is the Loudest Expression of the Inner World
Speech is never accidental, it reveals what lives beneath the surface.
A bad tongue exposes:
Unprocessed anger
Insecurity disguised as criticism
Pride masked as honesty
Fear hidden behind sarcasm
The tongue speaks what the heart rehearses. One cannot consistently speak poison and internally carry peace. Speech is the echo of inner alignment or disorder.
A Bad Tongue Sabotages Self-Mastery
Self-mastery is the foundation of excellence.
If you cannot govern your words, you cannot govern your destiny.
Impulsive speech reflects weak inner restraint. Scripture affirms this truth:
“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
-Proverbs 25:28 (KJV)
A bad tongue is not just rude, it is evidence of breached inner walls.
Excellence Requires Precision, and Words Are Instruments
Words are tools. Like surgical instruments, they can heal or destroy depending on how they are handled.
Excellence demands:
Precision in timing
Accuracy in expression
Purpose in communication
A careless tongue dulls influence. A sharp tongue cuts bridges. An uncontrolled tongue ruins credibility.
The Tongue Shapes Identity Before It Shapes Results
Words are not neutral. They create identity.
People often become what they are repeatedly called.
Teams rise or fall based on the language that leads them.
Homes flourish or fracture by the words spoken within them.
Jesus said:
“For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
-Matthew 12:37 (KJV)
Excellence begins when speech aligns with life, not ego.
A Bad Tongue Replaces Wisdom with Noise
Wisdom is calm.
Noise is aggressive.
A bad tongue confuses volume for authority and aggression for strength. Wisdom speaks what is necessary; folly speaks everything it thinks.
“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.”
-Proverbs 10:19 (KJV)
Excellence listens more than it announces.
The Tongue Determines the Quality of Relationships
No one reaches excellence alone.
A bad tongue:
Breaks trust
Kills collaboration
Breeds fear
Silences innovation
People may tolerate your skill, but they will not endure your mouth forever. Influence flows where respect lives, and respect cannot survive verbal violence.
Spiritual Growth Is Measured by Speech Discipline
Maturity is not measured by how loudly one prays, but by how gently one speaks.
James writes:
“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man.”
-James 3:2 (KJV)
Perfection here means maturity, not flawlessness. The tongue is the final frontier of discipline.
Excellence Speaks Life Even Under Pressure
Anyone can speak well when things go right. Excellence is revealed under stress.
When pressure rises:
The bad tongue erupts
The refined tongue responds
Great souls choose restraint over reaction, clarity over cruelty, truth over triumph.
Transforming the Tongue Is Transforming the Future
You cannot curse your way into excellence.
You cannot insult your way into greatness.
You cannot speak death and expect life to grow.
When the tongue is healed:
Vision becomes clearer
Relationships become stronger
Purpose becomes sustainable
Excellence does not begin in the hands or mind, it begins in the mouth.
“The tongue has no bone, but it can break the heart.”
African Reflection.
And another quietly adds wisdom:
“Good words build a village; bad words burn it down.”
