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

_____________

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

Breaking the Burn Ban and Taming the Fire of Hell

I was sitting in my usual seat at the board of aldermen meeting last night when Cody Martin burst through the door into the town hall. 

Immediately, Jan said, "Cody, we're in a meeting."

"Someone has a fire in the fire pit." There was such urgency in his voice that we all turned around to look at him. "I saw it when I drove past the park."

It took a few seconds for the implications to sink in. The fire pit in the park is underneath a wooden pergola. A wooden fence is separated from the pergola by mere inches. A fire that was visible from the road had to be big.

We've had a state-wide burn ban for weeks. No open fire is allowed. The fine is $500. The risk is enormous. There have already been problems with fire in our area. A man died in a fire that got out of control. Acres have burned. 

The realization of the potential the fire presented hit us like a ton of bricks. We know what happens out West when fire gets started. We don't want that kind of devastation in our town. 

"Send a policeman down there," someone said. The chief was out of town for a class. We had no one to send. 

There was a scramble as we all jumped up from our chairs. Someone made a motion to end the meeting, someone else seconded it, and we voted as we headed out the door. We might not be able to arrest a fire bug, but we were going to do something.

We all converged on the park. At the fire pit area, I had to step back. The pit was filled with wood. The flames were enormous. Nearly as tall as my head. 

I demanded that the fire be put out immediately. Cody came with water in a jug. Malcolm unlocked the water faucet. Jan called the fire department.

Everyone did something. (Yes. My actions were the least helpful of all.)

Cody had the fire almost out when it flamed up again.

Curt Clayton came with the fire truck. They unrolled the hose, stretched it to the pergola, and pumped water on the fire until it was completely out. 

The timely action of a young man who could see a risk and take action prevented what could have been a catastrophe for the people in our town, none of whom knew the drama that was unfolding. I wish more people were as responsible about the danger of fire as Cody Martin. If I'd had a medal to pin on him last night, I'd have done it. 

I still can't get the thought of fire out of my mind this morning, and I'm reminded of what James wrote. 

"So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire. And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among the members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell....With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God..." James 3:3-6, 9 nasb

The danger of fire is very fresh in my mind. That my tongue can be even more dangerous is a horrifying though. And yet, I know it's true.

I've been careless with my tongue more times than I want to remember, but I'm choosing to do better. To guard my words. To give my tongue to Jesus, who is the Only One who can tame it.

Today, join me as we take a look at the fire of hell in our own tongues. Do we bless God and curse our fellow men with it? Are we careful about every word? If we need some divine tongue-taming, and we probably do, let's invite our Lord to take control over our tongues and sweeten our words with the gentleness of His Spirit.

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." Proverbs 18:21 esv

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life..." Proverbs 15:4 esv

_____________

Today, I'm grateful for my fellow citizens who see a need and take action to meet it. I'm especially grateful for Cody Martin.

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The One Who Always Keeps His Promises

Here's the link to support this ministry: Leanna Hollis  Account #4841

#burnban #fire #thankful 

My morning confession: Tongue-taming

For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

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; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. (James 3:2, 8-10 NASB)

Yep. Another detour. It's a morning confession. You may have thought that the post from yesterday, about not saying anything if you couldn't say something nice, was for you. It wasn't. It was for me. I read it several times, because I knew it was for me, but, before I could turn around, the day began to unfold.

So that I don't have to repent again for the many-ith time, all I will say is that I had repeated encounters with someone, and they did not go well. The first time, I managed to keep my cool but grumble to the Lord. The next time, I got tense. I was calm on the outside, but very upset on the inside, which is where God sees. That's the place that matters most. It went downhill from there. (You might not view this as downhill, but I do.) 

I grumbled all day long about the situation. I repented over and over again. Last night, as I reported in to my writing group with my daily word count, I realized that all the grumbling had severely affected my productivity. In my report, I wrote, "I need some time at the foot of the cross and an attitude adjustment." It was true. Finally, at the end of a long grumbly day, that's exactly where I went and what I received. After I dried my tears of repentance, I thought, "Why did I waste all that time grumbling when I could have left this at the cross?"

No one can tame the tongue except God, and it's quite a job. Maybe you're a little like me in this tongue problem, but let's take it to the cross and try to be done with it. No matter the situation, it is never the right thing to speak ill of someone. It is never the right thing to grumble to others about someone. It's never the right thing to hold onto our anger all day while we fret and fume. I know this from experience.

With all that said, I'm determined to be more faithful with the way I use my tongue today. I'm going to bless instead of grumble. I'm going to leave it at the cross, and I invite you to do the same. 

If we are disciples of Christ, we must do what He wants. Jesus is shockingly clear. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. That translates into praying for the most aggravating, irritating person in your life. Pray until you love them. I'm doing that now. In fact, let's do it together. 

Just think what God could do with our sacrifice if we stopped grumbling and loved the most unlovely people in our lives. It would take a miracle of tongue-taming, of course, so let's give our tongues to the only Tongue-Tamer, who can transform our words and, through them, change the world.

Body of Christ, part 4

(This is designated as part 4 because I just recognized today that this is a series on the body of Christ. The first 3 were not labeled as a series but they were )

-----

But Jesus said to him, "Do not hinder him; for he who is not against you is for you." (Luke 9:50 NASB)

But Jesus said, "Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. (Mark 9:39 NASB

The account of the disciples' rebuke of the man who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus is also included in the gospel of Mark, where we find additional detail. The disciples had seen a man casting out demons (an area of recent personal failure for them) in the name of Jesus. He was not known to the disciples and not part of their group and they sought to restrain him. 

Jesus, however, had other ideas. If he is not against you, he is for you. He was performing miracles in the name of Jesus and no other. Although he wasn't part of their "group" he was no less on the side of Christ. The decision about who was "for" Jesus did not rest with the disciples, nor does it rest with us. 

Jesus made another point that is very interesting. No one can perform a miracle in the name of Jesus and soon afterward speak evil of Him. That statement is worth pondering. The commentaries I consulted had little to say about this, but it's worth considering. The worth translated as "miracle" is dynamis and indicates the power to perform the miracle. The word translated as "be able to" is dynamai and indicates power to perform a task. Both words come from the same root. When we have the power to perform a miracle in the name of Jesus, we will not also have the power to speak evil of Christ afterward. 

If a reported miracle worker can speak evil of Christ after performing said miracle, we should not trust the miracle. What is amazing is that, when the power of God flows through us for the performing of miracles, it has a restraining power over our tongue, so that we cannot speak evil of (or curse) our Lord.

It is always the power of God that brings cleansing, never our own actions. Unworthy though we be to act in the name of Jesus, when the power of God flows through us, it should purify our mouths and make us not only more like Jesus but also make our words more glorifying to Him. Perhaps this concept could be better understood as the fact that a "clean" tongue (speech that glorifies God) should accompany our service to Him, especially if signs and wonders, or miracles, are performed in the name of Jesus. Our words, if injudicious, can completely undermine our service to God. In fact, our words are often the standard by which people judge the body of Christ and our place in it. James spoke of this in powerful terms: 

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; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. (James 3:8-10 NASB) 

The words we say matter. They matter as they bless or harm our Lord, and they matter as they bless or harm our witness. We would do well to consider what our words say about the source of our power. Do our words demonstrate the power of God at work in our lives or not? Those tongues of ours are like a deadly poison, and only God can purify them. Let's invite our Lord to make those words pure and sweet, speaking only blessings and not curses. Create in us, Lord, not just a clean heart but also a clean mouth.