Fresh Manna
By Pastor Tim Burt
James 3:8-11 instructs us of a profound truth. “… no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”
You know how it is. You’ve thought about it a million times. You know you shouldn’t use your tongue to tear down or speak against others. Most everyone wrestles with this. If we have a conscience, then we will often find ourselves repentant over what this uncontrollable little creature has just released from our mouth. We will also find that despite the repentance, victory in getting it to obey comes way too slow. We find ourselves blessing some-saying kind things only to later say spew inappropriate things to others-much to the regret of our conscience. We find out that the Word of God is true. “…No man can tame the tongue.”
James 3:5-6 says, “…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 person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” “…No man can tame the tongue.”
If this is true, then what do we do? The first step is to recognize this truth and come to grips with it. You can’t fix your tongue yourself. God is not lying when He says “…NO MAN can tame the tongue.” That includes you and I. At the same time we have to realize that God is not setting us up to fail. The answer in taming the tongue is recognizing that only with the help of the Holy Spirit can you restrain the tongue and your thought-life feeding that little creature.
Pray that God give you a revelation of the truth of this verse. Prov 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” You will know when God has given you this revelation. The truth of this verse will create an understanding and desire from within for the need to curb your words. By that I mean that you will understand that your tongue can be used by God to be one of the greatest instruments of blessing to you, or like poison that can kill or ruin your life – in some cases quickly and in other cases over a period of time.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you hear the destructive phrases you say without thinking such as; “He is never going to change!” Or, “I’m stuck with this situation and there is nothing I can do about it.” Or, “Nothing ever goes my way.” Or, “I am never going to find the right person for me. There just aren’t any good men out there.” Your mouth is the barometer of your heart. Words like this expose your heart and thinking and reveal where your faith is at.
Don’t destroy your life and don’t destroy others. Proverbs 12:18 says, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand the power of Words. Then listen to what you say. You will become dependent upon the Lord for what it takes to change your words and for controlling that little creature called the tongue. When you do, you’ll begin to succeed.
Eph 4:29 “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 impart grace to those who listen.”
In His Love,
Pastor Tim
Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2010 Tim Burt, All rights reserved.
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