Tag Archives: Tongue

Sharp Tongues Can Be Stopped: Insights

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A friend recently sent me this verse, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. (Isa 54:17)  This is certainly a promise given to Israel.  Presently, Israel walks through her own valley, scattered around the world and waiting for the return of Messiah.  Yet, there is great application to those who will trust in Jehovah, El – Shaddai (the All powerful One).  Continue reading →

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Stop Complaining, Press Ahead

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I love hearing stories of people who have risen out of the ash heaps of life.  They suffered terribly and through true grit, and/or miracles of God, they took on great opportunities to serve the Lord.  I often get weary of people complaining about how difficult life is.  Life is difficult!  Normally, it’s from those of us who live in America.  I get it.  I know even in America where air conditioning is not an option, cell phones are standard equipment that comes with newborns (it seems), and it’s not a question of whether there is a chicken in every pot, but how many televisions every household has.  We have stores that are loaded with food and merchandise.  We have a medical system that surpasses everywhere on earth.  Yet, we grow weary of life.  It reminds me of the great passage in Jeremiah.

If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? (Jer. 12:5)

Jeremiah was facing tough times.  The nation of Judah was turning away from God and Jeremiah was weary preaching to a people who continued to reject God’s message and to disrespect him at every turn.  Yet God was not going to console Jeremiah to sit in tears and give up.  To the point where Jeremiah was, he was only battling the footmen.  Jeremiah prophesied from 626 – 586 B.C.  This was likely early in his career. 

God’s point was this: if the footmen – the small problems you face now – weary you, what are you going to do when the horses – the big problems of his later ministry – contend with you?  If you grow weary in a time of relative peace, what will you do when you are running from trouble – the floodplain of the Jordan?  Jeremiah, will you keep your eyes on me and not lose heart?

It’s possible to lose heart.  It’s always when we take our eyes off the Lord.  When our eyes are on the Lord, we may suffer, lose everything, or even be shut down, but the Lord is always sufficient.  Paul said it best.

  7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.  8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  (2 Cor. 12:7-10)

Pray for Those Who Wrong You

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The tongue is a slippery tool of the heart.  The humble heart uses the tongue for blessing.  The proud heart uses the tongue for cursing.  It’s the same tongue, yet controlled by the heart.  James does a brilliant job of addressing the tongue in James 3:1-12.

 As I was reading through Scripture a couple months ago, my eyes jumped out looking at Job 42.  In the last chapter of Job, after Job recognizes his own foolishness and inability to understand God’s inscrutable purposes, God gives instructions to those involved.

 7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.  8 “Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.”  9So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the LORD commanded them; for the LORD had accepted Job. 10And the LORD restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.  (Job 42:7-10) 

Did you notice Job 42:10?  It jumps out!  The “Lord restored Job’s losses whenhe prayed for his friends…”  His friends that criticized him.  His friends that misunderstood him and repeatedly put him down.   His friends that refused to listen and seek to understand Job.  Most people would walk away from people like that.  Most people would say, “Lord, can you send down a cruise missile on their homes?!”  WhenJob prayed for them, the Lord blessed him and gave Job twice as much.  Are you harboring a grievance toward those who have put you down, criticized you, or have done you wrong?  Forgive (Mark 11:25) and pray for them in a godly way.  You may miss out on God’s blessing if you don’t.

Sharp Tongues can be Stopped

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A friend recently sent me this verse.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. (Isa 54:17)  This is certainly a promise given to Israel.  Presently, Israel walks through her own valley, scattered around the world and waiting for the return of Messiah.  Yet, there is great application to those who will trust in Jehovah, El – Shaddai (the All powerful One). 

The world hates the Jews, because Satan hates the Jews.  The existence of one Jew is a sign that God will keep His unconditional covenant to Abraham, David and all of Israel.  Satan tried to destroy the line to Christ.  If he could have destroyed the line, then the Messiah could not have come to redeem Israel and the world from their sins.  Now that Messiah came, died on the cross and has returned to heaven, Satan wants to destroy Jews again.  Only now he wants to destroy them, because if he can destroy them, then God cannot fulfill his promises in the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants.  That is why anti-Semitism has been a problem in history since the time of Christ.  In recent history, the holocaust was a Satanic attack to destroy the Jewish people.  But God’s promise of protection continues for the Jewish race as a whole. 

Isaiah addresses the attacks of people who have an agenda.  They believe their agenda is right and will do what is necessary to put you down. They try to be subtle. They may sound sophisticated. They often don’t even realize how painful their words might be.  They often don’t care, because they have a burr under their saddle and you may be the target of their “tongue which rises against you.”  They are not acting like God the Father.

I used to be bothered when people criticized me.  To be slandered in public is especially painful.  But it is all part of God’s plan to grow us up and prove that His will is good, acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2).  When we trust the Lord, the judging tongue, whether from a person who is close or from an al qaeda terrorist, will strengthen your resolve to trust the Lord even more.

There are plenty of hopeful New Testament promises to those who pursue the Lord.  As a believer, you are in the Lord’s hands (John 10:28-30).  God promises to take every situation, even the slanderous tongue, and work it out for divine good (Rom. 8:28-30).  God set believers free from sin, which is the most vicious enemy of the believer (Rom. 6:22-23).  Verbal attacks are proof that we are in enemy territory and often those in your own family, blood and spiritual, will be the adversaries that the enemy uses to attack you (1 Cor. 16:9; cf. Matt. 10:34-36).  We should not fear, for Jesus became sin for us that we might be made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).  For every attack tests your metal – will you trust in yourself or in Him by faith (Phil. 3:9)?