The Power of the Tongue

 This is a post I have been wanting to write for more than a month now. These past several months, God has been revealing to me the Power of the Tongue.

Here are some of the reminders He has given me through Scripture-

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths,
but only such as is good for building up,
as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." 

- Ephesians 4:29

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits"

- Proverbs 18:21

"Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent"

- Proverbs 17:28

"When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent"

- Proverbs 10:19

"Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin"

- Proverbs 13:3

"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble"

- Proverbs 21:23

"Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him"

- Proverbs 29:20

  "I tell you, on the Day of Judgment, everyone will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified,
& by your words you will be condemned.”

- Matthew 12:36-37

" There must be not even a hint of sexual immorality & all impurity
or covetousness among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking,
which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."

- Ephesians 5:3-4

"Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through Him."

- Colossians 3:17

" Let no one despise you for your youth, but set an example for the believers
in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity."

- 1 Timothy 4:12 

"The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence."

- Proverbs 10:11

 "Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks & this defiles a person.For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder,
adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander."

- Matthew 15:18-19 

"But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven,
for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool,
or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King...
Simply let your 'Yes’ be 'Yes" & your 'No" be ‘No’;
anything more than this comes from evil"

- Matthew 5:34-37 

 The Bible has much to say on this topic. These are just a few of  the verses that God used to speak to me. We should be speaking His Words of Life into our situations. Not stirring up trouble, lying, concealing the Truth, exaggerating. Desiring to glorify the Lord in all that we say, do & think.

Waiting Patiently for the Lord's Timing

Four weeks ago, my best friend sent me some encouragement concerning the story of Abraham & his maidservant Hagar. Last Sunday, Pastor Serven mentioned the story again (speaking on God's Sovereign Choice- his text was Romans 9:6-13, also referencing Genesis 17:15-27 among other passages). So apparently this was something I needed to hear.

The background on the story is this- Back in Genesis 12, God had Called Abram. In chapter 15, God established His covenant with Abram & his seed.  In chapter 17, God confirms His covenant with Abram & changed his name to Abraham (meaning, "the father of a multitude"). In chapter 18, Abraham & his wife are are promised the birth of their son Isaac.

In between those chapters, we have chapter 16- the chapter in which Abraham fails to trust the timing of God's Plan & takes things into His own Hands. You see, God had promised a godly seed, a son, a legacy to Abraham. But he was in his late eighties & his wife Sarah was in her late seventies. They had never had children before & Abraham thought they were too old to have children. He trusted the Lord's Promise, but thought he might "help" the Lord a little. Bad idea.

To that which God Calls us to do, He also Equips us to do. Nothing is impossible with God.

In Genesis 16, Abraham's wife Sarah gives her servant Hagar to Abraham, to bear him a son. When Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael & saw that Sarah still could bear no children, this caused enmity between the mistress & the maidservant, which led to more drama, hate & mistreatment. Hagar fled from Sarah's wrath into the desert. There the Angel of the Lord met Hagar & gave her a Promise concerning her son Ishmael & his legacy.

One man's decision has affected the course of nations. Ishmael (Abraham's son through Hagar) is the Father of Islam. Judaism comes from the line of Isaac (Abraham's son through Sarah). The strife in the Middle East, in Israel, in Jerusalem all results back to this one bad decision made by Abraham. Think how much pain, killing, strife could have been avoided if Abraham had simply waited for the Lord's timing!

And that is the reminder that my friend Megan & Pastor Serven have given me. If we really trust God, this means that we are willing to wait for His Timing. To trust Him & wait for Him to do things His Way. Do not rush ahead of God or His Plan for your life.

May we learn, like the Apostle Paul, to be content in every situation-

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
I know how to be brought low, & I know how to abound.
In any & every circumstance, I have learned the secret
of facing plenty & hunger, abundance & need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
- Philippians 4:11-13

I will leave you with this Scripture-

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint
& to him who has no might He increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    & young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run & not be weary;
    they shall walk & not faint."

- Isaiah 40:28-31

As Megan said to me a month ago, "Are you going to take what man is offering & create generations of problems? Or are you going to wait for GOD to deliver on His Promises?"

May you be encouraged today!

Guard Your Heart



 

When it comes to the matters of the heart, the popular advice is to "follow your heart." I would like to contradict that trend & say "guard your heart with all diligence..."

 

At a graduation ceremony that I attended this year, the speaker gave a Charge to the Graduates that included the words "follow your heart." In my eyes, this is a direct contradiction to Scripture, where it says-

"Guard your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life..."

- Proverbs 4:23

 

I believe that

 

"The heart is deceitful above all things & beyond cure. Who can understand it?" - Jeremiah 17:9

 

I would like to encourage my readers to trust God & wait for His Timing in bringing you a spouse. It will be worth the wait.

"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

But I also encourage you- do not fritter away your time idly. Use this season of singleness to serve the Lord, your family, friends, Church etc. Learn all that you can, in preparation for marriage.

"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossias 3:17

And again, from the same chapter...

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.
You are serving the Lord Christ." - Colossias 3:23-24

 

Along with King Solomon, I would encourage my readers to "not awaken love before its proper time"- 

 



  "Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
Do not arouse or awaken love before its proper time"
- Song of Solomon 8:4 (& also in SoS 2:7)

Another reminder-

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God & His righteousness,
& all these things will be added unto you as well..."
- Matthew 6:33

"Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart."

- Psalm 37:4

This verse does not mean that if we pretend to find our delight in the Lord, that He will grant us every wish, whim or passing fancy that we have. This verse means that as we truly learn to delight ourselves in the Lord & find all of our joy, contentment, identity etc in Him, then He will shape, mold & fashion our small desires into His big-picture Plan for our lives...

So... Some questions for you-

* Would you say that you are guiding your heart? Or following it?
* Are you trying to glorify God in all of your speech, thoughts, deeds & dress?
* Are you seeking God's Will, His Kingdom & His righteousness first?
* Are you content with where God has you in life?
* Are you "working while you wait," in preparation for your future?
* Are you "fully surrendering your precious dreams" to God?
* Are you trusting God with the outcome?
* Does your soul truly delight in the Lord?
* Are you happy to rest & wait for His Timing?

I encourage you to let there be "not even a hint of... immorality" in your life (Ephesians 5:3). In His own good, perfect Timing, "all things will work out for our Good & His Glory" (Romans 8:28). God's thoughts are not our thoughts nor are His ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Trust in His good, perfect Will. Remember- no Promise of the Lord returns void (Isaiah 55:10-11)! God has a perfect Plan in mind for your life, far better than our wildest dreams, if we wait patiently for His Timing & do things His way! It IS worth the wait...

" Let us not become weary in doing good,  for at the proper time we
will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9