“If you begin to complain and speak negatively, your whole spirit, your whole soul is going to be brought into darkness,” Rabbi Kirt Schneider warns in a recent teaching.
In his in-depth study of the book of James, Rabbi Schneider reminds believers that, while “we all stumble in many ways,” there is one area that reveals spiritual maturity more than almost any other: our words.
James writes, “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.” The message is clear. , we can influence the entire trajectory of our lives.
Rabbi Schneider explains it plainly: “If you can get control over the words that you’re speaking, it’s going to create the trajectory of your life. As you speak, your whole being goes in that direction.”
Words are not neutral. They are directional. They move the soul.
He warns, “If you begin to complain and speak negatively, your whole spirit, your whole soul is going to be brought into darkness. On the other hand, when you speak light, when you speak faith, when you speak goodness, when you speak goodwill, your soul is going to move into the trajectory of light more and more.”
James uses powerful imagery to describe this truth. A bit in a horse’s mouth directs the entire animal. A small rudder steers a massive ship. In the same way, the tongue—though small—controls the course of our lives. “See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire,” James writes.
This is not merely about avoiding obvious sins like slander. It goes deeper. Rabbi Schneider challenges Christians to examine not only the words themselves, but the spirit behind them.
“We have to get control over what we say, not only in the words, but in the energy that’s behind the words. What is motivating the words? What’s the motive behind what we’re saying?”
Sometimes, he explains, we speak simply because we are uncomfortable with silence. “Many of us are not comfortable when there’s silence in the room… They’re restless. The natural human tendency is to be restless in the silence.” But James calls the tongue “a restless evil and full of deadly poison.” When we speak from anxiety or restlessness rather than from the Holy Spirit, destruction often follows.
The apostle also confronts the inconsistency many believers live with: “With our tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who have been made in the likeness of God… My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”
Rabbi Schneider presses the point further. Gossip and criticism do more harm than we realize. “When I speak ill of somebody, it brings everybody around me down into darkness.” Even if listeners join in, trust is eroded. “If he’s talking about so-and-so behind their back, how can I trust them that they’re not talking about me behind my back?”
Scripture instructs believers to dwell on “whatever is pure, whatever is good, whatever is beautiful,” and to “speak only that which edifies the hearer.” That discipline is not easy—but it is transformational.
“What I’m speaking of takes hard work. It takes discipline. But living a godly life takes discipline.” Yet the reward is profound. As we restrain our words, we build spiritual strength. “As you control your tongue, you’re going to feel better. You will feel better.”
Even more, controlling the tongue becomes the gateway to controlling the mind. “The first way to get better control over our thoughts is to get control over our words. Because until we get control over our words, we’re not going to be able to get control over our thoughts.”
When the tongue is sealed by the Holy Spirit—when only life-giving words proceed from our lips—something powerful happens. “Our soul is going to ascend into the light of Hashem, into God’s presence, into God’s glory.”
This is not a condemnation. It is an invitation.
Your words are shaping your soul. Choose light.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
