Your Tongue

The tongue is a very small part of the human body yet it plays a significant role within and outside of the body. It helps in the process of digestion to get the body nourished, it can determine how God and man respond to you. The tongue has the ability to bless, curse, say positive or negative things and it can connote pride or humility in the way it comes across.

 

How many people have issues with family, friends, spouse, co-workers just because of the way they talk, comment or convey messages? There comes a time in the life of an individual when he/she should know when to speak or keep quiet. The book of proverbs is a wealth of resources that if one pays attention to the content, folly will be so far from such a person. Proverbs 15:1 The Message:

¹ A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire. 

 

I once met an individual on the bus and she told me she lost her job, by the time we almost got to our respective destinations, I could tell a thing or two about her attitude. Perhaps that's why she got fired, maybe not... I have had the opportunity of talking to men who have issues with their wives, the main reason why these men get upset is their wives attitude and stinging comments...Yes, there is no smoke without fire, perhaps the men have other issues but when we learn to tame our tongues, then we would defuse anger. James 3:5-9 NKJ

5"See how great a forest a little fire kindles! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. ⁸ But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh."

 

Silence is golden in certain situations, for the most part a child of God most learn to briddle the tongue since your words can make or break another person. Have you not noticed how some children play out or live the words that have been  deposited in their lives negatively? Try and complement your spouse and see the look on their faces. A lot of times, our tongue issues are not with outsiders but mostly with our spouses and people close to us. Let us learn to tame that little part of us that has the ability and tendency to set on fire the cause of nature. 

 

Could you ensure you say something positive to your friend or spouse this week and make sure you are sincere...

 

Cause and Effect

I have come to realise that you need to enter every environment as a learner for you to avoid jumping to unnecessary conclusions. I was talking with a friend this past week, she had waited for the fruit of the womb for almost 8 years after marriage. Needless to say that everywhere she turned to,  friends were quick to say "very soon your joy too will be full" because they all knew her 'pressure point'. She had to recoil into her shell as she became a public spectacle. She went further to say, some concluded that she must have carried out so many abortions that her womb had become perforated. She smiled as she said those words and I could not help but say congratulations to her all over again.

 

Perhaps you are going through a situation; difficult marriage, childlessness, lack or poverty, difficult children,sickness, joblessness etc and you have heard negative comments to your own ears;she is not a good home maker that is why she is having challenges in her home, he is just a college graduate, he may have to go back to school to get a good job etc.  Be of good cheer! The disciples who walked closely with Jesus jumped to similar conclusions when they came across a man who was born blind;

 

John 9:2-3 The Message 

"His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" ^3-5Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do."

 

It is not all the time that people go through challenges because of the sin they have commited. Like Jesus said, it is to the glory of the Lord. If you are going through challenges and you are wondering where you have missed it, whom you have offended or people are suggesting that you are reaping the fruit of the seed planted by your parents. I want you to be encouraged, God alone will be glorified concerning your situation in Jesus name. People's conclusion about you does not matter, it is God's conclusion and report that will have the final say. God has said I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy on! You are a candidate for His mercy through Jesus Christ, your testimony shall be heard and God's name shall be glorified in Jesus name.

 

Let us all remember that people do not necessarily go through challenge because they have sinned, we all have our challenges and we look unto God to sort us out. So the next time you are facing a difficulty or you come across someone facing one, it may not necessarily be due to cause and effect. You are blessed, do make it a great day!

Show me your friend.

I am always excited anytime I am part of a women's conference whether physically or virtually. I once watched a women's conference and I could not help but be amazed at the number of 'heavy-duty' women at a single conference. I am sure you are wondering what I mean by 'heavy-duty'... yes, each of these women were sold out to God in one form or the other, their sole mission; to transform women's lives in a godly manner, to empower and to educate them. As each one was introduced, she was either a prophetess, pastor or prayer warrior not just by title! They were professionals; lawyers, accountant, architects etc. It wasn't their title or professional qualifications that interested me, but the fact that they had so much in common for God...

Birds of the same feather flock together... It makes me wonder the kind of conversation those women would constantly have! How much positive influence they will have one on the other. The kind of spiritual and physical networking, the kind of sharpening they will bring to one another and the kind of sweet and life transforming fragrance they will emit everywhere they go... Trust me they were all good looking and it was not their Gucci or Prada that added value to them but the glory of God upon their lives. 

Who are your friends? Who do you turn to when you hit a snag? What kind of counsel have you been listening to? What is the unifying force between you and your friends and what is your reference point? When you are at your wits end and you need to confide in someone who are those you turn to? Friends who will tell you it does not matter, that God is not a mean God, that you can lie, compromise the word of God or cheat and God will forgive you? When you share with your friends your challenges, what is their usual response? Do your friends pray with you or do they provide carnal solutions? Perhaps they tell you that you learn from the mistakes of others and should "help" God? A king in the bible consulted his friends and they gave him the counsel that got him into trouble:

1 Kings 12: 8-11 KJV

⁸But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:  ⁹And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?
 ¹⁰And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.
 ¹¹And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

¹⁶So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

The counsel of his peers led to the tearing away of the kingdom from him! What a colossal loss! It is important to x-ray every counsel in the light of the word of God. Every counsel that does not conform to the word of God will only lead you into trouble! It is up to you to decide whose counsel you will listen to Acts 5:29 When a  godly counsel does not seem popular, watch it, in God's own time it will yield the right fruit. 

It is better for God to be pleased with you and for a particular process to take longer, than for you to take short cuts only to be miserable at a dead end! You need to begin to examine who your friends are and what counsel they give you. Are you willing to show God who your friends are? Shalom!

Blessings.

Stress

I once got an email on how to reduce stress in ones daily life. The list contained little details such as; waking up a little early to make an appointment, having an extra set of house keys outside the house and so on. So what is stress? Stress is your body's way of responding to demands. There are good and bad stress and our bodies will fail to function if we have too much or two little of stress. Stress could be emotional, physical or environmental.

Emotional stress is internal, it is worrying about things that you really can not control. It could also be as a result of challenges in your relationships; marital, with friends, siblings or parents.
Physical stress could be as a result of too much work, schedules and activities.
Environmental stress is a product of your physical environment; noise, crowd, traffic jam and so on.

Weekends are supposed to be time off work for some people but I find out that it ends up being the busiest of times and before you know it you end up going back to work completely exhausted. Stress has a negative impact on relationships, therefore, it is important to live ourlives in such a way that we limit the amount of stress we go through. New mothers are constantly exhausted from the demands of nursing an infant and attending to home affairs as well. Some men work twelve, fourteen hours at work in order to make ends meet and advance in their careers...
It is important to balance our work, church and recreational life. When we do too much of one thing it will impact other areas of our lives negatively.

What do you do to de-stress? Comments welcome.

Signs of Times...

She screamed at the top of her voice as she ran out of the bedroom into the kitchem, resting her back on the fridge she slid down to the floor. Hot tears poured down her face as she held her head in her palms. She was trying to figure out what had gone wrong, where she had missed it. This was the same guy who would spend hours on the phone with her whispering sweet nothings to her, the same guy would walk her home after evening service telling her how much she meant to him.
Bisola and Fowope had been married for two years, they had both waited on the Lord and without any aorta of doubt knew they were meant for each other. Fowope was a Sunday school teacher while Bisola was a member of the choir, both were dedicated workers in their local church. They had read books about Christian courtship and marriage and they had no doubt in their hearts that they were meant one for the other.

The latest events have made both of them wonder whether Christian marriage is just a mirage and that every home is supposed to experience turbulence. Fowope who had been gentle, considerate and caring all of a sudden seemed selfish, overbearing and cold. Bisola could not understand what happened to the sweet side of her husband. His speech lacked courtesy and love and every time they have an arguement he would say just about anything to spite her and make her blood boil. She had called his attention to it several times; she had tried her best to talk with him in the calmest and most polite way possible, but he would always respond with disdain and discount all the issues that hurt her. He was more concerned about meeting the needs of his brother and sister who were in their third and final  year  at the university.

Bisola sought the counsel of one of her friends who also is a Christian.  Tell him you want out! Nobody can treat you like a piece of property or crap. Yes you are a christian but perhaps you need a break, you need your space to think clearly. You do not have to endure the kind of treatment he is giving you. You are literate and you have a good job, you can do better than that. Her friends word rang in her ears as she drove back home. She was more confused now than ever,  everything that Dina said was correct but she was not expecting her to counsel her along that direction. Her head was spinning as she navigated the bend to her house. What should she do now? She wondered. To be continued...

What should she do? I welcome your comments.

On the ground of your word...

He had not been toying all night, rather he had been toiling all night. Effort, experience, skill, wisdom and know-how had all failed him.

Luke 5:4-6 NKJ

"Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

 ⁵And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

 ⁶And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake".

 

Yes, Simon Peter, a seasoned fisherman of his time had a challenge and it was real bad, himself and his colleagues had been at it all night and there was not a single "minnow" to show for their work and ability. Talk about frustration, discouragement, despair, anger, and loss of confidence in his ability as a skilled man. He wondered where he had gone wrong or what he had failed to do.

 

Perhaps, you too can related with his situation... Maybe you have tried your best at work but your boss is just bent on frustrating you, your spouse is just determined to frustrate your efforts to live a christian life. Maybe yours challenges are financial, emotional or medical and you are about giving up totally. Are you afraid of going back to school or trying that course again? Has human technology and knowledge failed you in one area of your life or the other?

Jesus is saying to you like He said to Simon; Launch out!. Regroup, replan, recommit yourself unto God and the truth of His word.

 

Peter got his miracle on the ground of the word of God, sometimes, it may not make sense; will God go to immigrations and pull out my file, will the judge rule favourably about my case, will my promotion ever come, how will I cross this great hurdle? A million and one questions that are only answerable on the ground of His word.

 

As you start this week, purpose to face your challenge on the ground of His word and you can be sure victory and testimony is certain.

 

Blessings.