There is a gruesome parasite called Cymothoa Exigua. It is a louse parasite that enters a fish through its gills. Once inside, it severs the blood vessels to the tongue of the host fish, causing its tongue to die and eventually fall off. After consuming the dead tongue, the parasite will then attach itself to the stub of the original tongue and become the replacement tongue of the fish.  

This sci-fi image of a parasite consuming and then replacing the tongue of a fish is what can happen to us if we allow the parasitic anger and wrath-based vocabulary of an unredeemed culture to enter our lives unchecked and unchallenged. This replacement swims into our lives and deposits its false wisdom and graceless sound in our mouth for us to parrot to waiting ears.  

To accomplish this replacement, the deceptive parasite must first sever our conversation from the life-flow of Christ’s redemptive blood allowing the parasite to take over and attach itself as a replacement. Unchallenged, this replacement will actually become our tongue making us sound just like the world around us.  

As you consider how to place a filter over your spiritual gills, meditate on the following verses.If you want to sound wise, here is a description of the wisdom that should motivate our speech, “But the wisdom from above is first pure then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy” (James 3:17).  

Once you understand the content of true wisdom, here is the quality of the sound that will flow over a tongue still attached to the gracious life-flow of Christ’s blood, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:6).  

Protect the content and quality of your voice. Don’t allow the parasite of deception to have access to your tongue. You have been called to announce God’s Kingdom on Earth. That is a high and honor-filled calling.