The Power of the Tongue

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

- Ephesians 4:29

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!  I don't know about you, but when I read verses like this one, well, it just plain hurts me.  No, I don't have severe potty mouth disease, nor do I go around cussing all day long.  It's just that I'm human and sometimes my mouth seems to have a mind of its own.  Oh, I want to keep unwholesome talk from coming out of my mouth, but sometimes...

I do take comfort in the fact that the Scriptures talk a lot about the mouth and the apparent trouble people have been having with theirs since Adam and Eve got booted from the Garden.  Here are a few of my favorites:

I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth while in the presence of the wicked.” - Psalm 39:1

The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit. - Proverbs 15:4

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” - Isaiah 6:5

Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. - James 3:4-6

Yikes!  The tongue is set on fire by hell?  Well, doesn't that make you feel better?  James goes on to say that no man can tame the tongue, which does, in an odd sort of way bring me some encouragement.  The passage from Isaiah is also encouraging for me in that even though Isaiah was a man of unclean lips living among a people of unclean lips God used him in a mighty way.  And further in this passage, after Isaiah confesses that he is unclean (sinful) God cleanses him just as He will cleanse us through the Messiah if we confess our sin to Him.

I must say that I've come a very long way with my speaking habits over the years, but I still have a long way to go.  God's Word not only convicts us of our improper, sinful behavior, but it also brings us encouragement so that we can move forward.  In that way our words can indeed bring benefit to others and be a tree of life rather than crush someone's spirit.  What an awesome God we serve!

Living in the Rearview Mirror

"Stop dwelling on past events
and brooding over times gone by;
I am doing something new;
it's springing up - can't you see it?
I am making a road in the desert,
rivers in the wasteland."

- Isaiah 43:18-19

Do you know someone who seems to be stuck in the past?  I'm sure you know someone who's there.  Perhaps their high school years were the best of their lives and they are constantly reliving them.  Maybe there was a long-lost love who just won't leave their memory.  Maybe there was a traumatic event that happened that now has them trapped in the trauma and the past or maybe someone wronged them with the same results.  So, do you know someone who fits this description?  Could it even be you?

I've seen it happen to too many people - events of the past (most often very painful events) have taken over their way of thinking which then takes over and effects every area of their lives.  They seem to dwell, or live, in those past events.  This incessant focus on the past then seems to nurture it as they brood over the events as a mother hen would brood over, care for, and nurture her chicks.  It's not a healthy way to live for anyone involved.  As I said, I've seen it happen to many people, including myself.

Over the past five years I have been recovering from a serious stress disorder.  It had gone on for most of my life without being recognized for what it was.  Because of the length that it ran it caused some physical problems including neurological damage.  One aspect of my disorder was that I was stuck in trauma.  My thoughts often rehashed events that happened decades ago.  This focus, this dwelling and brooding, fed the cycle in which I seemed to be trapped. Then I came across these verses and they got me thinking.

I knew that in Romans 12:2 Paul says that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  My mind sure did need some renewing!  Coupled with these verses in Isaiah I felt that I had a big piece of the puzzle that I needed to continue in my healing process.  God was doing a new thing for me.  He was bringing order and direction (making a road in the desert) and bringing life (rivers in the wasteland).  But in order for me to continue in this healing and see these new things that God was doing I needed to stop dwelling in the past.  It's sort of like this...

How far do you suppose you'd get if you tried driving a car forward but you were looking only in the rearview mirror.  If you were on a straight road with no pedestrians or other cars you might make it a little way.  But what if you were on a busy, winding road with countless distraction and hazards.  I think most of us would slam on the brakes and just sit there for fear of what might happen.  We would be unable to make any progress or move forward at all because we would only be able to see what had happened and not what was in front of us.  That's no way to drive.  That's no way to live.

God's Word gives us hope and direction.  Let Him help you stop living in the rearview mirror and start living in the freedom of the here and now.

Getting Stuck

Oh, it happened again... Life! I had been doing pretty well in keeping up with writing to the blog every day, but then, well, life happens. During the past eightteen or twenty months the Lord has been teaching me what His priorities are for my life and I've been trying to listen. One thing that I know I can't allow to happen is to let busyness interfere with my "real" life. But I also know that God has given me a gift and that I need to share it, so here I am! At this point all I know is that I'll be posting to the blog as often as I can without getting obsessive or burning myself out over it.

So, over these past months I've been getting stuck on a couple of Bible passages. Try as I might to get past them, I just can't, and that's not such a bad thing. At first I simply continued reading and studying, but the Lord kept bringing me back. Even I could figure out that He was wanting to show me something. I must admit that I'm very glad to have gotten stuck as it feels like tiny windows of understanding are opening up for me. I know that I'm getting about as much understanding as an ant might, but it's a start and it sure it fun!

I hope that you won't let your drive to accomplish a certain amount of Bible reading or studying get in the way of the Lord unwrapping one of His treasures for you. Don't rush yourself. Take your time and let the Lord show you the way He would have you go. I know that you'll be very glad you did!

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James 1:27

The religious observance that God the Father considers pure and faultless is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being contaminated by the world.

- James 1:27

Here's another verse that tells us that part of what our obligation is as a believer in the Messiah Yeshua is to keep ourselves from being contaminated from the world. Some days this is easier than others. During the last week of October it can sometimes get difficult - especially with a little one in the house.

Our son has never been trick or treating. We've explained to him from an early age that we don't want to do anything that would make God sad and that participating in Halloween would do just that. For the past three years he has gotten quite a thrill by handing out bags of candy to trick or treaters that come to our door. Why? Because the first thing that he puts in each bag of candy is a tract telling the children how they can have a personal, real relationship with God through Christ. That gets our son really excited!

Another thing that this time of year always seems to highlight is the apparent compromise and error that has found its way into the church at large. There are many, many Christians who don't see any problem with fully participating in Halloween. There are those who think that it's okay to do what non-Christians are doing, but to call it something else. If we look at the verse from James again, I think we can get a good idea what God's position is on the matter. We are not to allow ourselves to be contaminated by the world. That means that we are also not to take something of the world and try to relabel it to make it non-pagan or to make it Christian. We are not to allow ourselves to be contaminated. Period.

Many say that not participating in things like Halloween isn't fair to the kids. After all, it's just harmless fun. Well, no, it's not harmless fun. The devil will use any opening he can get to destroy someone's life, whether we think it's fun or not. And if you want fun for the kids - and the whole family - all we need to do is look to God's Word!

In the Old Testament God has appointed seven feasts. Each of these feasts points to the Messiah in some way and each can and should be celebrated by Christians today. No, we can't and shouldn't keep them as though we were under the Law because we aren't. We have been set free from the Law and are now under the Law of Christ. But I do believe that we can celebrate these feasts with joy in our hearts for the wonderful things the Lord has done for us through His Son, Yeshua, Jesus the Messiah.

It has been a joyous blessing for us to be able to celebrate and share with our son the feasts that the Lord has given us. They are a great way to learn more about our Messiah, as well as wonderful ways to fill our hearts with joy. So rather than look to the world for our fun and celebration, let's look to the Word and join our Father in celebrating the life He has given us!

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1 Peter 1:13-16

Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed. As people who obey God, do not let yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still ignorant. On the contrary, following the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in your entire way of life; since the Scripture says, "You are to be holy because I am holy."

-- 1 Peter 1:13-16

First I just wanted to say how good it feels to be back. My computer was in the shop for a couple of weeks, but it's home now! Now, on to our verse for today!

Over the years I have found that God quite often repeats Himself. It's not for His benefit. It's for you and me. We humans tend to be stubborn and rather thick headed at times - well, at least I know I am! In this verse from 1 Peter, Peter is telling believers that we need to actively disallow evil in our lives and desires. We are to actively become holy in our entire way of life! Why? Because God said that we are to be holy because He is holy. That scares me. It sounds very intimidating. I know myself well enough to know that I'm not holy or perfect in any way. I rather feel defeated before I even start!

But last night something dawned on me. It had to be God, because the thought was comforting and made me feel much better about these sorts of verses. To be holy doesn't mean to be perfect, or to live a life that is super-spiritual. To be holy means to be set apart for God. If we are to become holy, we are to continually be set apart in every area of our lives for God. He will guide us and show us the things that we need to let go - the evil desires and practices that we still cling to even though we are now His children. Oh, and "evil" doesn't mean that you're doing something heinous. It simply means that you're doing something that's displeasing to God.

Time and again God calls us to be holy. Time and again God calls us to cleanse ourselves from the desires and trappings of the world. Why? Because He loves us and He knows what's good for us - even if we think we know what's best for ourselves. He knows what will hurt us. He knows what will cause us pain and suffering. He sent His Son, Jesus, to set us free from these things, and only with His help can we do that. Ask Him and He will indeed help you become holy. He's the only one who can, because He is holy.

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James 1:19-20

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

- James 1:19-20

Sometimes we think we know what God is saying to us through His Word. Sometimes what we think He's saying is what He's saying. Other times, however, what we think He's saying isn't really what He's saying at all. Take the above verse for example.

I'm sure that you've heard this verse preached to mean that we need to listen well in conversation, slow to speak in conversation or in an argument, and slow to become angry with others as this would not be beneficial to ourselves or others. After all, we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak! While this message isn't inherently bad (and it could be excellent advice in some situations), this isn't what God was trying to tell us through James.

In the previous verse James had said, "He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." So he is speaking of the Word of God when he goes on to the next verse about being quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger. But what exactly is he saying?

When listening to the Word we need to listen intently, giving respect and reverence to the Word. In being slow to speak, James is telling us not to interrupt the preaching of the Word. And in being slow to anger, we are not to become angry with the Word. Angry with the Word? Yep!

Have you ever read something in Scripture and it simply rubs you the wrong way? It might have to do with your lifestyle, your money, your job, or your relationships. You read it and while you know that the Word is speaking the truth and that it is speaking to you, you'd simply rather overlook that particular portion so that you don't have to be inconvenienced. But inside you might find that a seed of anger has been planted toward the Word - and toward God Himself.

"Who is He to tell me what to do?"

"I've lived my life just fine until now. I don't need any help."

"If I want to change anything in my life, I will, but on my terms."

These or a host of other seeds will lead us down a road that is not healthy for us. When we find ourselves in this situation, we need to ask God to show us what it is that's burning our toast so that He can come with His healing. As James says, man's anger doesn't bring the righteousness that God desires us to have in our lives. It is God's desire that we live in righteousness. And if we will allow God the courtesy of leading and teaching us in His ways, He will lead us into freedom in every area of our lives.

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Romans 8:6

Having one's mind controlled by the old nature is death, but having one's mind controlled by the Spirit is life and shalom (peace).


- Romans 8:6


Time and time again in the New Testament we see that our mind plays a very important role in our salvation and in the process of becoming more Christ-like. We are to have the mind of Christ. We are to renew our minds. Temptation and sin begin in our minds. And in this verse from Romans we can see that our mind does need to be controlled, but by whom?


Rather than allowing our minds to be controlled by our old nature, we should allow our mind to be controlled by the Spirit of God. Being controlled by the old nature would be allowing ourselves to continue to be involved in thoughts and actions that we partook of prior to coming to Christ - things that Scripture says are against the Law of God and are sin and death to us. This could include, but is by no means limited to, watching violent or sexually explicit movies, listening to music that promotes violence or drug use, continuing to engage in addictive behaviours, or simply allowing our minds to run free in our thought life. All of these things will bring us pain and will keep us from having a close relationship with the Lord.


We must choose what we allow into our minds via our eyes and our ears. We must choose to say no to things that are unacceptable to God. We must choose to turn our lives over to God and allow Him to lead us in His ways.

If we allow ourselves to be controlled by the Sprit of God we will begin to be freed from the old nature and start to experience the freedom that Christ died to give us. We will spend time studying Scripture so that we can know God better and come to know His will. In this way His Spirit can have more and more control in our lives and we will indeed experience His life and His peace - in our minds, in our bodies, and in every area of our lives.


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