Do you talk too much?  My guess is that if you do, you do not realize it.  Neither would I.  Those who talk too much generally do not realize that their mouths are constantly running.  And, most of the time, their brains cannot keep up with their tongues, so they often say inappropriate things.

Not being in control of our tongues is a flaw that needs fixing, and, so far as the soul is concerned, it is a fatal flaw.

Matthew 12:36 (ESV)
³⁶  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,

This should make controlling our tongues a high priority in life.  I know that we cannot tame the tongue (James 3:8), but taming the tongue and controlling it are two different things.  To tame the tongue would be to get to the point where we did not have to ever worry about misusing it.  We would be able to put our guard down because there would be no fear of saying something hurtful or inappropriate.  This is what James says no human being can do.  We must always be mindful of the hurt our tongues can cause.  James compares it to a destructive fire that can destroy lives (James 3:6).

While we cannot tame our tongues, we can control them, but it takes the willingness to think before we talk.  Consider what Paul said in Ephesians 4 about our speech.

Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
²⁹  Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

One cannot speak the way Paul demands here in a careless fashion.  To only speak that which is good for building up, and especially to only speak that which fits the occasion, demands intellectual involvement wherever we speak.  This is why we should be slow to speak.  

James 1:19 (ESV)
¹⁹  Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

How many problems would be avoided if everyone was slow to speak?  Being slow to anger is helpful since anger often leads to misspoken words.  Being quick to hear is helpful too since you cannot hear and speak at the same time.

Controlling our tongues means not only saying the right things and avoiding saying the wrong things, but also saying appropriate things at the right time.  This includes being able to stop talking when necessary.  We show a lack of control when we always have to have the last word, which often prolongs heated conversations that need to end.  As a result, feelings are hurt and relationships are weakened, or even ruined altogether, because of things said in anger.  A far better outcome will be produced when we possess a controlled tongue that helps us to say the right things at the right time and to just stop talking when the situation calls for it.

Let’s all examine our speech to make sure that we do not possess an uncontrolled tongue.  If we do, let’s fix that fatal flaw before it is too late.  

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.