Is There Power in the Tongue?

Have you ever been in a situation where you wished you could reel the words back in you spoke in haste?

Yeah, me too. Way more times than I care to admit.

Scripture tells us there is the power of life and death in the tongue.

We must use our words wisely.

Negativity can quickly seep into our lives if we don’t stay on guard for it.

My family and I ranch (raising cattle and sheep) and as such are very dependent on volatile markets, expenses and weather. It’s WAY too easy to get caught off guard and let negative words from others suck you into the black hole of doom and gloom.

“The cattle market is dropping!”

“We’ll never get any rain!”

“Feed costs are out of control!”

You have a choice when these kind of words come flying at you from family and friends. Either join in and let the power of the tongue fill you with negativity or speak words of life to counter them.

“The cattle market is fine - God will provide.”

“The rain is coming in God’s perfect time - God will provide.”

“Jehovah-Jireh - God will provide.”

Have you ever seen a massive ship sailing effortlessly across the water? Despite its immense size and the fact that it is propelled by mighty winds, a small rudder directs the ship in any direction the pilot chooses. It’s just the same with our tongues! It’s a small muscle, capable of marvelous undertakings. And do you know how many forest fires begin with a single ember from a small campfire? 
James 3:4-5 (Voice)

Let’s squelch those embers of negative words before they spread like wildfire through our lives. Instead, let’s make the choice to use this small muscle for positive, life giving power.

Life and death are in the literally in power of our tongues. We believe in our hearts that Jesus is Lord and we are saved by our tongues speaking it out.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 
Romans 10: 9-10 (NLT)

Jesus came to live in human flesh and die a brutal death to save each of us from an eternal separation from Him.

If you haven’t accepted Jesus into your heart and would like to - feel free to use this very simple prayer as a guide.

“God, I know I’m a sinner and I can’t save myself. I believe that you sent your son, Jesus, to die for my sins, raise Him from the dead and give me eternal life. I repent and turn from my sinful life and ask You to come and be the Lord of my life. I invite Your Holy Spirit to fill and guide me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

Welcome to the family of believers! I highly suggest getting into a good, Bible based church and fellowship with others.

I encourage you to share your decision with me either in the comments or privately through the contact form. I will be praying for you!

When The Cup Is Empty

The plates keep spinning as I try desperately to balance what seems like an endless to do list. Just don’t stop moving or the fine balance, or the facade of what now looks like balance, of life will coming crashing down.

The demands of everyday life often make me feel like a salmon swimming upstream. I’m in constant motion but sure don’t feel like I’m making any headway. Do you ever feel like you’re struggling to keep your head above water? Let me tell you, you’re not alone!

You’ve heard it said, “My cup runneth over” from Psalm 23:5. Well, an all too common occurrence in our society today is “My cup runneth empty”. How many times have you been giving and giving and realize you ran out of “stuff” to give long ago and still keep dipping in for more.

There is a reason we’re told in a flight safety rundown we need to put our own oxygen mask on before we help others. When we don’t take in what’s needed to keep us going we’re useless to those around us.

The past month and a half I haven’t done a good job of putting on my oxygen mask first. As such, my cup had long since run dry and was choking  on the remaining dust. Rather than take the time needed to invite God into fill me up, I gritted my teeth and tried to continue on in my own strength.

I’m sure many of you already know this but that is NOT fun! We grow weary and burn out creeps at our door the entire time. Stubborn pride whispers lies to us that we can do it all and do it on our own.

Slow down. Take a deep breath. Cry out to Jesus and repent of pride. Allow God to breathe fresh air back into you. Dig into His word and let Him pour new life into your cup.

I pray you can find your “oxygen mask” quickly next time life sweeps you off your feet and tries to drain your cup. You can’t give what you don’t have!