I know some of you are shocked by this, but my mouth has a "mind" of its own!
I really struggle with keeping it quiet or only allowing word that are helpful for building someone up to flow from it.
I have even been so bold as to ask the Lord to simply MUZZLE me...forget the bridle, just slap on the muzzle and start my day!
Duck tape might work, too!
And it is not that I gossip all day or spit fire every time my mouth opens (though my kids may disagree) but sometimes I just say things and then think "Why did I say that?"
We all know those people who have "just the right thing to say", well, I LONG to be one of those, but perhaps MUTE is better for me!
This was a devotional I received this morning from Bro. Ed of FBC Magnolia!
James 3:5b-6
New American Standard Version
James 3:5-7
5b Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
Pastor's Paraphrase
Think of how a great forest can be set ablaze by just a tiny spark and soon thousands of acres are destroyed. The tongue is just that powerful! It can set off an inferno of blazing evil and destruction among the body. It can contaminate every part of a person, leaving in charred ruins the entire direction of his life with a fire that comes from Hell itself.
"How does this help me become more like Him?"
Some time ago, a thoughtless act caused the destruction of huge portions of a great forest. A news story recounted the sad event," The Associated Press reported yesterday that an 18 year old central Washington resident would be billed for the costs of fighting an August wildfire which consumed thousands of acres of forest and burned one home. The rider is believed to have started the fire while riding off-road on a bike without a spark arrester."
It was just a single spark but it set off a chain reaction that resulted in a burning, destructive inferno. Recovery from such fires may take many years or may never happen at all. The same thing can be true about the words we speak to others. Our heated words may seem like only a spark but the fire of hurt that can be ignited can do damage that lasts for many years. Anyone who counsels hurting people will tell you that the deep struggles that many people have were caused by words spoken to them many years earlier by people who may not even be living any longer. The effect of their words to burn and scar outlive them sometimes for decades.
I am amazed at how heated our emotions and our words can become over things that don't matter much at all. The most fiery arguments in a marriage can erupt over things that, in retrospect, were incredibly trivial. Yet, in the midst of the inflamed emotions, things are said that should never come from our lips. They often burn into the hearts of our intended targets - people we love - and leave deep scars that are so very difficult to heal. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us that such angry speech invites the devil to "set up camp" in our homes. How he must sit in the corner and laugh with delight when we fall right into his traps!
May we allow the Word of God to make us wise enough to recognize his schemes and refuse to fall for them! Let's hand him an eviction notice and tell him he will never again be welcome in our homes, our lives, and our speech. Let's replace the fire he seeks to ignite to burn our homes to the ground with the cool wind of God's Spirit, which brings gentleness, patience, and self-control. Let's practice the kind of "fire prevention" that will allow our marriages, families, and testimonies to grow and flourish in health. May our words be pleasing to His ears and a blessing to those to whom we speak.
"How should I pray for Him to change my life?"
Ask the Lord to so guard your mind and your lips that the only fire that ignites is the fire of commitment in your heart for Him. Thank Him that He repeatedly warns us and instructs us about those things that can do such great harm in our lives. Pray that His Spirit would stand guard over your lips so that you might speak those things that demonstrate your desire to live more like Him.
New American Standard Version
James 3:5-7
5b Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
Pastor's Paraphrase
Think of how a great forest can be set ablaze by just a tiny spark and soon thousands of acres are destroyed. The tongue is just that powerful! It can set off an inferno of blazing evil and destruction among the body. It can contaminate every part of a person, leaving in charred ruins the entire direction of his life with a fire that comes from Hell itself.
"How does this help me become more like Him?"
Some time ago, a thoughtless act caused the destruction of huge portions of a great forest. A news story recounted the sad event," The Associated Press reported yesterday that an 18 year old central Washington resident would be billed for the costs of fighting an August wildfire which consumed thousands of acres of forest and burned one home. The rider is believed to have started the fire while riding off-road on a bike without a spark arrester."
It was just a single spark but it set off a chain reaction that resulted in a burning, destructive inferno. Recovery from such fires may take many years or may never happen at all. The same thing can be true about the words we speak to others. Our heated words may seem like only a spark but the fire of hurt that can be ignited can do damage that lasts for many years. Anyone who counsels hurting people will tell you that the deep struggles that many people have were caused by words spoken to them many years earlier by people who may not even be living any longer. The effect of their words to burn and scar outlive them sometimes for decades.
I am amazed at how heated our emotions and our words can become over things that don't matter much at all. The most fiery arguments in a marriage can erupt over things that, in retrospect, were incredibly trivial. Yet, in the midst of the inflamed emotions, things are said that should never come from our lips. They often burn into the hearts of our intended targets - people we love - and leave deep scars that are so very difficult to heal. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us that such angry speech invites the devil to "set up camp" in our homes. How he must sit in the corner and laugh with delight when we fall right into his traps!
May we allow the Word of God to make us wise enough to recognize his schemes and refuse to fall for them! Let's hand him an eviction notice and tell him he will never again be welcome in our homes, our lives, and our speech. Let's replace the fire he seeks to ignite to burn our homes to the ground with the cool wind of God's Spirit, which brings gentleness, patience, and self-control. Let's practice the kind of "fire prevention" that will allow our marriages, families, and testimonies to grow and flourish in health. May our words be pleasing to His ears and a blessing to those to whom we speak.
"How should I pray for Him to change my life?"
Ask the Lord to so guard your mind and your lips that the only fire that ignites is the fire of commitment in your heart for Him. Thank Him that He repeatedly warns us and instructs us about those things that can do such great harm in our lives. Pray that His Spirit would stand guard over your lips so that you might speak those things that demonstrate your desire to live more like Him.
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