The Power of the tongue
Proverbs 18: 21, Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
They that love "what" shall eat the fruit thereof? The tongue? Of course not! This is a direct reference to the tongue's ability to impart life by blessing or to impart death by cursing.
James 3:8-12; "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. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."
I believe that when the Word of God says that the tongue cannot be tamed, that's exactly what it means.Though we cannot control the tongue, the Spirit of God can, once we have surrendered over our will to the Spirit. The bible says that with God all things are possible...that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us...and that apart from Jesus we can do nothing. So naturally when we attempt to live our lives in the flesh, we can produce nothing of any value. Either a person is one way or another. You either speak the truth or you are a liar. You either live for Christ or you don't. There is no middle ground.
Proverbs 23:7, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee."
So how do we know what's in a person's heart? The answer to this question is a simple one...You can know what is in a person's heart by the words that come out of that person's mouth!
Matthew 12: 34, O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
When a person's heart is full of the love of Christ, only good, fruitful, and edifying words will be spoken by that individual. When the heart is filled with anything other than the love of Christ, the resulting speech will reflect what is in the heart!
Matthew 7:16-20, Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Though in this particular portion of Scripture Jesus is referring to false prophets, it can be safely applied to believers, as well as non-believers. You can tell when a person is bitter because they say harsh and bitter things, they tend to complain and bicker, and find fault with everything, and everyone other than themselves. Don't just take my word for it. Don't accept this just for the sake of acceptance. Put it to the test! Listen to what you speak the most about. That will determine what is in your heart! In this day and age it is so easy to get caught up in so many things. We as Christians have to constantly guard our hearts from the influences of the "world".
James 4:4, Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Don't be offended by the Word of God. You see anyone that accepts the current "New Age" world view, its philosophy, and teachings is out of "sync" with God. You see literally when we accept Christ, we perform a marriage vow. We are the Bride of Christ! So flirting with the world is actually an act of adultery in the sight of God! The "World" would appear to have a lot to offer, but in the end you are left empty and desolate.
Proverbs 15:1, A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Rather than react the same way to someone that speaks rudely to you, try saying something nice instead. Or try being humble! Most often that individual will be caught off guard, not at all expecting such a response from you. When you add wood to the fire, the fire will continue to burn. Take wood away from the fire, and the fire will put itself out!
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