Out of his hands

Proverbs 27:16
restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.

This verse goes with yesterdays verse. Dealing specifically with the relationship between a husband and a wife. Have you ever met a woman that constantly breaks her husband down? Have you ever seen how hard it is for the husband to gain control of the situation, to keep his pride, his composure? Is it right for anyone to break others down? If it is hard for someone to be kind and hold their tongues, then they probably don't have much self control. From their husbands point of view, it would be hard for them to want to take their wives out in social gatherings, to expose himself to the dangers of a quarrelsome wife. Especially if that husband is a Christian. How hard would it be to reflect Christ if you are seconds away from being torn apart by your spouse. It is impossible to assume that she would be able to control herself or her tongue. Next time you see someone who tears her spouse down, don't tolerate it anymore. Gently call her out, or explain to her that you don't want to be a part of it. In many cases, girlfriends can be the death of a relationship because we find it hard to call out the actions of our friends. This doesn't help because they will move onto a new relationship and bring themselves with them, never seeing that they may be causing strife in their relationships.

What will you do the next time you hear someone tearing down their spouse? What can you do now for those who need a gentle call out? Pray for them, pray for yourself if you have little self control regarding your spouse.

Dear Lord, I pray that we will all take this matter seriously. That we will practice self control with our tongues and actions relating to our spouses. That we will not be so far from the grasps of our husbands that cuddle time is not an option!!!! Lord, thank you for those who are an example of love and that reflect patience and self control when it comes to relationships. May we learn from them.

Please continue to pray for Chloe F. this week.

Drip, drip, drip!

Proverbs 27:15
A quarrelsome wife is as annoying
as constant dripping on a rainy day.

Now, now. Hold on a minute. Let's just take a minute to think through this verse. First of all, as I stated yesterday, sometimes things are really funny. The very fact that this verse is the verse I am to share and decipher today, is absolutely hilarious. I hope that my small group ladies are reading today.

Okay, so quarrelsome, it is defined as: inclined to quarrel; argumentative; contentious.

Is it easy to get along with anyone who is inclined to quarrel, who argues and who is contentious? Okay, so don't put so much emphasis on the fact that it says wife in this verse. I think it can apply to anyone. But is does specifically say wife. As a wife, we are called to be our husbands helpers, to lift them up in our speech and to support them even if we don't always agree.

I had this discussion with our girls today. Sometimes we don't always agree with what we are asked to do as children. But it is important to learn to listen to authority, to our parents. If we can do this, then when we are adults then it is easier to listen to what God wants in our lives. He will always answer. It will be a yes, no or maybe later, and we have to be okay with his answer. When it comes to our relationship with our husbands, we need to remember that they are the head of the relationship, they are responsible for each and every decision they make, including those things that we may not agree with as wives. If we are constantly quarrelling with them, then we become this annoying thing in their lives and we are no longer growing together in harmony or one, we become separated from our husbands and God because we were created to be one with them. It is a hard concept at times, especially if we are hurt or the decision was not well thought out. One thing we must remember is that a gentle, controlled tongue will reap better rewards than one that breaks others down and destroys our husbands.

A constant drip on a rainy day. I think I can relate to that. I live in Oregon!!!! In fact, it has been misting all day, so there is a bit of a drip from the trees and the gutters. A slow, constant dripping in a water fountain is so nice to hear, but the drip, drip, drip of water into water is not so relaxing. It causes me to feel anxious and frustrated. Is that how our husbands feel when we are looking for a fight, or easily argumentative?

Dear Lord, I pray that we will all try harder to hold our tongues when it comes to our husbands. Help us to be patient and to have discernment with our words. Lord, I ask that you will continue to challenge my husband to be the best he can be. That he will lead our family and that we will continue to grow together as one. After all, it is much funner when we aren't arguing, especially the cuddle times. Thank you for my life mate. Help me to bless him with my words each and every day.

Please continue to pray for Chloe F. this week.

Taming our Tongues. Is it Possible?

Proverbs 10:19
Those who talk a lot are likely to sin.
But those who control their tongues are wise

Okay, let's be honest. How many of us talk a lot? Do we know anyone who talks a lot?
I once heard that women use more words than men and I believe it. I use more words when I am around adults because I am used to only using basic words, phrases and sentences that children under 7 can understand. SO when adults are around, my words definitely are not few.

Looking through God's Word, It is not hard to find examples that apply to this verse.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 Be careful what you say when you go to God's house. Go there to listen. Don't be like foolish people when you offer your sacrifice. They do what is wrong and don't even know it. 2 Don't be too quick to speak. Don't be in a hurry to say anything to God. He is in heaven. You are on earth. So use only a few words when you speak. 3 Dreams come to people when they worry a lot. When foolish people talk, they use too many words.
4 When you make a promise to God, don't wait too long to carry it out. He isn't pleased with foolish people. So do what you have promised. 5 It is better to make no promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it.
6 Don't let your mouth cause you to sin. Don't object to the temple messenger. Don't say, "My promise was a mistake." Why should God be angry with what you say? Why should he destroy what you have done? 7 Dreaming too much and talking too much are meaningless. So have respect for God.

Oh man, how much room do I have to write today? Simply put, I know I have made many promises to God, or come to him with all my thoughts, then wrapped up the conversation without listening to him. I have spent a lot of time talking it through and less time putting it into action. Sometimes I have walked away from a situation and thought, "if I wouldn't have said that", or "I sure talked a lot, I didn't even give that person a chance to talk." Today, maybe we can come to God and listen, choose to be a listener in a conversation, or use a "filter" before we talk. A filter is always nice. Ask yourself first, what do I want to say, how am I going to say it and will it be heard how I wanted it to be understood? If not, then maybe it just isn't the right time to say it.

James 3:1 1 My brothers and sisters, most of you shouldn't want to be teachers. You know that those of us who teach will be held more accountable.
2 All of us get tripped up in many ways. Suppose someone is never wrong in what he says. Then he is a perfect man. He is able to keep his whole body under control.
3 We put a bit in the mouth of a horse to make it obey us. We can control the whole animal with it. 4 And how about ships? They are very big. They are driven along by strong winds. But they are steered by a very small rudder. It makes them go where the captain wants to go.
5 In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body. But it brags a lot. Think about how a small spark can set a big forest on fire.
6 The tongue also is a fire. The tongue is the most evil part of the body. It pollutes the whole person. It sets a person's whole way of life on fire. And the tongue is set on fire by hell.
7 People have controlled all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea. They still control them. 8 But no one can control the tongue. It is an evil thing that never rests. It is full of deadly poison.
9 With our tongues we praise our Lord and Father. With our tongues we call down curses on people. We do it even though they have been created to be like God. 10 Praise and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sisters, it shouldn't be that way.
11 Can fresh water and salt water flow out of the same spring? 12 My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives? Can a grapevine bear figs? Of course not. And a saltwater spring can't produce fresh water either.

Have there been times that your tongue has been a blessing to others? How many times has it been a curse? I don't think we can tame our tongues, but I know that we can certainly remind ourselves to have fewer words.

A few months ago I was stewing over a recent visit I had with a friend. There were so many things that I had observed that I thought were hindering her and her family as far as spiritual and relational growth was concerned. I was loosing sleep over what to say to her. This went on for days. Then, I decided I needed to go to God and give it to him because it was consuming me. I had worked out all the things I wanted to say and how I was going to say it a hundred times in my head, but I had never even stopped to consult God and pray for the situation.

A day later, this friend called me and began, one by one, to talk about the very things that I had on my heart and mind. And although she wasn't right where I had visioned in my head, God had intervened in the situation. She, on her own, called me (we don't talk a lot during the year, but always get together once or twice a year). She told me some things she was struggling with and some things she had begun to realize and that was enough.

Just think of what would have happened had I actually come to her. Well, I wish I could say that God acted in such a way that my friend became the perfect example of all the things I had thought up in my head, but he didn't. Instead, he is working on her one problem at a time, not something I would have been patient enough to do. He does that with all of us. We're not like a box of instant potatoes, we need time. So the next time you have something to say and it could change the course of your life or the life of others, give it a run through with God. Check out what he has to say or do in that situation.

Dear Lord, thank you for such a simple verse. Small, yet life changing. Although my controlling self does not like the answer to the question of whether or not we can tame our tongues, you have given me direction on what I can do to steer it the right way. I ask that you continue to speak through me as I was also reminded that I am responsible for everything I teach and I pray that I am doing it well, for you. Lord, I pray for those reading this today. I am sure there a some that are struggling with their tongues or the words that someone else has left on their hearts in the past. Speak to us today.

Please continue to pray for Diana B. this week.

A Blessing

A Blessing

Proverbs 10:6

New King James Version - Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

The Message Version - Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

Amplified Version - Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

New International Readers Version - Blessings are like crowns on the heads of those who do right. But the trouble caused by what sinners say destroys them.

New Living Translation - The godly are showered with blessings; evil people cover up their harmful intentions

Blessings - Happiness; praise; divine favor or heavenly reward; the antidote to cursings.

The Lord's blessing rests on those who are faithful to him. His blessing brings righteousness, life, prosperity, and salvation. The blessing is portrayed as a rain or dew. In the fellowship of the saints the Lord commands His "blessing". In a few cases the Lord made people to be a blessing to others. Abraham is a blessing to the nations. His descendants are expected to become a blessing to the nations.

I included several different versions of this verse so that we could get the point across. Lets take note:

Blessings will be on, accrued, upon, showered or are like a crown to those who are righteous, who lead a good and honest life, those who are upright and in right standing with God, and who are godly. Violence, a dark cave of abuse, trouble and harm comes from those who are evil, wicked, sinners. This verse specifically mentions two body parts.

The head is that part on which a blessing will be bestowed. And the mouth is the part that is referred to as a dark cave of abuse.

Are there times in your life when you have felt the blessing of the Lord was upon you? That it was on others?

Have there been times that you have used your mouth to produce trouble, harm and abuse to yourself? To others?

What can you do today to bring forth more blessings in your life? What about others lives who may not know the Lord, who may be seeking the Lord, who may be lacking hope? What can you do today to make sure that you will not use your mouth for evil?

Did it strike you that it says that the trouble caused by what sinners say destroys them? If we are all sinners, this verse should be taken to heart. Will you commit with me today to hold your tongue so that you will not destroy yourself or others?

Psalm 24:5 He shall receive blessing from the LORD, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

Ezekiel 34:26 - I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing.

Dear Lord, I pray with all my heart (not my mouth) that you will rest your blessings upon our heads. Lord, will you help us with this task of holding our tongues? What a blessing we want to be to you as well. The power there is in our words, our mouth. How funny that it is our head that houses the very thing that causes us destruction. The very part on which you want to bless contains the very part that can ruin our blessing. Lord, I pray that we pay more attention to our words, whether spoken or written. That we will honor you.