Have you ever set out to do a little study of scripture only to find the one you are studying is a bit ordinary or extremely familiar? Well, that was me this evening!! I am almost embarrassed to reveal my somewhat trite like attitude. Because I am who I am and I am always ready and waiting for an adventure in the Lord, I pressed on through it. I opened my heart and my mind to be taught and I obeyed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Can I tell you that I have never been let down when I obey the leading!!! In fact, I usually end up utterly mind blown. This lesson I learned was quite multifaceted, here is why. First, I learned that you never know what lesson you will be taught regardless of what, if any preconceived notions you may have. Second, I learned that unexpected gifts and treasures are all over the place, just waiting to be discovered. Thirdly, I learned the meaning of the actual scripture.
Because this experience was so profound to me, I feel compelled to share this with you as well. My prayer is that you would receive as much blessing from this study as I did.
James 3:8
New American Standard Bible
8 But no one among mankind can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
At first glance this scripture seems quite self-explanatory, doesn’t it? Well, just wait!! I was studying with a friend. This friend shared with me what the Holy Spirit revealed about this passage of scripture. Here it is.
This scripture perfectly expresses that we all have difficulty keeping our tongue tamed or in control. Now we know we are likely to run into a situation, on a daily basis, for which this verse must be applied. With this in mind, it was revealed that as a result a poison of negativity or darkness is likely to be dispersed into our life and reality. This awful spoken word can really hurt us if we are not prepared ahead of time. I thank God that we have this verse to be ready and protected.
You see, this verse really shows us how much grace and forgiveness we should be ready to embrace. We are being forewarned that situations such as these will arise in our everyday lives. So, the next question was how do we respond in grace and forgiveness. How do we apply this verse to our lives?
First, I would like you to consider this statement. “What a man says, defines him!” This is extraordinary in depth and wisdom. We really need to be careful with the words that we use. I believe words have the power to bring life or death. Jesus brought this world into existence by speaking it. Consider now again how powerful words are. Now apply the construct to the statement “what a man says, defines him!” We have great power with our words, and we must carefully choose these words as they will define us. So now I challenge you to carefully speak words that bring life, blessings, encouragement, joy and Hope. What if we set out to combat the curses swirling around in the air out there with words of love?
I once had a vision of words as if they were alive. They were swirling about here and there. These words were either of love or darkness. If they were pure of heart, they would actually swallow up the dark and cursed words. I love to picture in my heart all the negativity and darkness that are being consumed by the light every time my mouth opens with words of life!!
I challenge you to go forward from this day on choosing to bring life everywhere you go, which will also consume the dark curses uttered by those who do not have a controlled tongue. This is the extraordinary power we have. Let us use this power to make the world around us a better place. In this better place, the light will prevail. With more light comes more understanding. This understanding always leads to Father and His amazing love!!
Reference
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+3%3A8&version=NASB
