Fire Starter?

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, make each word a gift. Don't grieve God. Don't break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don't take such a gift for granted. Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:29-32

Do you ever listen to your words when you are angered or offended? Do you 'bite back' when someone says something to you that hurts? I know it's something that I can struggle with, especially if it's my husband or someone close to me. When I went to Women of Faith, they did a skit that talked about how our tongue can be like a fire and rage out of control, and with one little word, we can destroy everyone around us.

All of us do many wrong things. But if you can control your tongue, you are mature and able to control your whole body. By putting a bit into the mouth of a horse, we can turn the horse in different directions. It takes strong winds to move a large sailing ship, but the captain uses only a small rudder to make it go in any direction. Our tongues are small too, and yet they brag about big things. It takes only a spark to start a forest fire! 6The tongue is like a spark. It is an evil power that dirties the rest of the body and sets a person's entire life on fire with flames that come from hell itself. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and sea creatures can be tamed and have been tamed. But our tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison. My dear friends, with our tongues we speak both praises and curses. We praise our Lord and Father, and we curse people who were created to be like God, and this isn't right. Can clean water and dirty water both flow from the same spring? Can a fig tree produce olives or a grapevine produce figs? Does fresh water come from a well full of salt water? James 3:2-12

What do your words do? Do they build up or destroy? Do you try to make an effort to have your words be kind and uplifting, or do you just say whatever you want because 'it's your right.' Words cut deep. They can hurt much more and much longer than a physical wound. Challenge yourself today to speak kindness, to speak life to others, not hurtful words. Don't start a forest fire with what you say. I know when I am kind, loving, and forgiving in my speech, life goes so much better! God didn't design me to speak hurtful words, so when I do, I directly disobey him and I feel guilty, and sad for what I've done. Today, I am challenging myself to speak kind words and to not start any fires.

From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive. Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Proverbs 16:23-24