Day 25 “When we went under the water [in baptism], we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into a new country of grace—a life in a new land!” – Romans 6:1-2 Salvation in Jesus Christ is like a ship...
Our tongues can either be trained in the things of the Lord and bring hope and excitement to this world or stay wild and become a tool for the enemy to use for his gain.
Last week Paulie spoke about fixing your eyes on things that are of a “good report” from Phil 4:8.
A good report means words that are gracious, praiseworthy and fair sounding. Prov. 16:24 says,
“Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”
We also took a look at James 3:2-12 about how important our confession is. When it talks about our tongue being trainable, the key is to make sure our heart is in the right place first. The only way we can do that is if the Lord is on the throne of our heart above everything else.
James 3:2-12 (NIV)
2 We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
Why is the tongue so hard to tame? Because it speaks what’s actually in our hearts. If our hearts are full of evil the tongue will show that. We have to commit our hearts to Christ first and then our tongue and confession will follow along, speaking life instead of death.
Our tongues can either be trained in the things of the Lord and bring hope and excitement to this world or stay wild and become a tool for the enemy to use for his gain.
