Category: Control your tongue

It’s Scary – An Untamed Tongue

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control your tongue, Tongue2 Comments

Thursday, 2020-02-13

Bible Reference: James 3:7-12
Translation: The Message (MSG)

Bible Text: 7–10 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! 10–12 My friends, this can’t go on. A spring doesn’t gush fresh water one day and brackish the next, does it? Apple trees don’t bear strawberries, do they? Raspberry bushes don’t bear apples, do they? You’re not going to dip into a polluted mud hole and get a cup of clear, cool water, are you?

OBSERVATION: Probably one of the most abused words in the English language is ‘Sorry’. We quickly say this after we have said what first passed through our lips, without any forethought. However, didn’t the hearer already become hurt by the abusive or hurt words that we released from our mouth? As we meditate today, let us give some thought to what may cause us to hurt someone with the words from our mouth. I believe that children of God should act and talk like their Father. Why don’t they always do this?

APPLICATION: It is unfortunate, but in spite of the warnings by James, it seems like we have paid little attention to his words. Still today, we are finding where many are being blessed by the good things that come from our lips, but yet we are also seeing friends hurt by the things that we say without regard to their feelings and/or implications to their reputation. This blows our opportunity to convince them to follow our Father, for they probably feel like we are a ‘chip off the old block’! James is telling us to do a self-check, because we can’t possibly deliver blessings using a small instrument in our body – the tongue, and also with the same instrument deliver bitter words and hatred. He likened it to a spring where we would never expect to see fresh and brackish water come forth from the same spring. Also as part of our inner check, James has challenged us to consider how friends we are witnessing to would never expect to see us righteous and holy one minute, and the very next minute see us being a bull-headed, cruel, mindless, thoughtless, abusive and hateful person, spitting forth evil and hurtful words. He likened this to a tree that bears only one type fruit. I believe the sobering part of this whole discussion and exhortation by James, is that God knows the ‘real’ us. We may try to convince people of our goodness, but God knows all about us. Friends, we must be sincere every hour, every day and with every word that comes forth from our mouth. If we truly belong to Christ, then every word and every action must exemplify Him. How are you doing friend? It’s a constant battle for me, which leads me to the cross daily for much needed help. Are you a child of the King who makes every effort to go directly to the throne for help? If so, please surrender your thoughts and your entire life to Jesus daily for His guidance and blessings. To be like Him – speak like Him and act like Him, you must be closely aligned with Him. Bible Study and prayer is two very important habits that will draw you closer to God and tune your ears and mind to His powerful touch. If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus’ control, please read through my ‘Footnote’ and follow the links for the help offered. With God’s help, we can do ALL THINGS for His glory!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, each day I want to grow stronger in You and become more like You. To do this, I am reminded that I must give You full control of my most inmost being, because I believe that from the heart the mouth speaks. So Lord, although it’s my tongue that I particularly want You to have ultimate control over, I also know that it is of even greater importance that I give You total control over my heart, mind and soul. Clean on the inside will produce clean and wholesome words on the outside, but this can only be achieved with You in total control of my life. Please take control dear Lord. I’m yours! Please speak to hearts of all my readers that may meditate on this devotional today. May they be impacted by You, and follow through by speaking words that are indicative of their Father. I ask all this in the precious and worthy name of Jesus, my King, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog at https://NuggetsFromGodsWord.org that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and see all of my posts, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!

Slaves to Anything That Controls Us

On By Ed AlgreenIn Committed, Control, Control your tongue, Totally committedLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   2 Peter 2:18-20 (ERV)

TEXT: 18 They boast with words that mean nothing. They lead people into the trap of sin. They find people who have just escaped from a wrong way of life and lead them back into sin. They do this by using the evil things people want to do in their human weakness. 19 These false teachers promise those people freedom, but they themselves are not free. They are slaves to a mind that has been ruined by sin. Yes, people are slaves to anything that controls them.  20 People can be made free from the evil in the world. They can be made free by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they go back into those evil things and are controlled by them, then it is worse for them than it was before.

OBSERVATION:   God used Peter to speak to his people at the time, and to also warn us today of the danger of false teachers sneaking in among us. Of course, no one reading this devotional will probably know of any ‘false teachers’ that have made their way into your churches, although you may have heard of this happening before at the churches across the street! Peter’s warning in these verses today shows us how easily this could happen in your own church, and how well accepted it might be, especially if they start opening up the doors, that are normally restricted or barred from typical Bible believing churches. So let’s stop and meditate on this for a little time today friends…

APPLICATION:   I remember attending a very small church at one time, and as they moved into their time of Holy Communion, my wife and I chose not to participate, because of our understanding of where our hearts should be in order to take part in this holy, sacred practice. From the pulpit, we were told that there’s nothing wrong with participating, because all have sinned. After some 50 years, I still remember the guilt feelings of giving in to that preacher in spite of where we felt we were with God at the time. Now in no way am I accusing that preacher of being a fase teacher, but I believe from our focal verses today, we could see where some teachers might easily convince us that it’s ok to do certain things, that we have always being taught is off limits for the believer. Friends, there is no better way to deal with this, than to have your Bible in hand at each service and/or Bible teaching class. If the preacher has announced a Scripture that supports his sermon, then turn in your Bible to that passage, and try to support what he is saying against what is written in the Word. If you can’t support it, then please get with the preacher after the service and ask him for the reference upon which he based his statement. Let me encourage you to do this. It will not only help you to stay true to the Word, but it will also help keep that preacher accountable to his calling. This will also encourage the preacher to thank God that at least one person was listening to the sermon/teaching! The other major thing that God got my attention on, was the fact that anything that controls us, we could easily become slave to. This really caused me to stop and ponder the things that tend to control me. While I really want you to think carefully about what might be controlling you, I believe that for me it might be things like work; church work; food; computer based programs and technology-based wonders, etc. To apply the Word of God, I believe it is my responsibility to make sure that none of the above enslaves me or interferes with my relationship with God. What about you friend, are there things that keep you for your daily time with the Lord, or opportunities to grow spiritually? Think about it, and will yourself to let nothing draw you away from God – the only One that loved you enough to sacrificially provide the means of you getting to heaven, and the only One who has the ability to help you overcome the evil things of this world and draw you to Himself.

PRAYER:   Lord, You won us to Yourself through Your precious Word. Please deepen our commitment to always seek the Word when we feel like something is separating us from You. Please help us to feed ourselves on Your Word daily, so that our souls might be fed with things that are holy, things that are righteous, and things that will draw us even closer to Yourself. Please keep us accountable to our commitment to serve You all the days of our life here on earth. May Your Word be a rock and a firm foundation on which we could stand as we face the evil of this world. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

The Tongue, Capable of Praises and Curses.

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control your tongue, Curses, Example, Example of Christ, Genuine example of Jesus, Godly example, Praise, Praise-worthy, TongueLeave a comment

SCRIPTURE  FROM:   James 3:7-10 (TPT)

TEXT:  7 For every wild animal on earth including birds, creeping reptiles, and creatures of the sea and land have all been overpowered and tamed by humans, 8 but the tongue is not able to be tamed. It’s a fickle, unrestrained evil that spews out words full of toxic poison! 9 We use our tongue to praise God our Father and then turn around and curse a person who was made in his very image! 10 Out of the same mouth we pour out words of praise one minute and curses the next. My brothers and sister, this should never be!

OBSERVATION:   Isn’t it amazing when you visit a zoo, or a marine park, to see how man has been successful in taming and training almost any animal? From the smallest to the largest, they aim to please man, and do what he has trained them to do! However, as our Scripture reminds us today, let’s direct our attention to mankind and find someone who could train one of the smallest parts of the human body, the tongue. It is impossible to find that trainer who could accomplish such a feat. Let’s have a closer look at this today and try to understand why God found it so important to include this teaching in His Word for us!

APPLICATION:   There was once a trial where the defendant was found guilty of multiple murders. When asked why he did these atrocious crimes, the defendant told the judge that it was because ‘the devil made me do it’. Why then do we say some of the hateful, or hurtful, or dishonoring things that we do? Then with the same tongue, sing such beautiful, awesome praises to our King with such meaningful intent, melodious tones and harmonious sounds? The innocent, and those void of Scriptural understanding, may question: how could this possibly be? Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 tells us that the mouth will speak what the heart is full of. So instead of examining the value, or the threat/danger of the tongue, it seems to me that we should concentrate on, and examine the heart of a person. An example of this was portrayed in a real-life scenario from my past. A new pastor came to our church, and to everyone’s shock, he wound up getting along best with an individual who often ran people off because of his words that were often blurted out before he took time to think about it. When asked for the secret to his success in this situation, the new pastor responded that he simply looked at the heart of the person. For in spite of the words that spewed from the mouth of the individual, they had a heart of gold for God and His church. Wow! Wouldn’t that practice help us solve a lot of issues around our churches, and even our lives in general, if we practiced that philosophy? Friends, I would dare say that many of the issues that cause church division, family divisions and falsely judging another person, comes from the crazy things that are uttered from the mouths of ‘saints’ at times. Please allow me to suggest that we look inwardly and correct the inner man first. In other words, allow God’s Word to invade us, and attack our judgmental attitudes, and fill our hearts with a desire to read His Word often, and very carefully compare our personal thoughts and actions with those expected of us by our King. If we work on ‘self’, and encourage others to do the same, it is easy to see that there won’t be a need for us to interfere and try to correct someone else! As we allow God sincere control of our lives, He will do the correcting of bad habits and a gossiping tongue!

PRAYER:   Precious Lord, I believe that Your Word hit on the most challenging thing that impacts the witness of Your church, and that causes the unbeliever to block us out when we try to share Your love with them. Please Lord, again today, reach into our hearts and make us concentrate on what is worthy, loving, true, pure and filled with Your grace. You loved us enough to actually die for our sin. We have a full time responsibility to praise You, thank You, and love You, so much that our lives would exemplify You in everything we do or say. Please let us concentrate on building You up, and not tearing others down. AMEN!  

FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’.  If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Sebring, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Who or What Are You Influenced By?

On By Ed AlgreenIn Control your tongue, Doers of the Word, True to the Word, Your InfluenceLeave a comment

May I encourage you to get your spiritual ‘Nuggets’ to start your day off right? Pretty amazing that our awesome God would consider feeding even us with His Word! May I encourage you to read the whole devotional, and look for a blessing, friend!………

Today’s Bible Reference: James 1:25-27
Today’s Bible Text: … anyone keeps looking steadily into God’s law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. Anyone who says he is a Christian but doesn’t control his sharp tongue is just fooling himself, and his religion isn’t worth much. The Christian who is pure and without fault, from God the Father’s point of view, is the one who takes care of orphans and widows, and who remains true to the Lord—not soiled and dirtied by his contacts with the world.
The Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)

My Take Away: There are a few things in this scripture today that James felt was of great importance to share with his listeners. God permitted these things in His Word to us, because He knew that we would struggle with these things also. Let’s examine them for our edification today:

  • Be doers of the Word – Hopefully you are refreshing your soul daily in the Word of God, and also over the weekend as you attend church to fellowship with other believers. This should mean that you are being reminded of the truths of God’s Word on a regular basis. Imagine for a moment that you are soaking in all this encouragement; truth; direction; wisdom; and unselfish, sacrificial love, but it has not impacted your life enough to create a change in your behavior and/or relationship with others. Friends, you can study the Driver’s License test book for days, but if you don’t do what it says when you take your test, you won’t be granted your license. Doing what the Word of God says, is a strong indication that it has impacted your life more than the world has. The Word says that God will bless you in your efforts towards obedience of His Word;
  • Control your tongue – It is unfortunate, but the tongue will give away the deepest secrets of your heart every time. It won’t take too many words before one will quickly discern who is influencing your life. If you bathe yourself with the Word of God, and seek God’s face in desiring to live out the Word of God, then His principles will govern what you say;
  • Proof of your influencer – When influenced by the Word of God, you will voluntarily take care of the widows and orphans. Has there been enough evidence lately that you are being influenced by God and His Word?
  • True to the Word – Are you saturated in the Word of God to the extent that it is virtually impossible for you to be influenced by your old friends, or the evil of this old world? We may continue to reside in this world, but because we represent the kingdom of light, there should be clear evidence that we are not of this world.

What does the world see when they come into contact with you? Same old same old, or a true, honest reflection of Jesus Christ? 

Prayer: Lord, I believe that the world is tired of seeing fakes, or make-believes, for it reminds them way too much of what they witness in the world everyday. I pray that as we deal with this reminder today, that You will influence us to be agents of change that will truly reflect the life and character of the One in whom we believe. I pray that words will not be necessary to express our relationship with You, but that others will see evidence in and through everything we say or do. Please dear Lord, may we truly be representative of all that You are, so that our contacts will catch a glimpse of Jesus today and desire to know Him personally. This is my prayer in deepest humility dear Jesus, AMEN!

Footnote: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

2016