James 1:26 NIV records,  “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.26.NIV

This verse is a warning to all of us who call ourselves Christians. Our testimony of true love for God and man is bound to the words we use to man. I certainly struggle with my tongue more than I should. Not so much that I speak evil to people when with people, but I curse too many people when I am away from people, and only God hears. This is too often the case while driving. Our words reveal our hearts, the true character of our souls. My soul still has much evil in it! Our evil words reveal that our relationship with God is weak and shallow, for His character is not coming through us, telling the quality of our religion and not the nature of our God. People expect God to be loving and kind, so all of us who claim to love Him and call upon Him as Father and Lord should likewise speak words that are loving and kind. Everyone loves an encourager, and no one desires a ‘Karen’ or a negative ‘Nellie.’ The Lord knows this is a problem for us, for our hearts are evil, another known quantity. The command is to keep a tight reign on our tongues. This implies a constant consciousness of our thoughts so that they don’t become our words that cause us to sin. We would do well to constantly fill our minds with God’s word so that our lips sing His praises, keeping our hearts in alignment with His Spirit, allowing us to obey His commands, and demonstrating to the world that we are truly disciples of Jesus.