Opening:
James 3:5-10 “The tongue is a small part of the body, & yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! & the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, & sets on fire the course of our life, & is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts & birds, of reptiles & creatures of the sea, is tamed & has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil & full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord & Father, & with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing & cursing. My brethren, these things ought not be this way.”
Study:
Curse ~
1. A solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.
2. An offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance.
3. Invoke or use a curse against.
4. Utter offensive words in anger or annoyance.
Profane ~
1. Relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious.
Profanity ~
1. Irreligious or irrelevant behavior.
2. Ungodliness, unholiness, disrespectfulness.
VS
Bless ~
1. Pronounce words in a religious rite, to confer or invoke divine favor upon; ask God to look favorably on.
2. Ask God’s protection for.
3. Invoke happiness on.
Purity ~
1. Freedom from adulteration or contamination.
2. Cleanness, Untainted, Healthiness.
3. Freedom from immorality.
4. Goodness, Righteousness, Honor.
Innocence ~
1. The state, quality, or fact of being innocent of a crime or offense.
2. Freedom from guilt, clean hands.
3. Lack of guile or corruption; purity.
4. Lack of sin, sinlessness.
Would you rather be fueled off of anger, violence, & ungodliness? Or from happiness, healthiness, & righteousness?
Verses:
James 1:26 “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, & yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”
•The devil deceives us in order to keep us distracted.
•The devil will make us honestly think it’s okay for us to continue committing different sins in our lives when it is not okay.
Hos 4:2 “There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing & adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
•We are not to be associated with things such as anger & violence.
•Rather we are to be filled with peace, happiness, & love.
Eccl 5:6 “Do not let your speech cause you to sin & do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice & destroy the work of your hands?”
•God hates ALL sin, including the ones from the words we speak.
•There is no excuse for it & we can not say it was a mistake or take it lightly.
•For if we make a mistake & sin from our voice, but do not ask for forgiveness & change, God will punish us.
•He will destroy all the work we have done & we will have to start over.
Eph 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.”
•Edification ~ the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually.
•Stop saying unwholesome things.
•Start saying things that will help encourage & build others up.
Matt 15:11 “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
Prov 4:24 “Put away from you a deceitful mouth & put devious speech far from you.”
Prov 6:12 “A worthless person, a wicked man, is the one who walks with a perverse mouth”
Prov 8:13 “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride & arrogance & the evil way & the perverted mouth, I hate.”
Col 3:8 “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, & abusive speech from your mouth.”
One Or The Other:
Just as is stated in the verse at the beginning, God says we cannot bless & curse. If we are cursing in any way or form our blessings are worthless. We must choose one & only one.
Matt 12:36-37 “I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgement. For by your words you will be justified, & by your words you will be condemned.”
Eph 5:4 “& there must be no filthiness & silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”
Prov 18:20-21 “With the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; he will be satisfied with the product of his lips. Death & life are in the power of the tongue, & those who love it will eat its fruit.”
•The words we say are the Fruit we produce from our mouths.
•We can either produce good fruit or bad fruit.
•Which ever we decide we will have to eat or deal with its consequences.
•Our fruits either lead to death or life, hell or heaven.
Prov 12:16-19 “A fools anger is known at once, but a prudent man conceals dishonor. He who speaks truth tells what is right, but a false witness, deceit. There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips will be established forever, but a lying tongue is only for a moment.”
Prov 10:11 “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.”
1 Peter 3:10-11 “For the one who desires life, to love & see good days, must keep his tongue from evil & his lips from speaking deceit. He must turn away from evil & do good; he must seek peace & pursue it.”
•Cursing is from anger, hatred, violence, stress, & negativity.
•God doesn’t want us holding on to all of that because it’s too heavy for us to carry around.
•Instead He wants us to seek peace & focus on that, to have a good life full of happiness & love & peace.
•Bless & be blessed.
•Curse & be cursed.
Luke 6:45 “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; & the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”
Closing:
I’ll leave you with a couple verses of encouragement! Go out today & proclaim blessings, build others up, & speak from joy in Christ.
Rom 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless & do not curse.”
Prov 21:23 “He who guards his mouth & his tongue, guards his soul from troubles.”
Sources: Google Dictionary; The Bible, New American Standard Bible, By The Lockman Foundation, Prov 21:23, Rom 12:14, Luke 6:45, prov 10:11, 1 Peter 3:10-11, Prov 12:16-19, James 3:5-10, Eph 5:4, Prov 18:20-21 , col 3:8, Matt 12:36-37, Prov 8:13, Prov 6:12, Prov 4:24, Matt 15:11, Eph 4:29, Hos 4:2, Eccl 5:6, James 1:26.
Blessed Babe 