O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is (Psalm63:1)
By Shelia Clarke
I said, I will take heed to my ways, That I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, While the wicked is before me. Psalm 39:1
If we do not take heed to our ways, our tongue will let us down. As James said, it is set on the fire of hell; it is unruly; it lies; it speaks death instead of life; and it does not care who it will cut down. James 3:6
In Proverbs 18:21, again, the Word cautions us about our tongue:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
We will have to choose and choose well the things that we say. We cannot just spit out what comes to our minds without thinking about the consequences that will follow. We are hurt by our own words, or we hurt others with our words.
For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. James 3:7-9
Let us not allow Satan to be our master, or else he will rule our hearts and pull us further and further away from the truth and further and further away from God. If we have something to say, especially if we are upset about something or someone, it is best not to speak while we are angry. God instructs us to be angry and not sin (Eph. 4:26–27).
CONSIDER
What are some of the ways you might sin when you are angry? Think about that.
Isn’t it a sobering thought to know that even when we may be rightfully upset, God is still expecting us to handle the situation in a Christ-like manner? He will settle for nothing less and will not accept our excuses. He expects us to: 1. repent of the times we reacted inappropriately; and 2. ask Him to bring those unruly aspects of our temper under His control.
The scripture is our true guide. It speaks to every situation we will face in life, directly or indirectly. If we desire to live for God, the Bible, the living Word of God, must be our daily companion, and we must accept all of its instructions, whether or not we like or agree with them.
Jesus knows our weaknesses, so He sent the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. Therefore, we must appeal to Him for help when we have any difficulty understanding or accepting the Word. Let us not ignore Him.
Let us take heed before it is too late.
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