Words of Fire (part 2 of a three-part series)
“And the tongue is a fire. . .” James 3:6a
Fire is not bad. Fire is a very useful thing. But it always has to be under control. While James uses the tongue as being representative of human depravity, it is also true that the tongue, since it reflects what is in the heart (read: innermost being), can be a most positive tool for good.
Most of us have heard “words of fire” that have created within us a desire to succeed, to reach new heights of accomplishment, or change a circumstance that limits our progress. The words that Jesus spoke to the men He met on the road to Emmaus caused them to say, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).
Words of fire do not always have to be of the Spiritual variety. Surely you have heard some “motivational speakers” who have influenced your life. And while we may not have the oratorical skills of a master motivator, we do have the capacity to use our tongues for good and not for evil.
Be reminded that James is clear regarding our inability to tame our tongue. He calls it “unruly” and clams it to be “full of deadly poison.” One does not have to listen long to some folks before understanding that James is dead-on. One can find multitudes of folks whose involvement with the Body of Christ has been limited or ended entirely because of poisonous words spoken by an unruly tongue. Children are scarred for life by the tongue of parents who belittle and berate creating instability and insecurity. I know many a spouse whose world is one of chaos and confusion because a mate could not control the tongue.
My mom used to say to me, “Listen to what you are saying!” That may be a lost art for many folks. We say it (whatever we say) because it’s “true,” or “it just needs to be said,” or because “you need to know.” The reality is our tongue is out of control. It is burning a path across the lives of those around us and destroying everything in that path. God can change that!
Take time to listen to your tongue. Does it build up? Does it encourage? Does it create a fire of Truth burning away the apathy and lethargy that plagues our hearts? Or is it defiling the whole of your body, setting “on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by Hell?”