Proper Prayer Begins by Taming the Tongue

Our small group started the Priscilla Shirer study, Can We Talk?, last night. The six-week course is designed to encourage a more effective prayer life. The first week's lessons are about the tongue and how we use our mouths. 

I've taught on prayer for years, but beginning with the tongue was a little unexpected. It's a great starting point, though. Two verses in James explain why:

"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;" James 3:8,9 nasb

The mouth is all I can see of the animal in the photo. My first thought was "llama," then "donkey," and, finally, "horse in the winter with long hair." The mouth captures my attention in a way it wouldn't if closed. It's so unattractive that I can't tell if the rest of the horse is beautiful or not.

My mouth, too, has all too often dominated how I seem to people over the years. I've spoken without thinking or, worse, spoken what I thought without caring about the consequences. As someone I love once said, I used my mouth like a weapon. I was good at it, too, if slashing the hearts and confidence of others with your words is a skill to be admired. 

What came out of my mouth, in the past and more recently than I'd like to admit, had more to do with pride on my part than a desire to impart truth. I believed "my" way was best, what I wanted was what should be done. 

It didn't take me long to learn the squeaky wheel gets the grease, the loudest voice is the one we hear, she who persists the longest often gets her way. I've known this, and lived it, most of my life. All those adages may be true, but they don't tell us about the hurt those loud, squeaky voices and those arrogant words leave behind.

I'm sorry for the arrogance with which I've spoken over the years and, if I could take those words back, I would. Words once spoken, however, can never be recalled. 

That, my friends, is why James describes the tongue as a consuming fire and why he says no one can tame it. Only God can extinguish the fire and bring balm to our mouths. 

If we want a right relationship with God, we need more than clean hearts and hands. We need clean tongues, as well. 

Let's think about our words for a moment, if we can stand it. How have we spoken in the last week, the last month, the last year? Have our words been a fountain of life or a spewing fountain of poison? Have we blessed God and cursed our neighbor? Have we spoken words that demean and hurt or build up and encourage?

If we want to please God, to have a sweet and intimate relationship with Him, we must allow Him to tame our tongues. 

The choice is ours. Will we surrender this tiny bit of our anatomy to His control? Will we allow our words to bless, encourage, flow with kindness like a river of love washing over those who most need it? 

I choose surrender, repentance, cleansing, change. I want my mouth to be a source of blessing to all I meet. What about you? 

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Proverbs 18:21kjv

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's link: Living in the Shadow of the Cross and Loving our Enemies

Guest blogger Debbie Pharr: Words of Faith or Words of Fear

Jacob is a precious man of God who serves in the country of Kazakhstan as a church planter.  He, his wife K. and their three sons face opposition and a great deal of hardship, but they are filled with joy. 

A few months ago, the Aimurzin family used their electric bill money to fund a trip for K to go to her mother, who was very sick. Jacob and his three sons spent a few weeks without power.  

Instead of complaining, his next newsletter was full of thankfulness.   He shared about how it gave him special times with his sons as they conversed around the candlelight in the evenings.  He praised God for the way He brought them closer as a family through adversity.  

What the enemy meant for harm, God used for good through the praises of this precious family.

The enemy whispers (and sometimes shouts) his discouragements, accusations, and lies against God’s word daily in my life. But I have a choice and you have a choice as to how we respond.  

As a dear friend reminded me recently, “There are only two kinds of words; words of fear or words of faith!” Which kind of words will you use today? 

Prayer ---Lord, we worship You as the almighty, all-powerful God of the universe for whom nothing is impossible.  Thank You that when we deem You worthy of all praise, You save us from our enemies.   When we praise You, Satan has no answer for that. When we praise You, Satan is defeated!

2 Samuel 22:4  ---“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”

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photo courtesy of free images.com

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: (a Caregiver Chronicle) When We're Made for Relationship and We're Dying Without It

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Or you can mail your check or money order to: Global Outreach/ PO Box 1, Tupelo MS 38802. Be sure to put Account 4841 in the "for" line

Golden, Medicinal Words

Coach Jon Ginn is the worship leader at Hope Church in Tupelo MS and he is also the lead worshipper. I am blessed every week by his worship and by his life and that of his sweet family. When I received this weekly "letter to the choir", I immediately asked to use it for Friday night with Friends. (He had written about words the week before. Rather than change his article, I've reprinted it just as it came to me.) I think you'll be blessed. This is Jon's first blog post, so be sure to give him lots of encouragement and love, because I hope it won't be his last.
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A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

 I know, I know, we just talked about the power of words last week, but I don't think we can be reminded of this fact enough. Being in Proverbs 25 today (today being the 25th) once again this principle stood out. Let me give you a quick word picture from my study Bible.

The apples refer to a decorative motif in jewelry, similar to the more familiar "pomegranate" pattern. (Ex. 39:24-25, 1 Kings 7:18) The image represents godly speech (a word fitly spoken or suited for the occasion). A wise reprover to a listening ear (Prov. 9:8b-9) is like gold jewelry; that is, stunningly beautiful and valuable (possibly because of its rarity).

When someone says the right thing at exactly the right time, it is a thing of beauty. Just like seeing a rare jewel or work of art gives us deep appreciation for God's creation and craftsmanship of man, a word spoken in this manner feeds our soul with godly instruction and hope.

Our words become medicinal when spoken through the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He gives us the words we ought to say at the time we should say them (if we are in tune with Him - Matthew 10:20). Yes, some medicine is bitter when first tasted; this is true. However, the end result of healing and that is a beautiful thing.

May your words be beauty to those to whom you speak this week. 

#applesofgold #words 

Unfaithful Servant: Salt and Light and Logs and Motes

But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Luke 12: 45-48 NASB

We began our study of the unfaithful servant yesterday. If you missed it, I hope you'll follow the link (it opens in a new tab) and read it.

I expected to write today about the slave who knew his master's will and didn't do it. In a way, that's exactly what I'm writing about. In a way, I'm writing about the unfaithful servant who beats the other people. I hesitate, because I'm as guilty as anyone else of seeing motes in others' eyes while ignoring the log in my own, but this is a subject that has bothered me for months. It's so loud in my head that it must be written. 

We are talking today about the WORDS we choose to use. 

My life is chock-full of words because my days are spent writing and editing, correcting the wrong words and making them right. I was focused on words long before I started writing full-time, though. In my growing up years, my mother must have told me a thousand times, "You don't have to say everything that comes into your mind." (Well, maybe not those exact words, but that's what she meant.) I understand the importance of words and the difficulty with choosing good ones.

It has taken me a lifetime to get a filter on my mouth, and I'm the first one to say I'm not perfect with it, despite my effort. With that said, here we go.

Jesus called me (us) to be salt and light. He did not call me to rub a handful of salt into a wound.

I am called to be the amount of saltiness that adds flavor to food, not the amount that makes it impossible to swallow.  If my words spew forth and are filled with venom (in the name of "truth"), I am not adding flavor to the world around me. I am making my faith impossible to swallow.

I am to be light, but the warm light of a lamp that draws people in the darkness to Christ. I am not called to be a spotlight boring into the eyes of the unbeliever to the point that they are blinded by the glare. I am called to be a lamp, not a laser. 

I recently drove to a meeting late in the evening. When I rounded a curve, the sun was shining directly into my eyes. It was so bright that I was temporarily blinded and had to stop lest I run into a fence that was directly ahead of me. Progress toward the goal was completely halted by the glare. It didn't draw me to my destination. It prevented me from moving toward it.

As a disciple of Christ, I am called to obey the Word of God and to live righteously. I am called to share the Good News of a risen Savior with those who don't know Him. Christ died for me while I was a sinner, and He died for those who are also still sinners (which I am, t00).

How can people obey Christ if they do not know Him? Why would I expect the world to obey Him? Yes, Jonah preached a hard word to Nineveh and the people repented. His very effective prophetic proclamation was made only after a radical life-changing encounter with the Most High God had left him visibly changed. 

 If I want to be a modern-day Jonah to the world around me, I need to begin by having a life-altering encounter with God that leaves me so changed that all can see it.  I also need to remember the kind of message Jonah gave. He didn't spew venom. Not once did he say, "Your sin makes me sick." Jonah simply stated the truth. "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown."

When I attack the world for acting like the world, but do not address the sin in my own life, in my own church, I appear not only hypocritical (which I am) but also foolish.

Can't I see the log in my own eye? 

Every mote looks like a log when it's in someone else's eye. Seeing a mote in someone else's eye does not mean I am without a log or two in my own eye.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am dedicated to truth, but I need to understand and live with all the truth. 

It is past time for the body of Christ to allow our Lord to clean the sin out of our own lives, out of our own churches. 

It is past time to let go of self-righteousness and see that we, like the world, are sinners in need of a redeeming, cleansing, forgiving Savior.

When I say "we", I include myself in that "we". Christ died for me while I was a sinner. He loves me even though I am still a sinner. His Spirit convicts me, presses me when I persist in sin, and draws me back to my Lord when I stray. 

For today, let's ask God to create in us clean hearts and clean mouths, to remove the venom and give us words that honor Him. (Yes, I'm praying that same thing.) Let's pray that the words of our mouths would be acceptable in His sight. 

Let's be the lamp, the flavor-enhancer He's called us to be, demonstrating Christ to the world in a way that is both filled with truth and also irresistible. 

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Our Father, forgive us for "log disease". Help us to see ourselves, our hearts, our words as You see them. Infuse us with the light of Your love and help us to shine in such a way that those who live in darkness are drawn to the light. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Tomorrow's topic is Christ and the constitution. I'm dreading it.

#disciple #JesusChrist #actlikewebelive #getthelogout

Forgiven Failure: Speaking against Jesus

And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. When they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say." (Luke 12:10-12 NASB)

Peter's three-fold denial of Christ was only a few hours away, but it was no secret to Jesus. We see here how tenderly He prepares the way for Peter's repentance and restoration. "Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man (which Peter was soon to do), it will be forgiven him." Jesus intended to hold those who were His own until the very end. 

I wonder if Peter remembered these words after the cock crowed. Did he consider whether or not he could be forgiven? Peter's failure was so devastating to him that he avoided his fellow disciples. His shame isolated him and robbed him of the forgiveness and love he so desperately needed. It was Jesus who sought him out, who brought him back. Peter had spoken against Jesus, but forgiveness was available from the very One he had wronged. 

That's good news for me, because I, too, will fail Jesus with both my life and my words, and do so far too often. Forgiveness was bought at a terrible price. I should not take it casually, as if it were of no consequence, but I should not avoid forgiveness because of its great price.


We've all failed our Lord and will do so again because of the battle between sin and righteousness that wages within us. We may lose a skirmish in the war against sin, but we do not have to stay defeated. Forgiveness is available.

The remainder of this passage contains some hard words, and we will deal with them tomorrow. For today, let's praise God that our failures can be forgiven and our sin-fractured relationship with Christ can be restored.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 15:56-58 NASB)

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Thank you, Lord, for the promise of forgiveness. I admit my failure and the words that I have used to deny You. Forgive me and restore me to relationship with You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Think Before You Speak

plotting against Him to catch Him in something He might say. (Luke 11:54 NASB)

After nearly 160 blog posts on Luke 11, I expected to begin Luke 12 today. It's probably no surprise that, as I was reading Luke 11 one more time this morning to be sure we had gathered all the good, I found one more little nugget.

I read this last verse and could hear my mama saying, "Young lady, you need to watch what you say," and "Not everything that comes in your head needs to come out your mouth." Exactly. It's a shame that she had to tell me that so many times, but she did. If you've spent much time with me, you may think I haven't improved much. The sad thing is that, as blunt and opinionated as I am, I'm less vocal than I used to be. I am, however, like you, still a work in progress.  

The scribes/lawyers and Pharisees knew that the easiest way to discredit someone was to take something they said out of context and expose them to public ridicule. Since Jesus spoke daily to crowds of people, he said many words. Already, the scribes and Pharisees were unhappy (to put it mildly) about the words He had just said to them. (Admittedly, I might not have been happy if Jesus had told me that I carried the stench of death in my actions, either.) When anger became action, the scribes and Pharisees' first scheme was to catch Him in something He said. They were sure that they could destroy Him with His own words. 

The Pharisees and scribes understood something that I seem to forget sometimes. My words have great power. I can bless with them and I can curse with them. (James 3) Since I have a choice about the words I use and the way I say them, I need to choose wisely. Do I "speak curses" against others? I'd like to say that I never do that, but if I say negative things about others that cause people to adopt my same negative attitude, I have, in a way, spoken a curse against them. I have harmed them with my words.

If I spread the latest tidbit of news about someone or share a secret best kept, I have harmed them with my words. James wrote that the same tongue that blessed God in worship should not be used to curse (or harm) others in public, and I need to remember that.

My grandmother used to say, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." I would do well to remember her words, and so would we all. The Pharisees were right. The quickest way to discredit a man or woman of God is to catch them saying something intemperate and use those words against them. Let's be sure we think before we speak, temper our words with kindness, and say only those words we would be happy for Jesus, who knows every word we speak, to hear.

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is worthless. (James 1:19-20, 26 NASB)

Pretense of Zeal

When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them."] And they went on to another village. (Luke 9:54-56 NASB)

The Samaritan village where Jesus intended to lodge for the night had refused Him accommodations, and James and John had offered to call down fire from heaven to destroy the town. It is commendable that they had such confidence in the power Jesus had given them, but they had misunderstood the example of Elijah. Had they looked to the example of Christ, they would have seen that never once did He ever call down judgement upon those who rejected Him. It is imperative that we not take an example in Scripture and use it to justify wrong-doing.

It was a good thing that the two disciples asked for Jesus' permission first before acting. He rebuked them for their desire for destruction. They did not know what spirit was acting in them in this desire, He said. Mathew Henry said it well when he wrote, "You are not aware what an evil spirit and disposition you are of, how much there is of pride, and passion, and personal revenge, covered under this pretence of zeal for your Master." 

That is so profound that it bears repeating. We don't see how much pride, passion, and personal revenge are covered by a pretence of zeal for the things of God. How often do we speak and act, ostensibly to protect the cause of Christ, in such a way that we end up causing more harm than good? It is so important to be aware of our motives behind the "righteous indignation" from which we want to act. 

Motive. Why we do what we do is critical, for one day, we will be held accountable for our actions. There is a school of thought that says, "Oh, the blood of Jesus will cover that," as if His redemptive gift relieves us of personal responsibility. May it never be that we treat the precious lifeblood of our Savior so casually. 

Dear ones, we must consider our words and actions carefully, choosing only those that are right and good. I speak as one who is entirely too impetuous with my words, and as one who has considerable progress yet to be made in this area. 

The contrast Jesus made between the spirit of the disciples and His Spirit, His desire, was stark. The Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them, He said. If that saving of men is the reason why our Lord came, it should be the motivating force behind our words and actions as well. Let us, then, be careful to think before we speak and pray before we act so that we can glorify our Father who is in Heaven rather than our own pretence of zeal. May our actions and words bring healing and not harm, redemption and not revenge. Let's point the way to Jesus in everything we do. 

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The new book, The Waiting: When the Answer to Your Prayer is Delayed and Your Hope is Gone, as well as The Clay Papers and The Road to Bethlehem (an advent devotional guide) are now available at http://www.leannahollis.com/online-store/ Get your copy today. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/12/the-problem-with-trees.html

Revolving Minds

The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, "Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" (Luke 5:21 NASB)

We will look further at this verse, but the thing that strikes me today is this whole idea of "beginning to reason".  The Greek word here is "dialogizomai" and means to "reckon up" several different ideas and discuss them or to "revolve in one's mind".  I do that sometimes, don't you?  It's pretty common to get an idea in your mind, whirl it around a while until you come to some sort of conclusion about your idea, then (because it's been bouncing around your synapses for a while) mistakenly accept it for truth. That's what the scribes and Pharisees did. When Jesus pronounced the man's sins forgiven, one man after another chimed in. Pretty soon, a whirlwind of opinions was spinning around and, as a group, they pulled out a consensus. It was a dialogue and they cobbled some of their words together and made up their minds. They had valid questions, don't get me wrong, but questions are not the same as verified truth. Jesus, however, was about to answer their questions and clarify truth. 

There is nothing wrong with group discussion. There is nothing wrong with expressing an opinion. The danger comes in confusing opinion with fact and basing life decisions on opinion rather than truth. What if the man on the stretcher had listened to the Scribes and Pharisees that day, accepted their reasoning as fact, and rejected what Jesus said about forgiving his sins? He would likely have stayed on his stretcher. 

As you pray and wait for God to move in the heart of your loved ones, you may hear all kinds of Pharisaical reasoning. "There's only so much God can do" is one such comment that is like fingernails on chalkboards to me. Those speakers must never have been pursued by the Hound of Heaven. What god do they serve?  Jehovah can handle it. Today, let's take hold of the God of Scripture, El Shaddai, and leave the "dialogizomai" behind. Hold to the truth we know as expressed in Scripture and the promises it contains. 

He is able to deliver. That comes straight from Scripture, and if we can't count on that, what else is there?  Trust it. Trust Him. 

Today, pray that the One who can forgive sin will wade into our circumstances and do all He can do. Pray for deliverance and healing. Pray for transformation. Pray for change that lasts.