Devotionals by Raul Ries
MONDAY July 20, 2026
Taming the Tongue
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
James 3:6-8
James seriously warned that the tongue can be set on fire by hell itself! Imagine that! All kinds of wild creatures can be tamed, yet the tongue under the control of our sinful nature is untamable. Jesus taught: “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matthew 15:11).
When we speak, our words need to be kind and wholesome. Our tongues can be used to build someone up or tear someone down. How can we be used by the Lord to help turn a person to Christ if we spread gossip and say hateful or bitter things? Consider these Scriptures and examine how you are using your tongue.
Proverbs 11:13: A talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.
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....
Proverbs 18:6-7: A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for blows ... and his lips are the snare to his soul.
Psalm 141:3: Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Proverbs 15:1: A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
May God not only transform our lives, but change the way we speak!
The wicked will gnaw their tongues for anguish and pain; they will curse God and look upwards. There the dogs of hell, pride, malice, revenge, rage, horror, despair, continually devour them.”
~John Wesley~
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About Raul Ries
Raul Ries is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs and President of Somebody Loves You Ministries. After his miraculous conversion in 1971, Raul began to read and study the Bible extensively even though he had a limited education. In 1974 he began a home Bible study with seven other committed individuals. Soon, he started to preach and counsel youth during the noon hour at his former high school, Baldwin Park High. Calvary Chapel West Covina grew out of Raul's home fellowship, as well as his Kung-Fu studio, and was soon meeting weekly at an old converted Safeway store. In 1993, the congregation moved to Diamond Bar and occupied a 101,000 square-foot corporate building on 28 acres. Calvary Chapel Golden Springs (as it is now called) draws between 10,000 - 12,000 in attendance weekly.
Author of several books, including Fury to Freedom (the story of his early life and dramatic conversion), Raul Ries has also produced three films: Fury to Freedom (feature film dramatization of the book); A Quiet Hope (a riveting and stirring documentary detailing seven soldier's accounts of the Vietnam War and its aftermath); and A Venture in Faith (a documentary of the history of the Calvary Chapel movement).
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