After an unexplained fire has been brought under control, an investigation begins in order to discover how that fire began. The forensic experts trawl through the debris methodically until they find its place of origin; the place the fire began. They call that place the ‘seat ‘ of the fire.
The Bible talks about the difficulties we have controlling what we say about others. James, a New Testament writer, calls our tongue ‘a fire, a world of evil set amongst the other parts of the body’. He says that it can corrupt other parts of our lives.
Whether you’re a Christian or not, it’s important that we govern our hearts in relation to the words we speak and the conversations we have. Governing your mind is important, but governing your heart is even more important because what you say mirrors what’s in your heart.
The Bible, which is God’s instruction book, tells us, ‘Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.’
So, if you guard your heart, you’ll guard your mouth!
David, a guy in the Bible with a faith journey, understood that a surrendered tongue reflects a surrendered heart and that’s why he said, ‘Set a guard over my mouth O Lord; keep watch over the doors of my lips.’ Psalm 141:3
If you have nothing good to say to a person, or about a person, then better to say nothing. (Erm, was that Thumper’s mother in ‘Bambi’, rather than the Bible?!) Hard to do, but we can try.
None of us want to be the ‘seat’ of any unrighteous fire, so that means not gossiping. We want to speak words that are positive not destructive.
Jesus said, ’The words I have spoken, they are Spirit, and they are Life.’ John 6 .63
FD Roosevelt, the 32nd US President, was a joker of sorts and once decided to test the theory that people at social gatherings never really heard what he quietly said to them because they were somewhat overwhelmed by the occasion of meeting a president. Standing in a White House reception line half a mile long, the President flashed his famous smile as he greeted each guest, and shaking their hand he murmured, ‘I murdered my grandmother this morning.’ Sure enough, no one paid him or his words true heed. Everyone smiled and shook his hand and moved on, except for one attentive Wall Street broker who smiled and replied, ‘I’m sure she had it coming Mr President’. (Journalist and Humourist H. Allen Smith 1953)
The point of this story is that it is important to actually hear what you are listening to and weigh it. And then consider – should we be repeating it?
Let’s think on these things and be people who watch what we say!
Alan
Alan Hamilton is the pastor of Gateway Elim Church, Ammanford in South Wales. Alan spent over twenty-two years in drug addiction and criminality and he’s been one of our Fixed speakers for many years. Alan is married to Jackie, and he’s very involved in mentoring men from similar backgrounds to his.