Foolish Words

James 3:1-12, "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring."

When I think of all of the evil and wrong things that I have ever done, my words are the worst. My sexual sin with my ex husband, started with words. My words to him were turned into poison, as they fed his sin, my heart was being trained for even more evil. Prov 5:3, "For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil. But in the end she is as bitter as poison, as dangerous as a double-edged sword." I once went fishing for men. My body was the bait, but my words were the hook that kept them coming back to the same trap. If there ever was a woman that knew the power of words, it is me. The hard part is turning my words from death to life.

Prov 4:23-24, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil." Some people probably think that I am over doing everything, or that I am a prude. But, do you see how far I fell. I know what is out there, for I walked down that dark road before. Now I must guard my heart. I must guard my eyes. I have to, for I no longer want to be counted with the fools who never learn their lessons and keep repeating the same mistake over and over. Prov 9:6, "Leave your foolish ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment.” The crude joking; the movies that are very funny, but you would never let your children watch; all things like this, none of them are good for your heart. Why would I ever want to go there again! I must guard myself, for I know how easily I can be swept away by the world. I know how easy it is for me to join in and turn the whole thing bad.

We are told many times in the Bible to take each day, moment by moment. We are never told to live just for the future triumphs. We are not encouraged to only look at the past. We are told to take hold of today and strengthen ourselves for this moment, for this is all we can handle. If I can control my tongue today and not loose my head in the heat of the battle, then this battle today can be won. If I can not loose my temper and allow my thoughts to come flowing out of my mouth; If I can direct my words, so they bring encouragement to those who are struggling; if I can keep my eyes focused on Christ, then this day will be marked down as a triumphal victory. It is a foolish person that cannot control their mouth. Please God, help me to not be that person again, today.