The tongue

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

All things begin with a word! This is the way God designed it! He spoke and it was so.

Gen 2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

Name –a conspicuous position, a mark or memorial of individuality, honor, authority, character

Whatever Adam called them is what they became.

Psa 8: O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:

Mat 12:35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Idle – Inactive, unemployed, useless

Pro 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Power – (Webster definition) Power., means, direction

The tongue has power

• Power may exist without exertion. We have power to speak when we are silent.

• Power is force – animal strength
• That force which produces change on another
• Power of influence which can move the mind – (yours and others)
• Power of command or legal authority

The tongue is the means

• The middle point between two extremes, an intermediary, occupying the middle position
• The extremes are life and death and the tongue is in the middle of these two extremes
• Winning or losing, quitting or going on, victory or defeat, praise or pouting, left or right, backwards or forwards, to do it or not to do it,

The tongue determines direction

• Guidance or supervision of action or conduct, an explicit instruction, proceeding from one point to another without interruption
• With the mouth confession is made

2Co 4:13 We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

What I believe determines what I speak

Rom 4:16 – 21 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

Joy in Temptation?

Consider it a joyful thing when you are surrounded by temptation. Don’t stress out over it and don’t become discouraged. Temptation is actually an opportunity to receive God’s blessing on your life.

We need to know that temptation is the enemies design to shipwreck our faith, but we can be sure that genuine faith in Jesus Christ will enable us to overcome every temptation as we place our complete trust in Him.

Instead of viewing temptation as something to be feared and dreaded, we need to see it as God sees it; as a vehicle that will lead us to greater faith as God gives us strength to overcome and resist by showing us the way of escape.

The Bible calls it, “the trying of our faith.” It is when our faith is tried and found to be genuine that our faith begins to bear fruit.

James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

How often do you attend Church?

Good Bye Old Year – Hello New Year

“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof.” Ecclesiastes 7:8

2008 is coming to a close, it’s just around the bend. The Bible says that the end is better than the beginning.

I remember the last day of school when I was young. We would sing and shout all the way out the door and chant the all famous words, “school’s out for Summer!”

As we come to the close of 2008, I am reflecting on the past twelve months, and I have to admit, I’m glad it’s over. I look forward to the new year and greet it with expectation that God will do great things!

My Ode to the Old Year!

I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail.

He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes.

And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity. And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.

He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. For the Lord will not cast off for ever:

But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.

For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.

Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction.

Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off. I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.

Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.

LORD, thou hast seen my wrong: judge thou my cause. Thou hast seen all their vengeance and all their imaginations against me. Thou hast heard their reproach, O LORD, and all their imaginations against me; The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

Behold their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their musick. Render unto them a recompence, O LORD, according to the work of their hands. Give them sorrow of heart, thy curse unto them. Persecute and destroy them in anger from under the heavens of the LORD.

Lamentations Chapter 3

Another beautiful Day!!

It’s another beautiful day that the Lord has made. It’s time to rejoice!!! Just knowing that we were able to wake up this morning because the Giver of Life has breathed into us another day is cause for rejoicing!! Everything we have belongs to Him; the very breath we breathe is His and His alone!! What an awesome honor and privilege to be loved and accepted by the Creator and Sustainer of this vast universe.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but should receive everlasting life!!