Blah, Blah, Blah

"If anyone considers himself religious
and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue,
he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
- James 1:26-27

Sometimes we just talk too much. We shout from the roof tops or rather, from our soap boxes, when sometimes, it's time to just shut up and DO or BE. People read our lives much more than our lips.

Solomon said, There's a time for everything, including, "A time to be silent and a time to speak..." Ecc. 3:7. Wisdom is knowing when to do both. Proverbs 10:19 says, "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

In all our communication, including the chat rooms, Face Book and all the other mediums through which we can now share our inner most thoughts to the world, Believers, take heed. Jesus said that we will have to "give an account on the day of judgement for every careless word (we) have spoken." (Matt. 12:36) I don't know about you, but I get tired of disappointing the Lord.

I recently had such a powerful experience of the deadly power of the tongue and got down right angry at both Satan and the Christian through whom Satan used to discourage my new sister in the Lord. THE TONGUE CAN BE A ROD OF EVIL OR A LADLE OF PEACE. Proverbs 18:21 says it best, however, "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

I have a friend that's a new Believer in Christ that the Lord has paired up with me as my younger sister. Like a newborn baby that you watch with delight as they show so much excitement over the little things, romp, play and gurgle, I delight to see her discover new things in the Lord and share her wonder at it all. However, her biological sister, who's been a Believer for over 30 years and knows her sister's life before Christ, has done more to discourage this baby in the Lord by constantly reminding her of her past, picking at her and complaining about her own situations and illnesses to her, than any non-believer could have done through mockery. It just made me angry. But the Lord quickly reminded me, "We wrestle not against flesh and blood..." I have to be careful and prayerful in how I speak to her sister. I have to recognize the ploy of the enemy to destroy them both and pray and speak appropriately.

"The tongue...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." (James 3:6) Pretty powerful, huh?

I just want to encourage us to be careful so that we're not used in the ploys of the enemy to discourage, turn off or destroy others unecessarily because of careless, thoughtless use of our tongues.

You're awesome and carry a powerful weapon within. Through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, use it for good today.