Seven Solutions to an Uncontrolled Tongue:
1) Get a New Heart - The problem with the tongue begins in the heart, just like the water that comes to the surface in a bucket comes from the well. “Rid yourself of all the offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit.” (Ezekiel 18:31)
“Painting the pump won’t change the poison that is in the well!”
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Talk to Jesus Christ; ask Him to forgive you for your sins; express your belief in His dying for your sins on the cross; invite Him to come into you and change you. King David, a man after God’s own heart, said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51)
2) Ask God for help every day. “Set a guard over my mouth O Lord. Keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141: 3)
3) Immerse yourself in God’s Word. “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
4) Think Before you speak – “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)
5) Hang out with people who use the tongue properly since we become like the people we are with. “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)
6) Practice godly speech with your tongue – encourage, affirm, complement, build.
7) Fill your heart and mind with godly, good things. “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34)
What do your words say about you? Is this an area where the Spirit want to grow you?
Taking another step in the journey of being like Jesus ~ Bob
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Why Must I Watch What I Say? - Part 3
3) My Tongue Displays Who I Am ~
James 3:11 “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” Just like the water that flows from a spring, James is telling us that our mouth portrays what is deep in our hearts. In rural language, “When you put a bucket into a well to get fresh water, what comes up in the bucket is what is in the well.
Jesus said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. These evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” (Mark 7:20-23)
We really mean the words we say when we joke and kid. Our words reveal what is inside.
A Harsh tongue comes from an Angry heart;
A Negative tongue comes from a Fearful heart;
An Overactive tongue comes from an Unsettled heart;
A Boastful tongue comes from an Insecure heart;
A Filthy tongue comes from an Impure heart;
A Critical tongue comes from a Bitter heart.
Every time we speak we are telling people who we are as a person and what is in our hearts.
What will be in the bucket that is drawn out of the well of your heart today?
Always working on the well ~ Bob
James 3:11 “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” Just like the water that flows from a spring, James is telling us that our mouth portrays what is deep in our hearts. In rural language, “When you put a bucket into a well to get fresh water, what comes up in the bucket is what is in the well.
Jesus said, “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean.’ For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. These evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” (Mark 7:20-23)
We really mean the words we say when we joke and kid. Our words reveal what is inside.
A Harsh tongue comes from an Angry heart;
A Negative tongue comes from a Fearful heart;
An Overactive tongue comes from an Unsettled heart;
A Boastful tongue comes from an Insecure heart;
A Filthy tongue comes from an Impure heart;
A Critical tongue comes from a Bitter heart.
Every time we speak we are telling people who we are as a person and what is in our hearts.
What will be in the bucket that is drawn out of the well of your heart today?
Always working on the well ~ Bob
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The House Church
40% of pastors of conventional churches in the U.S. say they would recommend a house church to someone. (Foster)Check out The Community at Creekside.
A safe haven, a healing place ... we're "loving each other deeply" (1 Peter 4:8) as we pray, worship, study, mature, serve, give, connect, reach out ...
and I'm loving it!
If you live in the Poughkeepsie area and do not have a church family, we'd love to have you discover what a casual Saturday evening house church looks like.
Discovering & Embracing Sabbath ~ Linda
If you live in the Poughkeepsie area and do not have a church family, we'd love to have you discover what a casual Saturday evening house church looks like.
Discovering & Embracing Sabbath ~ Linda
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Why Must I Watch What I Say? - Part 2
2) My Tongue can Destroy What I Have
James 3:5, 6 says, “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.”
Just like a flame, our tongues have great power. A careless campfire can destroy a forest and a word can destroy a friendship, a marriage, a church, a reputation, a career. Once the words are said, much like a torn feather pillow in a strong wind, you can never retrieve the feathers, the words, or the tone. I am sure that you know a verbal arsonist! Are you one?
Proverbs 18:20 says, “You have to live with the consequences of everything you say.”
On the other hand, much like the flame that cooks our food, you can build people, encourage, inspire, and comfort them by what you say.
How will you use your tongue today? Will you destroy someone, their character, their feelings, their self image or their reputation by what you say or will you make them a better person by the words you use?
Be careful today – your tongue can destroy what you have and you may never get it back.
Making choices ~ Bob
James 3:5, 6 says, “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.”
Just like a flame, our tongues have great power. A careless campfire can destroy a forest and a word can destroy a friendship, a marriage, a church, a reputation, a career. Once the words are said, much like a torn feather pillow in a strong wind, you can never retrieve the feathers, the words, or the tone. I am sure that you know a verbal arsonist! Are you one?
Proverbs 18:20 says, “You have to live with the consequences of everything you say.”
On the other hand, much like the flame that cooks our food, you can build people, encourage, inspire, and comfort them by what you say.
How will you use your tongue today? Will you destroy someone, their character, their feelings, their self image or their reputation by what you say or will you make them a better person by the words you use?
Be careful today – your tongue can destroy what you have and you may never get it back.
Making choices ~ Bob
Monday, April 20, 2009
Why I Must Watch What I Say - Part 1
1) My Tongue Directs Where I Go –
James 3:3-4 says, “When we put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body . . . ”
James warns us that even though the tongue is tiny, it has great power. A 95 pound jockey can turn an 1800 pound horse anywhere he wants it to go and a several thousand ton vessel can be turned by a very small rudder. Likewise, a word can determine the direction of your life. A harsh, critical word can destroy a marriage, a child, a friend and set them on a destructive path; speaking negative things about ourselves (“I am fat;” “I am dumb;”) or others (“You are stupid;” “You can’t do anything;”) can cause us to believe and act on what we have heard; people receive either a low self image or a proper self image – much depends on what others say about them.
We can slander, lie, curse, hurt, and destroy people simply by a word, and the rest of their life will be affected. We can choose to build, encourage, say complimentary things, bless people – their lives will change direction and be productive and fulfilled.
Many wonderful people with productive careers have been destroyed by a few words and many hopeless people have become productive and great contributors to society because of a few words.
How will you use that small instrument - your tongue - to effect the people in your path today? Will they move in more productive and loving directions because of your words or will they withdraw, become discouraged, and defeated because of your words? Today, you have a choice.
Making choices with you ~ Bob
James 3:3-4 says, “When we put bits in the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body . . . ”
James warns us that even though the tongue is tiny, it has great power. A 95 pound jockey can turn an 1800 pound horse anywhere he wants it to go and a several thousand ton vessel can be turned by a very small rudder. Likewise, a word can determine the direction of your life. A harsh, critical word can destroy a marriage, a child, a friend and set them on a destructive path; speaking negative things about ourselves (“I am fat;” “I am dumb;”) or others (“You are stupid;” “You can’t do anything;”) can cause us to believe and act on what we have heard; people receive either a low self image or a proper self image – much depends on what others say about them.
We can slander, lie, curse, hurt, and destroy people simply by a word, and the rest of their life will be affected. We can choose to build, encourage, say complimentary things, bless people – their lives will change direction and be productive and fulfilled.
Many wonderful people with productive careers have been destroyed by a few words and many hopeless people have become productive and great contributors to society because of a few words.
How will you use that small instrument - your tongue - to effect the people in your path today? Will they move in more productive and loving directions because of your words or will they withdraw, become discouraged, and defeated because of your words? Today, you have a choice.
Making choices with you ~ Bob
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Controlling our Mouths
Americans spend 1/5th of their lives talking. If all of our conversations for only one year were printed, they would fill 66 books with 800 pages each! Is it any wonder that, with so much being said, we need to control our mouths? James 3:2 tells us that the tongue is a great indicator of our health and maturity: “If any man is never at fault in what he says, he is a mature man.”
In the next several days, we will look at our tongues – a great indicator of spiritual and emotional health. We will discover what God teaches us about 1) Why we must watch what we say, and 2) How to control our tongue.
Words are extremely powerful. God spoke a word and the entire world came into existence. Our words are also very powerful. Just a word has the power either to inspire, encourage, bless and build someone or to discourage, hurt, and destroy someone.
Proverbs 10:19 “Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow.” Proverbs 21:23 says, “If you keep your mouth shut, you will stay out of trouble.” Proverbs 15:1, 4 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Jesus, commenting on the tongue said, “And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36, 37.
Jesus warns us about the importance of our words. Why must I watch what I say and how I say it to my fellow workers, children, spouse, friends, people on the train or on the street or in church? Tune in tomorrow and we will see what James has to tell us about the power of our tongues and how to harness it.
Always desiring to grow toward being like Jesus ~ Bob
In the next several days, we will look at our tongues – a great indicator of spiritual and emotional health. We will discover what God teaches us about 1) Why we must watch what we say, and 2) How to control our tongue.
Words are extremely powerful. God spoke a word and the entire world came into existence. Our words are also very powerful. Just a word has the power either to inspire, encourage, bless and build someone or to discourage, hurt, and destroy someone.
Proverbs 10:19 “Don’t talk too much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow.” Proverbs 21:23 says, “If you keep your mouth shut, you will stay out of trouble.” Proverbs 15:1, 4 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.”
Jesus, commenting on the tongue said, “And I tell you this, that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak. The words you say now reflect your fate then; either you will be justified by them or you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36, 37.
Jesus warns us about the importance of our words. Why must I watch what I say and how I say it to my fellow workers, children, spouse, friends, people on the train or on the street or in church? Tune in tomorrow and we will see what James has to tell us about the power of our tongues and how to harness it.
Always desiring to grow toward being like Jesus ~ Bob
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
3 Keys to Powerful Journaling
I'm a big fan of journaling. My clients know it. Those who care about me understand. Probably because it's been a tool that's hugely altered my life. I have a drawer filled with thoughts and prayers written on notebook paper, in cheap $2 books, and in beautiful suede and leather bound volumes given to me by friends ... my thoughts and feelings and conversations with God are in black and white. These days I have a mug filled with a wide variety of colored pens that I keep by my bedside and use just for this special time.I don't know what I'll actually do with all my writings. I can't say I want people to read everything that's been written. Some of it's ugly. Scary. Sad. But I do know that during some very tough times, journaling has been my safe link to the God that I love. Those conversations were my salvation. And that makes them valuable to me. These days they are filled with praise, application of Scripture, reflection on answered prayer, and gratitude lists.
Such is the nature of life's journey.
I'm fascinated that the book of Psalms shares so much of what journaling looks like. Honest talk. Deep wrestling with God. Affirmations of trust and faith during the storms of life. Heartfelt praise and adoration. The stretching and growing of the walk of faith.
So, occasionally I'll continue to share a glimpse of my conversations with God (see From Pen to Paper). But pretty much, it's just me and Him. And that's the way it should be.
Click here to learn more about the 3 keys to powerful journaling and some thought-filled questions to consider -
Capturing the Journey
Processing the Journey
Celebrating the Journey
So thankful for freedom in Christ Jesus, expressed in writing ~
Linda
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Alleluia!
Christ, the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Lo! the Sun’s eclipse is over, Alleluia!
Lo! He sets in blood no more, Alleluia!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal, Alleluia! Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids His rise, Alleluia!
Christ hath opened paradise, Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
Hail, the Lord of earth and Heaven, Alleluia! Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail, the resurrection, thou, Alleluia!
King of glory, Soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to love, Alleluia!
Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!
But the pains that He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!
Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
- Charles Wesley -
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Love Essential # 5 - Selflessness
Love Essential # 5 is Selflessness = the lack of selfishness. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says that love is “not self- seeking” = Love is not enamored with self-gain or self-justification. The “rudeness,” “envy,” “anger,” “keeping a record of wrongs done to us,” “boasting,” and “pride” described in 1 Corinthians 13 as the opposites of love have one thing in common – selfishness.
In Romans 12:3 Paul says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment . . . .” We are instructed to have a proper assessment of ourselves – not putting ourselves down or having a low self image. To “not think of yourself more highly than you ought” means that we consider others feelings, their persons, their perspectives, and see them on equal ground with us at the foot of the cross.
How much of church life would change if each person had a proper assessment of who they are, and who they are in the body of Christ? Looking at things through the eyes of others instead of looking at them through our personal concern of “how everything will affect me” would put a totally new twist on business meetings, accepting others, defensiveness, arguments, “the silent treatment,” non-forgiveness and many other things that keep people from desiring Jesus.
Jesus’ love gives us a proper sense of who we are – our strengths and limitations – and it gives us the ability to see and treat others as Jesus sees them and treats them. I believe that if we loved people as Jesus loves us, we would not find room enough in the church to accommodate all of those who would be irresistibly drawn to Jesus because of our love for each other.
Growing in love ~ Bob
In Romans 12:3 Paul says, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment . . . .” We are instructed to have a proper assessment of ourselves – not putting ourselves down or having a low self image. To “not think of yourself more highly than you ought” means that we consider others feelings, their persons, their perspectives, and see them on equal ground with us at the foot of the cross.
How much of church life would change if each person had a proper assessment of who they are, and who they are in the body of Christ? Looking at things through the eyes of others instead of looking at them through our personal concern of “how everything will affect me” would put a totally new twist on business meetings, accepting others, defensiveness, arguments, “the silent treatment,” non-forgiveness and many other things that keep people from desiring Jesus.
Jesus’ love gives us a proper sense of who we are – our strengths and limitations – and it gives us the ability to see and treat others as Jesus sees them and treats them. I believe that if we loved people as Jesus loves us, we would not find room enough in the church to accommodate all of those who would be irresistibly drawn to Jesus because of our love for each other.
Growing in love ~ Bob
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
A Face Lift!
We've undergone just a bit of a face lift! A freshly designed logo and header, helpful new tools, updated photo albums, a bit of sprucing up and shuffling around here and there ...
The new Creekside Ministries logo has great meaning for us. The ripples of the water signify that as we release all the emotional baggage and sin we've hauled around into Jesus' waiting hands, He hurls them "into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19). The forgiveness and new life He gives us causes a ripple effect as we impact those around us.
The tree signifies the truth that as believers, we are like trees "planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither" (Psalm 1:3). Spiritual and emotional healing create a nurturing climate where vibrant, healthy growth takes place.
A special thank you to Angela Fulton for working closely side-by-side with us, beautifully capturing the essence of what Creekside Ministries is all about. Do check out her blog - and enjoy her creative work at Guideposts Magazine. And thanks also to blog contributor Katherine Clark, who designed the new header.
We've added a calendar and local weather report especially for those of you who start your day with us. Customize the weather report by clicking on the word "edit" and typing in your zip code. And do consider utilizing your own personal online To-Do List. Note what you want to check out online, need to accomplish at your desk, or don't want to forget. Simply delete when you're finished! Have fun with this - and don't worry - it's visible only to you. And it sure beats scraps of paper here and there!
The Subscribe to Content link allows you to get each post via email. Simply click on the link and and follow the instructions. And if you see a title that interests you in Linda's Bookbag, please feel free to click on it and read a review.
I hope these updates will be helpful as you continue to invite us to be a part of your day. Please consider making us your Home Page so that when you log on in the morning, you will be greeted with a warm welcome, encouraging words, and some useful information.
Delighted to partner with Bob and Brent in facilitating Christ-centered emotional healing and spiritual growth ~
Linda
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