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SPEAKER_01: This is the last Sunday, we will be talking about it.
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SPEAKER_01: We've entitled this Taming the Tongue, and that phrase comes from the book of James, and we'll look at the passage in a minute.
SPEAKER_01: But the definition of taming the tongue is learning to use our words according to God's design.
SPEAKER_01: Taming your tongue is learning to use your words according to God's design.
SPEAKER_01: What if, think about this, consider this.
SPEAKER_01: What if your ability to speak wasn't just a gift from God for you?
SPEAKER_01: What if it was a gift to others through you?
SPEAKER_01: What if your ability to speak, what if your words weren't for you?
SPEAKER_01: What if they were meant to be used for everyone else around you?
SPEAKER_01: Guys, I have a goal in today's sermon.
SPEAKER_01: It's really easy, it's really simple.
SPEAKER_01: Here is this.
SPEAKER_01: This is it.
SPEAKER_01: The goal of today's sermon is to convince you that your words matter.
SPEAKER_01: Your words matter.
SPEAKER_01: What you say has significance.
SPEAKER_01: Now, as we continue in the series, we're gonna share practical advice on how to tame your tongue.
SPEAKER_01: But today, we're gonna start in the book of James.
SPEAKER_01: As a matter of fact, James chapter 3, if you want to turn there.
SPEAKER_01: James is the half-brother of Jesus, right?
SPEAKER_01: They shared a mom, different dads, okay?
SPEAKER_01: Um, he was a late convert to Christianity.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, he ended up being the pastor of the church in Jerusalem, as far as we can tell.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, he only has one book in the Bible, but it's very brief and very corrective.
SPEAKER_01: As a matter of fact, there are 54 instructions given in the book of James in just 108 verses.
SPEAKER_01: All right.
SPEAKER_01: So it is an intense book, uh, but it is a great book.
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna start James chapter 3, and we're gonna read verses 2 through 6.
SPEAKER_01: And as we continue through this passage, I'm gonna draw out some things that we can understand about our words mattering.
SPEAKER_01: So here we go.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 2.
SPEAKER_01: Indeed, we all make mistakes.
SPEAKER_01: All right, I like that.
SPEAKER_01: I'm glad he put that in there.
SPEAKER_01: By the way, if you're here this morning and you think you're amongst the people who don't who never make mistakes, that is not the case.
SPEAKER_01: We are the perfect place for imperfect people.
SPEAKER_01: For if we could control our tongues, James says, we would be perfect, and could also control ourselves in every other way.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 3.
SPEAKER_01: We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth.
SPEAKER_01: And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong.
SPEAKER_01: What's he saying?
SPEAKER_01: He's saying the size of your tongue is not representative of the import uh of its importance.
SPEAKER_01: Just like the small bit that's in a horse's mouth that allows someone to turn it, or just like the rudder on a ship.
SPEAKER_01: Now you may not know what a rudder is, so I actually have a picture of a ship up here with all the different parts.
SPEAKER_01: If you look uh where the propeller, the thruster is, right in front of that, uh, that is called the steering gear or the rudder that turns, all right, and when it turns, it determines the course of the ship.
SPEAKER_01: It determines where the ship goes based on that huge ship, based on that small rudder.
SPEAKER_01: And so this is what James is saying.
SPEAKER_01: Let's continue, verse 5.
SPEAKER_01: 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.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 6, and among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire.
SPEAKER_01: It's a whole world of wickedness corrupting your entire body.
SPEAKER_01: It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
SPEAKER_01: That is intense.
SPEAKER_01: But do you notice that the point here, what James is trying to make, is even though your tongue is a small part of your body, it is what gives you speech.
SPEAKER_01: And your words, your speech, is what determines the course of your life.
SPEAKER_01: It says it can set your whole life on fire.
SPEAKER_01: Some of you have experienced that.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe you said the wrong thing to the wrong person or the wrong thing at the wrong time.
SPEAKER_01: And there is a significant blowback for it.
SPEAKER_01: Well, this is what James warned us about.
SPEAKER_01: So the first reason, according to James, the first reason that words matter is your words matter because your words determine your destiny.
SPEAKER_01: Just like a rudder steers a ship, your mouth, your words, your speech is determining what's happening in your life.
SPEAKER_01: Now you may push back and say, oh, Jamie, I have been deeply affected by other people, and that's true.
SPEAKER_01: That's true.
SPEAKER_01: You can't always help what people do to you, but you can help how you respond to that.
SPEAKER_01: Proverbs 18, 21 was a verse that I memorized as a kid, and we made our children memorize it.
SPEAKER_01: And I memorized it in the New King James Version, which I used to not like because it's a little odd, but I like it a lot now, and I'll show you why in a moment.
SPEAKER_01: It says, Death and life are in the power of the tongue.
SPEAKER_01: And those who love it will eat its fruit.
SPEAKER_01: Now that that second part is why I didn't like this translation when I was younger, because I didn't understand it.
SPEAKER_01: Those who love it will eat its fruit.
SPEAKER_01: Why are we talking about eating all of a sudden?
SPEAKER_01: What?
SPEAKER_01: It says, death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it, or those who love to use it, or those who love to talk, will eat its fruit or will suffer the consequences.
SPEAKER_01: See what scripture teaches is that every word you speak is like a seed.
SPEAKER_01: It's either a death seed or it's a life seed.
SPEAKER_01: And these seeds get planted as you speak, and then they grow up and they and they turn into trees that produce fruit that the people around you and yourself will eat.
SPEAKER_01: I've got here two cups filled with seeds.
SPEAKER_01: You'll see uh these darker seeds here we're gonna call seeds of death, and then the lighter ones we call seeds of life.
SPEAKER_01: And every time you speak, you are choosing to plant seeds.
SPEAKER_01: And so when you get angry, when you get upset, and you give yourself permission to say whatever, you are planting death seeds.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, watch out, don't let me hit you right in the face.
SPEAKER_01: We believe in healing.
SPEAKER_01: And you go back and say, Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
SPEAKER_01: And that's good.
SPEAKER_01: It's good to apologize, but then the very next day, because there's been no change in your life, you plant more death seeds.
SPEAKER_01: And you may think, well, it was just a little seed.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but seeds grow into trees that create fruit.
SPEAKER_01: Now, you could also just as easily as you learn to tame your tongue, you can learn how to speak words of life.
SPEAKER_01: And even though someone makes you upset, and even though someone says something you don't like, you don't have to respond that way.
SPEAKER_01: And you can bless them.
SPEAKER_01: Bless them, Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Y'all need to be dodging that, all right?
SPEAKER_01: I just I thought you would dodge it a little bit better, but I give you permission.
SPEAKER_01: Like, Lord, if you want it to hit me, it'll hit me.
SPEAKER_01: So, but we need to give seeds of life.
SPEAKER_01: We need to, we need to plant, see, here's the deal: everything you speak, it's either death or life.
SPEAKER_01: It's death and life are in the power of the tongue.
SPEAKER_01: And if you love to talk, anyone love to talk?
SPEAKER_01: Not only will the people around you, but you yourself will eat the fruit.
SPEAKER_01: You ever heard the phrase, you're gonna eat those words?
SPEAKER_01: The Bible said it first.
SPEAKER_01: Matthew chapter 12, 36 and 37, Jesus is talking, and this is very, very uh intimidating passage.
SPEAKER_01: It says, I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they speak.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 37, for by your words you will be justified.
SPEAKER_01: And by your words you'll be condemned.
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
SPEAKER_01: So what determines whether or not you're justified or condemned?
SPEAKER_01: Your words.
SPEAKER_01: How you speak.
SPEAKER_01: Gosh, your words matter.
SPEAKER_01: It's not just no big deal.
SPEAKER_01: It matters greatly how you use your words.
SPEAKER_01: All right, let's go back to the book of James and let's keep reading and see what else he says.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna read verses 7 and 8 of James 3 now.
SPEAKER_01: It says, People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue.
SPEAKER_01: It's restless and evil, full of deadly poison.
SPEAKER_01: No one can tame the tongue.
SPEAKER_01: You know, there are certain animals that we keep as pets because we can tame them.
SPEAKER_01: There are other animals that we don't keep as pets because why?
SPEAKER_01: We can't tame them.
SPEAKER_01: It's not appropriate to have them, it's not safe to have them in our house.
SPEAKER_01: And James is saying that's how your tongue is.
SPEAKER_01: You can't ever get used to it being around.
SPEAKER_01: It's not tameable by yourself.
SPEAKER_01: By yourself.
SPEAKER_01: So here is our next point.
SPEAKER_01: Your words matter because you can't tame your tongue without God's help.
SPEAKER_01: No man by himself, no woman by herself can tame the tongue.
SPEAKER_01: You have to have God's help to do this.
SPEAKER_01: How would you act if there was a lion loose in your house?
SPEAKER_01: Think about it for a moment.
SPEAKER_01: You come home, you unlock the door, you open the door, you step in, and there's a lion.
SPEAKER_01: All right, just in case you're wondering, the first thing you do is close the door, okay?
SPEAKER_01: But wouldn't you probably, I imagine, the first thing you would do is the first thing I would do.
SPEAKER_01: Wouldn't you call for help?
SPEAKER_01: Wouldn't you call 911?
SPEAKER_01: Well, it's the same with us.
SPEAKER_01: Our tongue is an untamable animal.
SPEAKER_01: And so the first thing we need to do is to call for help.
SPEAKER_01: The other thing I bet you would do if there were a lion in your house, is once you close the door and you get on the phone with the police, the next thing you would do is if you see the lion begin to move, you're gonna start looking through your windows.
SPEAKER_01: You're gonna be trying to keep up with where it is at all times.
SPEAKER_01: And it's the same with our speech as well.
SPEAKER_01: We always have to be aware of our speech.
SPEAKER_01: We always have to be aware of our words.
SPEAKER_01: Psalm 141, verse 3 says, set a guard over my mouth, Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Keep watch over the door of my lips.
SPEAKER_01: Now you keep watch over things that are important, right?
SPEAKER_01: You don't place a guard in front of the garbage.
SPEAKER_01: You place a guard in front of things that are very important.
SPEAKER_01: And so that's what the psalmist is saying here is like, look, my words, my lips, my mouth, my tongue, my speech, it's really important.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, help me.
SPEAKER_01: Help me to set a guard over what I say because the person who wrote this psalm understood that words matter.
SPEAKER_01: Words matter.
SPEAKER_01: You know, there have been times in my life where I've done a pretty good job of being aware of my words.
SPEAKER_01: And there have been times in my life where I haven't done a good job of being aware of my words.
SPEAKER_01: I was reminded of the story.
SPEAKER_01: I don't think I've ever told this.
SPEAKER_01: Uh had lunch with a friend Friday, and he was talking about an email that he got, and I remembered I got this email, y'all.
SPEAKER_01: It was like the last year uh before I came here in full-time ministry.
SPEAKER_01: I used to work in the corporate world, and I got an email from a co-worker, and uh, I had been there like, I think like 11, 13 years at this point at this company.
SPEAKER_01: This guy had only been there a couple years.
SPEAKER_01: And although I didn't walk around uh telling everyone I was a Christian, uh people knew they figured it out pretty quickly, okay?
SPEAKER_01: So he knew I was a believer and he knew that I was involved in ministry.
SPEAKER_01: And so one day I get this scathing email from this guy, and he says, You call yourself a Christian, but you don't have the metrics that I have at work, and I would think that you would work as hard as me, if not more, if you're a Christian.
SPEAKER_01: All right, guys, I was ticked because it wasn't fair because he was, without going into all the details, he was judging me based on one metric when I had a whole nother job in addition to his that he wasn't taking into account.
SPEAKER_01: And I and I wrote about five emails that I did not hit send on.
SPEAKER_01: Have y'all done that before?
SPEAKER_01: And I and I go back and I read it and I can hear the Holy Spirit say no.
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, fine, I delete it all, okay?
SPEAKER_01: Um, to whom it may concern.
SPEAKER_01: You know, then you you write another one, and then the Holy Spirit's like, no.
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, well, what can I say?
SPEAKER_01: And finally I respond and I said, hey man, look, I'm sorry I've offended you with what you perceive to be my work ethic.
SPEAKER_01: I would encourage you, I have a supervisor and a boss.
SPEAKER_01: They know exactly what I do, and they're happy with my performance.
SPEAKER_01: If you have any questions, you can ask them.
SPEAKER_01: Um I do ask you though, however, it's not fair to weaponize my belief against myself.
SPEAKER_01: Ask you not to do that anymore.
SPEAKER_01: Take care.
SPEAKER_01: That was the email.
SPEAKER_01: That was one of the wins.
SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna tell you a story about one of the losses.
SPEAKER_01: Here's the point Taming your tongue is a lifestyle that requires your constant attention.
SPEAKER_01: You'll be tempted to misuse your words at work, at home, at church, in the church parking lot right after this service.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you're going to be tempted at all times because no man, no woman can tame the tongue by themselves.
SPEAKER_01: You need help.
SPEAKER_01: Turn to your neighbor and say, You need help.
SPEAKER_01: That felt good, didn't it?
SPEAKER_01: Turn to the neighbor on the other side and say, so do you.
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
SPEAKER_01: We all need help in this area.
SPEAKER_01: All right, let's keep reading from James 3.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna pick up where we left off, verse 9 and 10.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes it praises it being the tongue, sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 10, and so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.
SPEAKER_01: Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right.
SPEAKER_01: Alright, the next reason that our words matter, your words matter because you can hurt others with what you say.
SPEAKER_01: Ephesians 4, 29 says, Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may bring grace to those who hear.
SPEAKER_01: See, you have a choice.
SPEAKER_01: You can use words that corrupt, and that word for corruption there, it literally means rotten.
SPEAKER_01: It means to rot something.
SPEAKER_01: You can use words that corrupt, bring people down, or you can use words that bring grace and build people up.
SPEAKER_01: I like to put it this way: words are like bricks.
SPEAKER_01: You can help build someone's home, or you can help bust someone's window.
SPEAKER_01: It just depends on how you use it.
SPEAKER_01: And every day we are making the decision on how to use those words.
SPEAKER_01: Now, I love this verse, I love the way it says, but only such is good for building up as fits the occasion.
SPEAKER_01: Can I just share something with you?
SPEAKER_01: Saying the right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing.
SPEAKER_01: The right thing at the wrong time is often the wrong thing.
SPEAKER_01: It says, as fits the occasion.
SPEAKER_01: You know, sometimes you may be right about something, but it may not be the correct time to talk about it.
SPEAKER_01: Are you with me?
SPEAKER_01: And that's what makes something a good word that's helpful and builds up, or a bad word that's harmful and corrupts.
SPEAKER_01: So it's not just about the words that you say, it's also about the timing, the tone, and the way in which you say it.
SPEAKER_01: And we'll be talking about these things even more as we continue in this series.
SPEAKER_01: Here's another verse, Proverbs 12, 18.
SPEAKER_01: It says, the words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
SPEAKER_01: The words of the reckless pierce like swords.
SPEAKER_01: Notice it doesn't say the words of an evil person, although the words of an evil person would definitely hurt.
SPEAKER_01: It says the words of the reckless, meaning you didn't mean to.
SPEAKER_01: It was an accident.
SPEAKER_01: It was unintentional.
SPEAKER_01: But it still pierces.
SPEAKER_01: And this is why our words matter.
SPEAKER_01: They're so powerful, not only in our life, again, it's either death seeds or life seeds.
SPEAKER_01: It can be a mistake.
SPEAKER_01: I would say most harmful speech that the people in this room and watching online have used was unintentional.
SPEAKER_01: But it was still harmful.
SPEAKER_01: And so we've got to learn how to tame our tongue, manage our mouth.
SPEAKER_01: So that even if we have good intentions, we still don't pierce people.
SPEAKER_01: But we're we have uh a tongue or words like a wise person that brings healing.
SPEAKER_01: Amen?
SPEAKER_01: All right, back to James chapter 3, picking up where we left off.
SPEAKER_01: Verse 11 and 12.
SPEAKER_01: It says, Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?
SPEAKER_01: Does a fig tree produce olives or a grapevine produce figs?
SPEAKER_01: No.
SPEAKER_01: And you can't draw fresh water from a salty spring.
SPEAKER_01: By the way, this is the end of James's passage about our words, and he doesn't really give us a whole lot of hope.
SPEAKER_01: He says, hey, the tongue is terrible, all right?
SPEAKER_01: It'll set your life on fire.
SPEAKER_01: You need desperate help with it.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about it.
SPEAKER_01: Like the sea can't be fresh water and salt water at the same time.
SPEAKER_01: Bye-bye.
SPEAKER_01: And he just changes the subject.
SPEAKER_01: But the good news is we're going to keep talking about it over the next month, and we're going to not just look at James's passage, but passages all over Scripture to determine how we can tame our tongue.
SPEAKER_01: But here's what I want you to understand.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what he's saying.
SPEAKER_01: Your words matter because your words reveal the real you.
SPEAKER_01: Oh.
SPEAKER_01: Don't we like to just say whatever we want to and then act like, well, that's not really me.
SPEAKER_01: That's not the real me.
SPEAKER_01: That was just for a moment.
SPEAKER_01: Well, according to Scripture, your words reveal the real you.
SPEAKER_01: And I know that's hard to hear because we often judge ourselves by our intentions instead of our actions.
SPEAKER_01: And we often judge others by their actions and not their intentions.
SPEAKER_01: But we've got to get real, you guys.
SPEAKER_01: If we're going to be the people of God, then we've got to realize that our words reveal the real us.
SPEAKER_01: Luke 6, 45, Jesus is talking, he says, a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart.
SPEAKER_01: And an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.
SPEAKER_01: What you say flows from what's in your heart.
SPEAKER_01: Or you may have heard it put this way, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
SPEAKER_01: So Jesus is saying, look, now he's not saying you're evil through and through when you say something wrong.
SPEAKER_01: He's saying you've got to get real with yourself.
SPEAKER_01: You're not done taming your tongue.
SPEAKER_01: You're never done.
SPEAKER_01: And don't give yourself an excuse to say, well, God knows my heart.
SPEAKER_01: No, we all know your heart because we heard your words.
SPEAKER_01: Because the words that you speak, the words that you speak reveal what's in your heart.
SPEAKER_01: Now, here's the good news.
SPEAKER_01: I know I'm beating you up pretty good.
SPEAKER_01: You can change.
SPEAKER_01: You can change, but you can't change what you don't admit is there.
SPEAKER_01: So that's why we have to get on.
SPEAKER_01: That's why I'm desperately trying to convince you that your words matter this morning.
SPEAKER_01: This verse is rough, you guys.
SPEAKER_01: Just I'm telling you, get ready.
SPEAKER_01: Here we go.
SPEAKER_01: James 1, 26.
SPEAKER_01: If you claim to be religious, but you don't control your tongue, you're fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
SPEAKER_01: I know, right?
SPEAKER_01: I want to meet James like in heaven.
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, bro, what?
SPEAKER_01: Who are you mad at, man?
SPEAKER_01: Why you gotta be so hard?
SPEAKER_01: But it's but it but see, you know this.
SPEAKER_01: I guarantee you, you know at least one person that publicly, their public persona, their social media facade is all Jesus-y, and and and every Instagram post, they've got their coffee and their Bible open and their little legs are on, right?
SPEAKER_01: And then you spend time with that person and they are just ripping everyone to shreds.
SPEAKER_01: What do you think about their devotion time?
SPEAKER_01: I would think you need to stay a little bit longer, put the phone down and keep reading.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: Because it's true, our religion, our spirituality is worthless.
SPEAKER_01: It's not exportable.
SPEAKER_01: We can't share it with anyone if our words disqualify us.
SPEAKER_01: This means that your tongue can destroy your testimony.
SPEAKER_01: This is why it's so important that you pause and you think through the things you say.
SPEAKER_01: Because people are listening.
SPEAKER_01: Now, again, there is grace.
SPEAKER_01: God wants to help you with this.
SPEAKER_01: God wants to help us tame our tongues.
SPEAKER_01: But we we've got to recognize that our words are revealing the real us.
SPEAKER_01: You should ask someone who genuinely loves you and is willing to be honest with you.
SPEAKER_01: You should ask them, how do I do with my word, how am I doing with my words?
SPEAKER_01: Do I do I speak with words that help, words that hurt, words of hope, or somewhere in between, or depending on the day?
SPEAKER_01: And you should ask someone how you're doing so that you can surrender your words to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: I'll tell you guys about a tree I learned about this week.
SPEAKER_01: This is the manchineal tree.
SPEAKER_01: It's in South Florida, it's in parts of South America and the Caribbean.
SPEAKER_01: Scientists say that this may be the deadliest tree in the entire world.
SPEAKER_01: It was given the name La Manzanilla de la Muerte by Spanish explorers, which means the little apple of death.
SPEAKER_01: That's intense.
SPEAKER_01: Check this out.
SPEAKER_01: Touching the sap, the leaves, or the stems of this tree causes blisters on your skin.
SPEAKER_01: Eating the fruit can paralyze your digestive system and can kill you.
SPEAKER_01: If you stand underneath this tree while it's raining, it will rain toxins down on you.
SPEAKER_01: The smoke from burning the wood of this tree can cause temporary and sometimes permanent blindness.
SPEAKER_01: Interestingly, the fruit tastes sweet.
SPEAKER_01: So why is this tree so toxic?
SPEAKER_01: What's the deal with this angry tree?
SPEAKER_01: Scientists believe that since the tree lives in an area, now listen, since the tree lives in an area where there are more toxic plants than normal, it's grown an overdeveloped defense mechanism to protect itself.
SPEAKER_01: Some of us are manchineal trees in this room.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe you grew up in a toxic family, work in a toxic environment.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe there's been a lot of disappointment and discouragement in your life.
SPEAKER_01: And like the manchineal tree, your words have become toxic fruit used as a defense mechanism to protect yourself.
SPEAKER_01: This is you, what do you do?
SPEAKER_01: You receive healing.
SPEAKER_01: You receive healing from the words that have hurt you, and you stop the cycle of continuing the hurt.
SPEAKER_01: I've heard a phrase that it says this if you don't heal from what hurt you, you'll bleed on people who didn't cut you.
SPEAKER_01: So if if as we're talking about this, you recognize, you know, I'm a manchineal tree.
SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm my words, I it's toxic, and I'm hurting the people around me.
SPEAKER_01: My brother, my sister, please hear me.
SPEAKER_01: You need healing.
SPEAKER_01: You need healing, you need forgiveness, and you need to offer forgiveness to those who have hurt you.
SPEAKER_01: Receive healing for yourself so you'll stop hurting everyone else.
SPEAKER_01: I encourage you as we continue in this series.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna talk next week.
SPEAKER_01: Eric's gonna talk about idle words, we're gonna talk about angry words, and we're gonna talk about ugly words.
SPEAKER_01: It's all coming down the pike.
SPEAKER_01: But I encourage you, allow the Lord to minister to you in those areas where your heart has been hurt so that you don't continue the hurt.
SPEAKER_01: Guys, do you speak as if your words matter?
SPEAKER_01: Or have you given yourself permission to say whatever you want to?
SPEAKER_01: Let's stand for prayer.
SPEAKER_01: So maybe, maybe next week.
SPEAKER_01: Let's close our eyes.
SPEAKER_01: Let's do some business with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Let's ask him the question that I just asked you.
SPEAKER_01: Think this thought to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, am I speaking as if my words matter?
SPEAKER_01: Or am I speaking as if it doesn't matter?
SPEAKER_01: Think that thought in God's direction.
SPEAKER_01: And then listen for, be aware of a bounce back thought or an impression that you might get in response to that question.
SPEAKER_01: It's probably the Holy Spirit speaking to you.
SPEAKER_01: Some of you may be replaying in your imagination arguments that you've had, maybe even this morning or this weekend.
SPEAKER_01: Now, don't let guilt creep in.
SPEAKER_01: Don't let shame creep in.
SPEAKER_01: God knows your heart, he loves you.
SPEAKER_01: He loves you enough, though, that he wants to change this part of your heart.
SPEAKER_01: He's not interested in condemning you, he's interested in saving you.
SPEAKER_01: I want to invite you to pray this prayer where we submit our tongues, our mouths, our speech, our words to the Lord, and we ask for his help in taming our tongue.
SPEAKER_01: If you will, pray this after me.
SPEAKER_01: Say, Father, thank you for the gift of speech.
SPEAKER_01: My words matter because my words are powerful.
SPEAKER_01: You gave me my tongue to bless others, to build up others, and to help people.
SPEAKER_01: Forgive me, Lord, when I've used it to tear others down and to hurt those that you died for.
SPEAKER_01: I repent of that sin.
SPEAKER_01: And I invite you, Holy Spirit, to convict me and correct me.
SPEAKER_01: When I use my words in the wrong way, I want to be someone who speaks words of life, words that help, words of hope, and be a blessing to people around me.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you for changing my heart and changing my words.
SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_01: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the VFC Podcast.
SPEAKER_00: If you live in the Thomasville area, we would love for you to connect with us in person.
SPEAKER_00: For more information about our weekly gatherings, including service times and directions, you can visit us at VFCThomasville.org.