Untamed
Some of you know that my sweet seventeen year old cat Ember passed away this morning after a massive stroke. One of my dear friends on Facebook wanted me to tell stories about her. Although there are plenty of funny and heartwarming things I could share, I thought about this blog entry in the middle of the series I wrote on the book of James. I mentioned Ember by name near the end as I shared one of her annoying traits as an illustration for this portion of Scripture. Also included in this entry is a fairly unusual encounter I had with a woodpecker (and its descendants).
I dedicate this entry to Ember.
For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. James 3:7-8
I have four cats. They are docile (some would say lazy), affectionate, and generally well-behaved. They understand the word NO and usually come when called by name (and using reverse psychology, I can get one to come when I call his rival’s name). They know their rights and responsibilities as feline members of the household. They are domesticated—tamed—by me.
James said every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. Lions, tigers, bears (oh, my!), camels, elephants, whales, rats, crows, chimps, cobras, raccoons, even fleas…most animal species have experienced at least one member among them succumbing to human training and even going along with it (usually for treats—they’re not stupid). After all, in the beginning, God told the man and woman, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (see Genesis 1:28).
To illustrate this point in dramatic fashion, I took Genesis 1:28 to heart as a sleep-deprived young teacher. You see, when I lived in a top-floor apartment facing a strip of woods, every spring a woodpecker would arrive on the roof right above my head just before dawn. Every morning I would awaken with a jolt as he drilled, RAT-A-TAT-TAT, loud and relentlessly, probably in search of tasty bugs. I would hop out of bed, slam the window up and down, up and down, and whisper loudly, “Shoo! Go away!” only to be reawakened three or four minutes later, on and on, every morning, every spring.
After four years of interrupted sleep at the beak of this winged jack-hammer, that fifth spring, on the second morning of the woodpecker’s yearly ritual, I was ready. The night before, I left my Bible open on the window sill to Genesis 1:28. Sure enough, like clockwork, before dawn the drilling began. I leaped out of bed, threw the window up and whispered loudly, “You listen to me, Mr. Woodpecker! It says right here in the Word of God that I ‘have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.’ Well, that includes you, you foul fowl, so I command you in Jesus’ name, leave my roof and never come back! Find all the bugs you need in those trees; this roof is now officially off-limits to you and your descendants forever!”
I closed the window, slipped back into bed, and slept until my alarm went off. In fact, that woodpecker never returned. The rest of the spring, I slept until my alarm rang; and for the next two springs I lived there, never again did woodpeckers rat-a-tat-tat above my head.
Before you get excited and think, “What a woman of faith and power!” I must admit one thing. I have failed woefully when it comes to taming my tongue. James was right. “Every species of beasts… has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue…” It’s not that I don’t care what I say—I do. It’s not that I cuss like a sailor—I don’t. It’s just that all too often I find myself diving into conversations that I need to backpedal out of. Or repent concerning. Or apologize for. If you don’t think that’s true for you, as well, just listen to yourself over the span of a week or so and you may change your mind.
When James said that the tongue is a restless evil and full of deadly poison, he wasn’t referring to the words of the wicked or the unsaved. He was writing to believers. He was talking about their tongues—and ours.
Whether it’s the urge to share a juicy tidbit about someone that would undermine their reputation or an impulsive need to talk on and on about how awful (or amazingly super-wonderful) your life is—it’s downright exasperating to control that slippery muscle!
David Guzik, in his commentary on this verse, related a story about a lady who told John Wesley that her talent was to speak her mind. He said that Wesley replied to her, “I don’t think God would mind if you buried that talent.” Summing up his thought, Guzik wrote, “Speaking forth everything that comes to mind is unwise, poisonous speech.” [David Guzik’s commentary can be accessed via the Blue Letter Bible website.]
The human tongue has remained untamed throughout history—in James’ time, in Wesley’s time, and now in our time. A Christian who desires to live holy can receive divine help to keep his tongue under control as he walks humbly before the Lord. But it’s not like mastering the times table or riding a bike—things which once learned stick with you forever. No, the tongue requires constant, vigilant oversight.
Remember when James said that all species of animals have been tamed by men? One of my cats—Ember—knows not to jump on the kitchen table. More than once, though, I’ve walked into the house and there she is, all googly-eyed, staring at me. Once we lock eyes, she’s off in a flash, her training suddenly returning to her.
So it is with your tongue, times a trillion. My cat is not on that table every time I come into the house; just once in a blue moon. Truly, my little black cat is better behaved than anyone’s tongue—James said so. Every hour of every day, your tongue must be forced to toe the line. You and I—as believers who want to live lives of honor and holiness—must recognize this point and be prepared to stand vigilant guard over our words. For the rest of our lives.
Gotta go—I’ve got guard duty (over my mouth).
Dorothy
The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin. Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles. Proverbs 21:23
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3
Read MoreSpurgeon’s take on the Sword of the Spirit
I found a sermon entitled “The Sword of the Spirit” by Charles H. Spurgeon while writing in the blog about God’s Word.
The language in Spurgeon’s sermon is a little more difficult to read than many of the messages and books written today. Despite that, I am using the link to this sermon for today’s blog because it is filled with rich wisdom concerning our responsibility as believers to permanently take hold of the raw, unadulterated Word of God.
This sermon is 10 pages printed, and I did not read it in one sitting. If it’s more of a tough read for you, that’s OK; it required more thought for me, too, and I am holding on to a printed version to read again, a paragraph or two at a time. I trust that God will bless you as you tackle what Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, had to say about the Sword of the Spirit.
Thanks to Tony Capoccia of the Bible Bulletin Board, for his generosity in listing and sharing the “Spurgeon Collection”.
http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/2201.htm “The Sword of the Spirit” April 19, 1891, by C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
Read MoreThe Sword of the Spirit
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Paul taught the church at Ephesis that their warfare was not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). He stressed that in their resistance, they were to take up the full armor of God. This armor included:
- The belt of truth
- The breastplate of righteousness
- Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace
- The shield of faith
- The helmet of salvation
- The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
Every article of armor described is an impenetrable covering designed to defend a specific, vulnerable part of the body—all, that is, except one. That exception is an offensive weapon—none other than the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.
All it takes to use the sword of the Spirit is for a child of God to speak or pray a phrase or a verse of Scripture in faith. Many years ago, a dear friend of mine, after being saved for only a week, told a couple of friends who were fascinated by the occult about her new relationship with Jesus. When they heard it, they began trembling in rage and swearing at her, threatening to force her to give up her faith. Well, she had been told the week before that if the devil attacked her faith in Christ, to rebuke him in the name of Jesus for there was power in that name. She shouted, “I rebuke you, in the name of Jesus! Get out!” The two young men tore out of the door before she could even finish her command!
Did she have a Bible school degree? NO. Had she attended twenty-five seminars? NO. She merely spoke out what she had learned from the Word on the first day of her salvation. The sword of the Spirit went to work, severing the ties with friends who could potentially confuse or mislead her. The close relationship she had with them was effectively cut off by the Word of God that day.
You grow up in faith by drinking the sincere milk of the Word of God (1 Peter 2:2) and by learning to chew and digest the solid food and meat of the Bible (Hebrews 5:12-14). And as you develop the ability to feed on solid food, the Bible says you mature with consistent intake of the Word. By practicing it, you are trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).
When you wield the sword of the Spirit, you are operating not only in the Word of God, but also in the Holy Spirit. If you maintain a continual diet of the milk and meat of the Word of God, His Spirit will trigger a phrase of Scripture or a full verse to your heart and prompt you to speak it, pray it, think on it, or study it. This is the sword—His Word—prompted by the Spirit of God, i.e., the sword of the Spirit. If you are troubled, are facing a stressful situation, or are ministering to someone, you can trust the Holy Spirit to bring to your heart what you’ve read or heard from the Word that will perfectly address the issue at hand. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). This is the operation of the sword of the Spirit!
You are directed by God’s Word to put on the full the armor of God—to walk in truth and righteousness, to be ever-ready to present the gospel of peace, to walk in faith, and to guard your thoughts by the saving grace of Jesus Christ. And, summing it up, you are commissioned by God to carry at all times, in your mouth and in your heart (Romans 10:8), that wonderful sword of the Spirit—the Word of God.
No time spent in pursuit of the Word of God is ever wasted. It will cause you to grow; by it you will be equipped to discern good and evil, and by exercising His Word, you will accomplish the purposes of God.
God bless you as you equip yourself in His Word!
Dorothy
For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Read MoreOvercoming by the Word
Many years ago I became aware of the fact that I had an incredible amount of fear in my life. Much of it was related to personal safety. This fear almost paralyzed me as a young Christian until I recognized it and did something about it.
I had an extreme fear of early death. I lived in terror of car accidents, train crashes, plane crashes, and random acts of violence against me. And in the summer of 1980 a friend and I were planning a road trip across country to L.A. to visit another friend. Months before the trip, I had an uneasy feeling building up within me. “You’re going to die on this trip,” the fear whispered over and over.
Determined to overcome the fear, I grabbed my Bible and concordance and started running my references on the topic of God’s protection. Dozens upon dozens of Scriptures promised that God would deliver me from harm, and I wrote them all down on notebook paper. I studied these verses over and over again and thought about them day and night to combat the near panic-level fear I lived with.
When the time came to leave for the trip, I had that set of Scriptures close. For the first two hours of our journey, my heart pounded in fear. I kept reading the verses, telling God quietly that I believed what He said in them. We made our first pit stop at a McDonald’s on the highway, and I took the verses in with me. I remember sitting at a table with my friend, munching my fries and drinking a Coke, reading those verses for the cajillionth time. And there, under the Golden Arches, the fear simply lifted. My pulse became normal, the panic was gone, and as we pulled out, I was able to laugh and anticipate this adventure to L.A. with excitement.
My life changed when I confronted my fear with an orchestrated attack launched from the Word of God. I didn’t feel any less fearful when I started the Bible assault, but I stuck with it and lived in those verses. And God set me free from fear.
How did Jesus overcome the tempter in the wilderness? He used the Word of God. As Jesus persisted in countering each temptation with Scripture, Satan had to leave Him, hoping to find a more opportune time (see Matthew 4:1-11).
A disciple is not above his or her master. If our Savior used the Word of God to combat His foe, how much more should we? Jesus is the Word made flesh, and as for us humans of faith, the Word is near us, in our mouths and in our hearts (see Romans 10:8). The safest place for a Christian in today’s crazy, agitated world is in the Word of God.
Sometimes Christians have a hard time wanting to pray about the challenges we are being confronted with in this nation because so much that we see is extremely disturbing and makes us feel impotent in the face of it. I get it, one hundred percent.
But as I learned back in 1980, the only good way to overcome fear or any other strategy of Satan is by attacking it head on with the Word of God. If our Lord Jesus used the Word to overcome the devil, then so must we. There is no other pursuit in life that will reap the depth and intensity of real, lasting fruit than the full-throttle search of God’s Word. The needs and fears in your life can be addressed in no better way.
None of us can afford to ignore our fears any longer. Each of us must take a stand against what makes us afraid, and with faith in God, launch an orchestrated assault both on our fears and against the fearsome issues with the mighty, powerful, living Word of God.
May God direct and increase you as you dive into His precious Word.
Dorothy
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12, NKJV
…[He] upholds all things by the word of His power…. Hebrews 1:3b, NASB
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11, NKJV
Read MoreTaking a break
I’ll be taking a break from the blog for a week or so to write and work on other projects. Because of that, I want to leave an easy index of the last ten entries here, all featuring a snake theme and each one revealing truth about our authority and the tactics of the enemy.
Dealing with vipers 07/20/15
Swell up or die? 07/21/15
Antidote for all venom 07/22/15
Crazy man! That’s a copperhead! 07/23/15
The rattlesnake 07/24/15
Message in a motorboat 07/27/15
Concerning snakes and shoes 07/28/15
An encounter with cottonmouths 07/29/15
Nose to nose with a black mamba 07/30/15
The God of deliverance 07/31/15
Enjoy! Check back to see if I’ve added any new entries. I’ll see you in a week or so!
Dorothy
Read More