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June 12, 2023
Words
Beloved one, every has experienced the harm of gossip before, I don’t care who you are you’re not exempt. Whether or not the people talking meant direct harm or not the result of gossip is always broken trust and hurt feelings. God’s Word warns us to stay away from people who gossip and to guard our words. Psalms 141:3 says, ‘Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch at the door of my lips. Scripture uses the word slander which means making a false spoken statement damaging to a person’s reputation. Slander can destroy someone’s marriage, get them fired from their job, and destroy finances and family. The tongue has no bones but it’s strong enough to break a heart.
A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech, we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke, and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. (James 3:3-6)
This is scary: You can tame a tiger, but you can’t tame a tongue—it’s never been done. The tongue runs wild, a wanton killer. With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues, we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! (James 3:3-10) There is life and death in the power of the tongue. Speak life, you do have a choice in what you say. Be mindful of your words, they can either heal or hurt with lasting effects. Guard your words and you will guard your life, but if you do not control your words, they will ruin your life. (Proverbs 13:3) Your words have power, there is life and death in the power of your tongue, whichever words you choose one shall eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21) Choose life!
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