James3:5&6 says Even so the tongue is a little member (talking about the body), and it can boast of great things. See how much wood or how great a forest a tiny spark (gossiping) can set ablaze!
And the tongue is a fire. (The tongue is a) world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man's nature), being itself ignited by hell.
Verse 6 warns us that the tongue is a fire! (in other words with it you can cause a lot of heartache and pain to yourself and other's around you).
Verses8-10 says But the human tongue can be tamed by no man. It is a restless (undisciplined, irreconcilable) evil, full of deadly poison. (Harsh words, but are they not absolutely true)?
With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who were made in God's likeness!
Out of the same mouth come forth blessing (praising God) and cursing (swearing/gossiping). These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.
We need to be disciplined in our minds!
Proverbs18:20 says A man's (moral being values given to us by God according to His Word) self shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth (man's word's); and with the consequence of his words he must be satisfied (whether good or evil). The power of life and death is in the tongue.
We have to be so careful how we speak about ourselves and other's. Gossiping is an evil that is not from God. Whether you have heard something from someone or about someone it does not give you the right to talk to anyone else about them or whatever they told you (in confidence). If they themselves choose to tell you something it is your responsibility as a Christian or even a non-Christian to keep it it to yourself!
When you talk about someone or to someone it should be edifying and up lifting. If that person has sinned and you feel (know in your heart) that God has given you an instruction to talk to them about their sin and to pray for and with them you need to control yourself and your tongue and ask God to guide you as to how to handle the situation. Lean not on your own understanding (not listening to God/ ignoring Him), because we are all fallible men and woman (just because there are rocks in your head it does not mean you can scatter them around everywhere).
(Someone once told me that God told him to handle a situation differently, but he decided to ignore God and do it his way! Well my thought at that moment was, well I hope God sees it your way, because God is God.
But if God has NOT commanded you to speak to that person no matter how strongly you feel about it, you need to obey and pray to God that He will impact in that person's life and they be turned to Him and away from their sin.
This is where Wisdom comes in. And the only way you can obtain Wisdom is to study (not just read) God's Word daily and talk with Him daily.
I am going to stop here for today. There is a lot that can still be said and I will continue on this subject, and I want you to really grasp what I am saying.
Lord help me to do something DYNAMIC for you today!
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