Tame Thy Tongue

Our holy God expects that we tame our tongues. "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. And do NOT grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, (sarcasm) slander and every form of malice, BE KIND and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ forgave you" Ephesians 4:29:29-32 Are we wise to be reluctant in speech?  Are the quiet folks timid or mature?  Charles Baker shared his utter amazement as he over heard an untamed tongue at a soup kitchen. This chatty, proud volunteer, while serving the homeless....went on and on and on...about his vast experience in ministering to the poor in other countries. God says "I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." Proverbs 8:13 We must examine our motive behind our words. Will our comment build up others...or are they intended to benefit our self importance? "In the pride of your heart ...you think you are as wise as a god..." Ezekiel 28:2-7 It was NOT easy for Ezekiel to speak this truth the the prideful king of Tyre, and then Ezekiel was reminded by God to take up a lament concerning the king, to NOT rejoice when others are self-deceived to believe they are without sin. We must THINK before we speak and wisely employ a filter between our proud mind and our ever-ready mouth. Were the words of this prideful missionary helpful, necessary, or inspiring to his hungry audience? Was he intending to bring God or himself glory? Boasting while serving is very unattractive!  God knows our hearts, and our intentions. Have you ever known a chatter box?  Have you sought their wise counsel, or do you avoid them?  A fool is a person who persists in the telling of too much unwanted detail without regard or sensitivity to the body language of those distancing themselves.  They seem to be blind to the rolling eyes and disinterest of those obviously tuned out.   Politely we endure the curse of an untamed tongue, and ponder this wisdom:  

"When words are many, sin is NOT absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise." Proverbs 10:19 -----The sin may very well be our NEED to speak and NOT hold our tongue.  "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Proverbs 11:2 ---- Mature Christians guard their speech, they are quick to listen and slow to speak.  Charles then reminded all the men that their retired pastor LC rarely shares during bible study, but when he does speak, wise men in the room ponder deeply every word LC shares.  WHY? "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have all been made in God's likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers this should NOT be.....(What politician, pastor, friend, neighbor, lost soul, sports figure, news anchor have I cursed out loud or in my heart? ) ----Who is wise and understanding among you?  Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the HUMILITY that comes from wisdom.  But if you

harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts DO NOT BOAST about it or DENY the truth. Such wisdom DOES NOT come down from heaven but is earthly, UNSPIRTITUAL, of the devil. For where you have ENVY and SELFISH AMBITION, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first PURE; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."  James 3:9-18  We are to forgive others, and be considerate, full of mercy...as Christ is to us, and as He resides in us, and as we surrender to His omniscience, we are fully equipped to love others as we are loved.  "Brothers loved by God, we know that He has chosen you, because our gospel  came to you NOT simply with words, but also with POWER, with the HOLY SPIRIT." 1 Thessalonians  1:4-7.   We have the mind of Christ and the power and capacity to love those who annoy us, as Jesus did.  "Now about brotherly love....

we do NOT need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other....Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win respect of outsiders and so that you will NOT be dependent on anybody."  1 Thessalonians 4:9-13. God's will for us to be discerning, yet kind is a command.  God expects us to use our collective gifts to draw the lost to the Light in us...We do this effectively by smiling as we keep our hands busy, and our mouths shut. SUMMARY LESSON:  Our daily life, our humble quiet deeds are to give honor and glory to God, not attention to ourselves. "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception."  Proverbs 14:8. So says the Lord who knows the content of each heart..."The heart is deceitful above all else."  Brother James warns us to confess our sins to one another so that we may be healed, pure and holy before the Lord.  "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding, but he delights

in airing his own opinions." Proverbs 18:2. A fool usually airs their opinion without ever wondering what their audience has to say on the subject.  They feel best when heard, not in the hearing. We have all been annoyed by people who are insistent in giving their unwanted opinion.  "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning IF he holds his tongue." Proverbs 17:28 ~ "When He ascended on high, He led captives in His train and gave gifts to men" Psalm 68:18 "The very One who ascended higher than the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe...it was He who gave some to be evangelists, some to be pastors, some teachers...to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be BUILT UP until we ALL reach UNITY in the FAITH and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the WHOLE measure of the fullest of Christ." Ephesians 3:8-13

LOVE ONE ANOTHER

"When a child loves you, they ADORE spending time with you, NOT just so you can feed them, but as you take time to connect with them, making goofy faces, smiling, laughing with them, they want more of you, they feel TRUE LOVE for you. A child does not know the difference between LIKE and LOVE.  Love is all they know, it is given freely. Childlike faith is to love and trust freely without conditions, without proofs. God is love. Within a pure heart, there are seven million reasons to rejoice, and be glad.  "Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance....Jesus will say to His sheep "For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat....I was a stranger and you invited Me in....I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me." Matthew 25:34-36 NIV ---- The inspired living Word of God says "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God." 1 John 3:1 --- Sinners and saints, God loves us all.  A great example of this truth

is when God blinded the apostle Paul for three days as he traveled the road to kill more believers. This story is told so that we would be encouraged about the desire of God to use those who have sinned, have murdered, who have believed in previous false teachings. Paul's sight was restored and he openly professed that his head knowledge of scripture did not save him, or transform him, but it was God's unmerited love and grace that changed his heart of stone, and gave him spiritual discernment that he would love his brother, not kill, destroy, accuse or condemn.  "Whoever loves his brother lives in the Light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." 1 John 1:10 --- We who have accepted Jesus know the truth "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth....As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you."  1 John 2:20-27.  With the indwelt Holy Spirit, we do not lack any spiritual gift, as our internal holy Teacher will not lead us astray. The Holy Spirit will give us discernment as we come to know our brother. We inquire of a brother's needs, and we trust that we are equipped to pray effectively for the purpose of loving him back to grace. AMEN 

"For our LIGHT and momentary troubles are ACHIEVING for us an ETERNAL GLORY that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes NOT on what is seen, but on what is UNSEEN.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Bless the Lord O my soul, for we are renewed day by day! The Holy Spirit illuminates our minds, educates our souls, and instructs our hearts which way to go!  As frail humans, we fall short regularly, so we wisely place our trust in God's grace and forgiveness! The Word of God is consistent and the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, will never depart from us .  Seasons change, our life circumstances will change, but JESUS never changes.  LORD HELP us to love and forgive all others as YOU LOVE and forgive all those who cry out!  Even when our ears perceive a rejection, even when people act with the intention to harm us, help us Lord to hold on to the truth, that only LOVE will change the hearts of man. Holy Spirit help us to respond with grace, to quickly confess our goof ups, and to accept the unfailing forgiveness of God Almighty. Ruth Graham said "Those who have

affected my life the most deeply for good have seldom, if ever, been aware of the fact.  On the other hand, people who think themselves a blessing seldom have been" Our Lord will separate His sheep from the goats. The proud goats did not befriend strangers, they did not feed the hungry, they did not look after the sick, but they boasted of their good works and so God cursed them into the eternal fire. LORD HUMBLE US so that we may think more of our neighbors than of ourselves. Let us give without expecting an earthly reward of praise. Live out His Word "Do NOT be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers.  Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a

murderer, and you know that a murderer has no eternal life in him.  Anyone who has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" 1 John 3:11 --- Help us Lord to NOT criticize the weakness of others, or say that we do not sin or fail in similar ways. TRUTH IS: "Nothing good lives in me apart from the love of God" God loves our pure hearts, not our appearance, not our good works. "All sin and fall short" This must be our confession and also our assurance of His ongoing love and saving grace. When we admit our weakness, when we tell our story, when we share our daily NEED to be renewed and forgiven, we attract others who also miss the mark of perfection, and His finished work is glorified. To never gossip, stretch the truth, speak ill of someone, envy, or covet what others have is IMPOSSIBLE for all humanity, including Christians. Our loving Father issues us mercy, grace, and comforting encouragement through His Word and through others. "Lord Jesus, examine my heart, help me to confess my shortcomings so that I may be a blessing to all those You have placed in my life."   AMEN

We are to PRAISE God in all things because He is there, He is listening, and He takes pleasure in us.  "Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; (Jesus was a carpenters son) not many were of noble birth. (Jesus was born in a barn).  BUT God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power.  We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but NOT the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.  No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for IF they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." We are weak, but He who is in us is strong! How easy it is for us to become attached to a spiritual leader. When someone has helped us, our human frailty tends to make us feel loyal and dependent on that

person's opinion.  Paul warns us to AVOID taking pride in our association, in our professions of faith in a man, or in any leader. Stubborn loyalty to a man made idea, religion, opinion or doctrine leads to divisions in God's church. We are His hands and feet, all unique, all called to serve God, to bring God glory, not man.  We are wise to contemplate how we came to believe; and to Whom we believe in. Do we trust the evening news, Wall Street, the weather man, or in God?  If our mind is filtered with what we have experienced, with what we have memorized, then are we NOT listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying ~ but we are perhaps relying on imperfect, incomplete knowledge obtained from man. Any loyalty to a religion, an idea, or on a commentary ...subjects us to be deceived by the Liar who manipulates God's word to cause division and confusion.  The Deceiver rejoices when he effectively closes our minds to the Holy Spirits interpretation of scripture. Man is still inspired by the Holy Spirit and there are hundreds of scholars who interpret the Greek and Hebrew meanings, however, all commentaries are based on a plethera of opposing doctrines. "Finally my children, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might"  WARNING:  "Some of you have become arrogant.  For the kingdom of God is NOT a matter of talk but of power. What do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in love and with a gentle spirit?"  Jesus came, He spoke to the woman at the well.......Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would

have given you living water.”  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  "I tell you the truth, Jesus answered, before Abraham was born I am."   “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.  Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true.  I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:34 ~  "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in

their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. "By Myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me." JN 5:30 ~7:38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow within him. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive."  "I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.  "O Lord my God, many are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You."  COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

Jesus may wince at our ingraditude, but His grace covers the content of our unseen hearts and our unvoiced grumblings. God loves the contrite heart, the one that is unashamed to cry out in need of for mercy, grace and understanding... daily.  Jesus in the Person of the Holy Spirit is our constant companion, regardless of the human company we keep. He knows our intentions, our secrets, and the entire contents of our heart.  He cherishes our total dependence on Him. SCRIPTURES quoted... 1 Cor 1:7-9;  1 Cor 4:16-18; 1 Cor 1:26-27; 1 Cor 2:3-9;  1 Cor 2:10-15; Romans 7:34; 1 Cor 3:16; Psalm 89:15; Ephesians 6:10; 1 Cor 4:18-21; 1 Cor 6:1-5; Psalm 40:1-5 "Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." James 1:2 "And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." 2 Corin 12:9 

RUN FOREST RUN

Forest was being bullied just like Satan bullies us. He throws rocks at our belief in Jesus, and

he chases us shouting ...ALL LIES like: "you are stupid, damaged and you will never be good enough!" "God does not care about you!" "There is no God, all you have is because of your own effort!" Forest took off running in FAITH and his shackles miraculously fell off. His best friend Jenny encouraged him to RUN FOREST RUN...and like Forest, we all need to be encouraged to run the race before us with zeal, not fear... because we know our final destination! Our Father loves to restore all that has been lost. Just like Jonathon's son in 2 Sam 9:7-13, we are destined to eat at the Kings table and get comfy living forever in the Lord's palace. Many feel trapped in the chains of pain, doubt and fear, we have all felt crippled and felt stuck in this life. "For I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would be slaves no longer.. I have broken your chains so that you can walk with dignity." (Lev 26:13) The great news is that we have all been summoned by God to come...to come as we are, all a mess, weak and broken. Our Father wants to lavish His love, compassion, understanding, mercy, healing and kindness upon us. He delights in giving us more than we could ever imagine.  
“Don’t be afraid of them,” the Lord said to ….(YOU the reader of God’s living Word) “for they are already defeated! I have given them to you to destroy. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” Joshua 10:8 TLB --- God commands "Fear NOT" --- Trust that He is capable to defeat whatever is attacking your mind, body or relationships! -- “So David went out and fought with them (his enemy, an imposing foe, a Goliath threat) and defeated them. “The Lord did it!” he exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood.” So David named the place “Bursting.” 1 Samuel 5:20 TLB --- So David OBEDIENTLY went out with courage ...because David trusted God's word and took action, he walked in determined faith to bring God glory.

This implies that in order for US to defeat our GOLIATH challenges, we must TRUST and OBEY.  We must fight our foe by speaking God's word.  "Remember Me" It is WISE to write down the many blessings from the Lord and keep that list ready to read out loud to remind ourselves that God has never forsaken us.  Next time the dragon is chasing you, stop and yell "I belong to the King of Kings, and ONLY what He says about me is true!" Who do you give credit to for your eyesight, the human ability to feel joy, awe or pain? Your Creator is worthy of praise, every day... for each sunrise, for fresh-living water, each sunset, cool breeze, the ability to choose, think, smile, talk, walk and FEEL emotion; delight, joy, warning fears, remorse, and relief.

Faith, forgiveness, mercy and grace are all gifts from God. We have also been given the power to banish evil by speaking the Word of God. If you FEEL like you have been running from bullies, or your past...PUT ON YOUR BRAKES and boldly stare into a mirror and face that fiery-lie-spewing-dragon in your head. SHOUT a SCRIPTURE in his puny face and watch him melt like the wicked witch of OZ! TRUST in the power of the Holy Spirit within, and put Him to work for you. Jesus Christ gave us the authority to slay demons. He is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, just waiting to be asked to restore, renew and strengthen us when we are weak! Our Father is AWESOME, He equipped us with a sword that wins every time! Defeat the beast by telling your victory story! Hallelujah and AMEN!

Encouragement from our loving Father “O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens. You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies! When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have made— I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him! And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head. You have put him in charge of everything you made; everything is put under his authority: all sheep and oxen, and wild animals too, the birds and fish, and all the life in the sea. O Jehovah, our Lord, the majesty and glory of your name fills the earth.” Psalm 8 TLB  (Jehovah is the name of God in Hebrew Scriptures, JHVH pronunced)

"I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing the praises of Your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before You….The LORD (Jesus) reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness and judges the peoples with equity. The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name (Jesus) trust in You, for You, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9 NIV 1985 -- “There is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to this deadly lower nature? Thank God!  It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord.

He has set me free.” Romans 7:23-25 LB -- “But thanks be to God! For through what Christ has done, He has triumphed over us so that now wherever we go He uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Gospel like a sweet perfume.” 2 Corinthians 2:14 LB ---“Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Colossians 3:13 LB --- "And you must love Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.’ “The second is: ‘You must love others as much as yourself.’ No other commandments are greater than these.” Mark 12:30 LB