It is so important that we are told that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved, because with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth (the tongue) he confesses unto salvation.

It is so unruly that the Bible says no man can tame it; however, God can tame it, and God will tame it. The believer is indwelt by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, therefore, there is no reason that his tongue should not be in control at all times.

There are two biblical principles of which we need to be reminded: Pray for difficult people. Jesus said, “Pray for those who persecute you.” Application can be made to people of any level of difficulty. Secondly, overcome evil with good. Be kind to the person who is not kind to you.

Sometimes, you may need to confront a difficult person. When doing so, try to avoid using accusitory words. Instead of telling them what they do that you don’t appreciate, try telling them how you feel when they do those things. For example, “I feel unimportant when you say sarcastic things about me.” It requires some thinking on your part, but if you can master this technique, it will take the other person off the defensive.

There are times when you may be confronted by a difficult person, and that person may not be trying to use any diplomacy with you. This is a time to remember that the Christian is not ruled by his old nature, but by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit to obey the word of God. It is a good idea to ask the confrontational individual what he/she would like for you to do in order to make the situation better. If the request is completely unreasonable, try and explain why you are unable to do that, and ask if there is any compromise that could be agreed upon.

In the final analysis, distance between the difficult person and yourself may be the answer, but don’t make it the first answer. The Bible says, “As much as it is possible, live at peace with all men.” As Christians, we are to always be ready for reconciliation.