Another Triple Whammy-The Tongue

A Night of Harp and Prayer at Shiloh

I’ve had a triple whammy related to my tongue this week. You probably don't struggle with your tongue, but mine can get out of control at times and leave me with regret.

Here is how the whammy came at me.

Part 1 of the whammy was in the form of the sermon at our church Sunday from James chapter 3. You can fast forward to 29:49 on this link to hear the sermon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P42RePR9ZME

Part 2 was a challenge during a time of contemplative prayer led by our daughter on her harp Wednesday night here at Shiloh. She had us in Galatians 5:22-23

and asked that as we meditated on that verse the Lord would show us where we needed more power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to develop that specific part of the fruit.

My mind gravitated to kindness and self-control, especially with my words.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Part 3 was this devotional delivered by email. https://www.seniorlivingministries.org/2023/05/the-right-way-to-speak-truth-into-others-lives-4/

I think I will just keep my mouth shut today.

Don't be discouraged. Listen to the song below and rejoice!

The Song

"Living Hope" Phil Wickham

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-1fwZtKJSM

Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.  Proverbs 13:3 A mother recounts how her kids won four free goldfish at a school carnival. So she went out and bought a used 10-gallon aquarium for a mere five dollars. Of course, it was dirty, but the savings made the two hours of clean-up a breeze. Those four new fish looked great in their new home… at least for the first day. But by the next day, one had died. Too bad, but three remained. Monday morning revealed a second casualty, and by Monday night a third goldfish had gone belly up. So she called in an expert, a friend who had a 30-gallon tank. It didn’t take him long to discover the problem: She had washed the tank with soap, an absolute no-no. Her uninformed efforts had destroyed the very lives she was trying to protect. All too often, in our zeal to clean up the world around us, we, unfortunately, use “killer soaps” – condemnation, criticism, nagging, and angry words. At the moment, it seems like we’re doing the right thing, but our harsh, self-righteous treatment is more than others can bear. So what’s the answer? Well, we have to use words of love when dealing with the sin of others. We can’t expect people to respond well to our negative words, but we must affirm we love them and express a genuine concern for their well-being. That’s the key to speaking truth into others’ lives! Prayer Challenge Pray that God would help you speak the truth to others in a spirit of love and unity. Questions for Thought How have you seen the power of words tear down or lift up in the past? Who are some people in your life today to whom you can speak truth in a spirit of love and affirmation?