All honor and glory to God! I'm tired as usual, but I look at it like this... I have a home, I have transportation, I have employment, and I have an education. Success is a combination of hard-work, drive, and commitment as afforded to us by the Lord. So yes, I may be tired today, and the next day, but there is someone in Iraq right now who has worked more hours, done more work, ate less food, has yet to sleep, and hasn't heard from their loved ones in days, but he/she is still smiling and sending praises to the Lord. So Father God, I thank you for my many blessings. Continue to keep one another in prayer, thanking God for the victory, and refraining from claiming defeat from the enemy; ALWAYS pray for your desired result, NOT the unfavorable outcome. Do NOT lose sight of God in the midst of adversity, God Bless!
~~ Tylesha ~~
Passage James 3:5-8 (NLT):
"In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison."
Proverbs 10:31-32 says, "The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice, but the tongue that deceives will be cut off. The lips of the godly speak helpful words, but the mouth of the wicked speaks perverse words." As it translates in The Message, this passage reads, "A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp. The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it." Have you noticed that with many disagreements, it is through the words of our mouth that we stand against the one another? Words spread quickly and may render destructive results, causing defamation of one's character, misunderstandings, and/or altered information. You ever play the telephone game? Where one person whispers in your ear, and you whisper in the next person's ear, and so forth? By the end of that gossip line, the entire message has been distorted. This is what happens in our daily lives. One person gives their biased opinion, shares a bit of gossip about a co-worker or loved one, you adopt the perception of someone based on another individual's opinion before getting to know that person on your own, and you spread the he-say-she-say, and next thing you know, (side bar: I don't watch sports but this name-change is hilarious) Metta World Peace went from having a great jump shot, to getting shot while running from the cops. Seriously, the fact that I haven't found our selected reading is a sign, because the Spirit keeps leading me to passages that play off one another. I've told yall before, between the drama at work, my bills, and my personal issues, I have one of the worst potty mouths one could have. For those of you who have no clue what I look like, if you ran into me on the street after I've been exposed to the daily malarkey that goes down in my department, you certainly would not be able to put my face to these messages. Shame on it all! But I know that I am a sinner and I do NOT proclaim to be nothing more. So as I put out these daily scriptures, I too learn from them, and require your testimonies and encouragement to help me improve in my walk with Christ. The Lord can use anyone He chooses to spread His message, but that doesn't make that individual exempt from the lesson at hand, nor does it excuse him/her from temptation. I know I've kind of deviated slightly, but it's necessary... Understand that I do NOT seek personal gratification for these lessons, ALL honor belongs to the Lord. However, every blue moon, I encourage yall to share your testimonies or even a word of encouragement, because YOU may shine the light on the darkness that one individual may be going through. There is creative power within Your words, so You must learn to use Your words wisely; YOU have the ability to speak good or bad outcomes into your life and the lives of others. I'm going to end tonight's lesson the same way we ended yesterday... Remember, repetition is the key to memorizing, and practice is pivotal to getting it right. "Before you speak, ask yourself this, "Is what I want to say TRUE? Is it NECESSARY? Is it KIND?'" If the answer is "No," then YOU need to reevaluate the situation, and rephrase your verbiage so that whatever You allow to depart your lips will be true, kind, and NECESSARY. (Reference: The Life Application Study Bible New International Version. (1991). James Chapter 3 - Footnotes (p. 2249). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.)
Prayer of the Day:
Lord God we praise your Holy name, thanking you for the blessings in the storm, the rainbows after the rain, and the gifts you give us that we sometimes overlook because of how it's packaged. Father God please reveal to each of us individually, the personal message that you have intended for us to receive from this lesson, and continue to open the eyes, heart, mind, and spirit of those who may still be holding back from allowing you to reveal to them who they really are, and what specific mission you have called them to. We thank you for changed hearts, for restored spirits, for deliverance, joy, and overwhelming peace and understanding. We thank you Father for clarity of our current circumstances, for contentment despite our trials, and for the ability to keep smiling because you have filled us with happiness through your strong presence around us and within us. Father God we thank you for allowing your Spirit to tame our tongue, so that the words that depart our mouth are nothing more or less than pleasing in your sight. Hallelujah Father, we give you the highest praise, for every trial that has brought us to the point of deeper spirituality, and for every blessing that we may also be a blessing to others, while giving you all the honor and praise in the process. We thank you now for the victory, as we submit our affirmation of faith in the name of Jesus, Amen!
~~ Tylesha ~~
"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)
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