The Tongue is a fire

[Born Again]

James 3

Controlling the Tongue

1Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged by God with greater strictness.

2We all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way. 3We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. 4And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot wants it to go, even though the winds are strong. 5So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. 6And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

7People can tame all kinds of animals and birds and reptiles and fish, 8but no one can tame the tongue. It is an uncontrollable evil, full of deadly poison. 9Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. 10And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! 11Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? 12Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool.

The tongue is a flame of fire- it has the ability to build others up or tear them down. It

[Guest shiloh357]

Allow the outpouring of your tongue glorify God in every circumstance. What comes out of your mouth are direct reflections of your heart- are you filled with joy and peace? Or are you filled with anger and resentment?

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

For us to truly have a deep and personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, we must tear down the barriers and repent of all of our sins. Remain in the Holy Spirit to hear and submit to convictions of the tongue. We are here to turn non-believers into believers, make disciples and encourage one another. If we keep God as the number one priority and allow Him to consume our thoughts in all we do, it will show in your words and actions. Rest your mind and thoughts on Him- FOCUS on the One who saves us. Pray without ceasing; let every breath glorify Him and the JOY will flow from your heart to your tongue. Others will see Jesus

[Orr v'emet]

[Guest Called]

I would like to add that as we mature in Christ we will begin to exhibit more of the fruits of the Spirit. One of the hardest fruits IMO is that of self control (Gal. 5:22). For one to be able to control their own tongue is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Psalm 34:13

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Proverbs 21:23

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

God Bless!

Debbie

[Botz]

A great post Born Again...I remember that song...'It only takes a spark'...it was about the first chorus I ever heard when I was not yet a Believer...and yet I sensed the presence of G-d as people sang it in the street in Germany...back in about 1973!!

Allow the outpouring of your tongue glorify God in every circumstance. What comes out of your mouth are direct reflections of your heart- are you filled with joy and peace? Or are you filled with anger and resentment?

Psalm 51:10

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

For us to truly have a deep and personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, we must tear down the barriers and repent of all of our sins. Remain in the Holy Spirit to hear and submit to convictions of the tongue. We are here to turn non-believers into believers, make disciples and encourage one another. If we keep God as the number one priority and allow Him to consume our thoughts in all we do, it will show in your words and actions. Rest your mind and thoughts on Him- FOCUS on the One who saves us. Pray without ceasing; let every breath glorify Him and the JOY will flow from your heart to your tongue. Others will see Jesus

[Khristeeanos]

On a forum like this, it isn't the "tongue" that gets us in trouble, it is the fingers.

[Born Again]

I would like to add that as we mature in Christ we will begin to exhibit more of the fruits of the Spirit. One of the hardest fruits IMO is that of self control (Gal. 5:22). For one to be able to control their own tongue is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Psalm 34:13

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

Proverbs 21:23

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

God Bless!

Debbie

Excellent Debbie! :hug:

As I was writing the thread, I began to think about the fruits. I agree- one of the hardest fruits, and might I add, one of the most forgotten, is self control. That's why when we are tempted to say something that is mean, hurtful or sarcastic, we should pray over our words before they are said. If we keep our focus on Him, it's so much easier to manage self control!

[Born Again]

A great post Born Again...I remember that song...'It only takes a spark'...it was about the first chorus I ever heard when I was not yet a Believer...and yet I sensed the presence of G-d as people sang it in the street in Germany...back in about 1973!!

That is really incredible Botz!! The song has such a good message- and I never really thought about it, until I got older. I was very young when I sang it with my Dad, so I wasn't paying attention to the words as I sang them- I just knew them.

That's kinda like the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. Growing up I had the head knowledge- knew all the stories, the verses, etc... but never let it sink in. Now that I have heart knowledge, it really makes those verses,stories and songs ring truer!

This was very well put...a timely exhortation and a strong encouragement to allow the Holy Spirit to be our central motivation in all we think say and do. Thanks. :hug:

Amen! It's all about God!! :il:

[Born Again]

On a forum like this, it isn't the "tongue" that gets us in trouble, it is the fingers.

Right on Jake!! I was thinking about that as well :oww: