via TJC
“For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”
—James 3:7-8 ESV
My mouth has often gotten me into trouble like it probably has for most, or all, of us. When I was younger, my girlfriend (now wife) used to tell me I could turn my foul language off as soon as our car crossed over the state line where my mother lived.
As someone striving to be a Kingdom Man, doing my best to actually do some of what I read in these Battle Orders, I’ve done pretty well at getting my physical tongue under control most days. If I’m completely honest though, my “inner tongue” still doesn’t do very well. It makes me feel like a hypocrite when I know, if people heard what was going on in my head, well… it wouldn’t be awesome. How does this affect my family, my friends, or my coworkers?
“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.”
—James 3:9
Recently, I have been discussing spiritual warfare, a strange topic if you are new to it, with some of my close circle of friends. One of my mentors brought up curses. Dictionary.com defines a curse as “a solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.”
As I consider the tongue, my tongue, whether physical or in my head, am I actually cursing people? We call the list of bad words our mothers didn’t want us to say “curse words,” but in general I haven’t tied them to actual cursing like we see in the Bible. When I say or think “GD” or “FU,” am I falling prey to what James is warning us about?
Daily Battle Order:
I’m not too uptight about being around people with some salty language, especially if I’m around other men who don’t know Jesus. I’m going to have to consider this some more though when it comes to me personally as a Kingdom Man. I encourage you to do the same. Today, make a note, maybe on your phone, each time you say or think a curse word. If you are like me it might be a longer list than you think.
“From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
—James 3:10 ESV
Commenti