Friday, May 4, 2012

Friend to Friend Friday

Surrender your tongue to God




"but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8)

We cannot tame our tongues without supernatural help. To help you surrender your tongue to God, let me encourage you with a little speech therapy. Before you speak something that may be harmful ask yourself these five questions:

Is it true? Is what I’m going to speak the truth? If not, stop. If it is, second ask,
Is it necessary? Jesus said we are going to be judged for every careless word. There are so many things that we say that are not necessary. Third ask,
Is it beneficial? Is what I’m going to say going to build someone up or tear them down? Fourthly,
Do I have permission to share it?
Before you speak think about what kind of friend you’re being. Finally, ask yourself,
Is my motive pure? Why am I saying this? We all struggle with our tongues to varying degrees. There’s something we can all do about gossip. Remember gossip is when I share with you something about a third person and neither you or I are part of the problem or the solution.

Will you listen more, bite your tongue more, refuse to tear others down, and surrender your tongue to Jesus Christ? This is not some extra thing that God is requesting of us. This is a mandate for being a Christ-follower. Yes, the tongue may be the smallest and largest troublemaker in all the world. It has the 1. Power to direct. 2. the Power to destroy, but also 3. the Power to delight. God can use our tongues to guide others into the way of life, and to sustain them in the trials of life. Give God your tongue each day and ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others.

Enjoy your day
Amanda