“Sometimes I fit control my tongue, but some other times e go just be like say my mouth just de talk by e self without my brain!”—James.

 “When I de fear, I no de think before I talk, and when I dey calm, I de talk pass as I suppose to talk. So e just be like say na every time I de do anyhow.”​—Marie.

 Bible talk say: “The tongue . . . na fire” and, “Small fire wey e no reach anything fit burn big forest!” (James 3:5, 6) You de talk some things wey de put you for trouble? If your answer na yes, this article fit help you.

•  Why I de talk the wrong thing?

•  How to control the tongue

•  Wetin other young people de talk

 We no dey perfect. Bible talk say: “All of us de make mistake many times. If any person no de make mistake for the things wey e de talk, that person dey perfect.” (James 3:2) Because we no dey perfect, e dey easy for us to make mistake when we de talk, or de talk the wrong thing.

 “Since my brain no dey perfect and my tongue no dey perfect, e no go make sense if I de talk say I no fit ever talk the wrong thing.”​—Anna.

 If we de talk too much. Bible talk say: “When person too talk, e no go fit run from mistake.” (Proverbs 10:19) When person too de talk, and e no de really listen to others, e de dey easy for that kind person to make other people vex when e talk the wrong thing.

 “People wey get sense no de talk too much. Na Jesus get sense pass all the people wey don live for this earth, but still, e de keep quiet sometimes.”​—Julia.

 If we de play with words wey fit curse people. Bible talk say: “Wetin person no use sense talk be like when they use knife chuk person.” (Proverbs 12:18) One example of this kind talk na when we de play with words to use style curse or insult person. People wey de talk like that fit de talk say, “I just de joke!” But to de insult or curse people no be something to laugh or de joke about. Bible tell us say make we stop “curse-curse, and every bad thing.”​—Ephesians 4:31.

 “Many times, I de like to joke and I like to dey funny. Na this kind things de make-am easy to insult people, and this one de put me for trouble many times.”​—Oksana.

 E fit no dey easy to learn how to control your tongue, but the things wey Bible talk fit help. For example, think about this one.

 “Talk wetin you want talk for your heart, . . . and dey silent.”​—Psalm 4:4.

 Sometimes the best thing to do na to just dey silent. One young woman wey e name na Laura talk say “the way I de feel when I de vex fit dey different from the way I go feel later. After my heart don settle, I de always dey glad say I no talk wetin be dey for my mind before.” Even if na just small time you keep quiet, e fit help you make you no talk the wrong thing.

 “No be say the ear de test words the same way the tongue de taste food?”​—Job 12:11.

 You fit help yourself make you no enter trouble if you de use this questions test wetin you get for mind before you talk:

•   Na true? E dey kind? E dey necessary?​—Romans 14:19.

•   How I go feel if na another person talk this kind word to me?​—Matthew 7:12.

•   E go show respect for the way the other person de think?​—Romans 12:10.

•   Na now be the right time to talk-am?​—Ecclesiastes 3:7.

 “Make wuna dey humble and de think say other people better pass wuna.”​—Philippians 2:3.

 That advice go help you de think about other people for good way. If you de think about people for good way, you go fit control your tongue and think before you talk to them. Even when you don already talk something wey fit pain another person, if you dey humble, you go beg the person. Quick-quick, you go tell the person say you dey sorry. (Matthew 5:23, 24) Then decide for your heart say next time, you go try control your tongue pass like this.