Bridle Your Tongue

James 1:26 (ESV)

“If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.”

Recently, I have found myself getting angry when things do not go the way I want. Then I began to use curse words: words I normally would not use. On one occasion, I was prompted to be mindful of my speech. Even as I tried to express myself, I raised my voice and eventually realized that I needed to stop talking.

Theremis needd for constraints in the way we speak. As Christians, we are called to represent Christ not only in how we interact with people, but also in how we respond to the world around us.

The fact is, people and situations will sometimes make us angry. Things will not always go the way we want. But even in those moments, we must learn to bridle our tongues.

Persistent and consistent use of swear words can condition our minds and influence us to think and behave in ways that are contrary to the character of Christ. We are Christians, we are called to be Christlike. Our faith is not merely something we profess; it is a life we practice, with the goal of becoming more like Christ in our character, behaviour, and speech.

So today, learn to bridle your tongue.

Today, I admonish you: Bridle your tongue. It is better to remain quiet than to speak out of anger and lose control of your words.

Stay revived!

Quite the Chatter

Very often, God speaks to us, but the amount of chattering occurring in our minds makes it impossible for us to perceive what the Lord is saying at any given time. We often hear voices of doubt, voices of confusion and voices of conviction, so we find it hard to recognize which of these voices is truly the voice of God. There is a need to know that this chattering occurring in your heart is not new to the human mind, and it is normal. However, what makes you stand out in decision-making is the ability to discern which voice is the voice of the Lord because, at the recognition of His voice, the other voices become silent.

To be able to discern the voice of God, you must grow in your relationship with the Holy Ghost. Intimacy is built in a place of continuous communion. There are times we claim not to hear the voice of the Lord, but the thing is, we do not really know what He sounds like, so when He speaks, we are unable to recognize that it is He who is speaking.

John 16:13

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” – John 16:13

To recognize the Lord when He speaks, you must spend time reading His Word, studying His Word, and staying in His presence. When you do this, you grow in affinity with Him over time so that you can perceive what He is saying even when He does not speak directly. So today, I want you to reflect on where you stand in the Lord and see if there is any lagging within and trust the Lord to help you through.

Teach my heart to crave and yearn for You in this dark but uplifting world, that as I behold You, I grow into Your image.

Stay revived!

WE ARE CHILDREN OF FIRE

Today, I saw the Upper Room experience in a different light.

The disciples had received an instruction: wait. So they waited. They gathered in the Upper Room, praising and worshipping God.

But they didn't know that their sound was birthing something.

They didn't know that the Upper Room would become a place of forging—a womb of fire where they would be transformed.

And then the fire came.

Everything about them changed.

Their sound, expressions, the way they spoke, their convictions, the yes and the no they made , the way they presented their arguments, their boldness with which they stood for what they believed.

That one encounter.

That one flame that rested upon them.

That one experience became the fire that transformed their lives.

It is easy to speak in unknown tongues during a moment and sometimes exclaim in "tongues" during conversations.

But have you encountered the new fire?

The fire that burns on us and in us—not merely to destroy, but to purify.

The fire that transforms the very people who encounter it.

Today, my question isn't, “Who can stand against this fire?”

My question is:

Have I truly encountered this fire?

Have I allowed this fire to fuel my entirety?

Little wonder that when electrical devices function, they often produce heat. There is evidence that something is flowing through them.

So I ask myself:

Do I carry this heat?

Have I allowed every part of me to sink into this fire?

Not only to burn down demonic altars and patterns, but to fuel the things we sometimes consider too ordinary for God:

Our joy.

Our minds.

Our creativity.

Our choices.

Our relationships.

Our conversations.

Our work.

Even the little things we think God doesn't care about.

If demonic altars and strategies cannot stand against this fire, what about the subtle things that seek to pull us away from the love of Christ?

Today, I choose to present every part of me to the fire.

Let it burn.

Burn over me.

Burn within me.

Burn right down to the foundations of my life.

Until it can be said of me:

I was born from fire.

So I can become a person of fire.

Powered by fire.

The fire that has a name.

The Acts 2:3-4

NLT: Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

Will you choose to partner with this fire today?

Stay Revived!

Salvation, Your key to freedom.

If you have ever been arrested or picked up by the police without knowing what you did wrong, then you would understand and appreciate the value of freedom.

This morning, however, I am not speaking about people who are physically restrained or in bondage. My focus is on those whose minds the enemy has consistently made a playground for his schemes; those whose souls are continually exposed to the lies and deceptions that he initiates. The enemy seeks to manipulate your thoughts, distort your convictions, and make you question your identity, sanity, and worth so that he can gain access in your life.

The birth of Jesus marked the beginning of the visible manifestation of the salvation story that was first announced in the book of Genesis 3:15 when Yahweh declared that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. That declaration was God's promise of freedom for humanity.

God's desire for you is to be free, free from pornography, from immorality, free from satanic oppression of the mind, and free from every hold and bondage of the enemy. Freedom is the power and right to act, speak, and think without hindrance, control, or restraint.

Many times, the enemy attempts to shape the speech and behavior of people, influencing them to act contrary to God's design for their lives. But Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and to bring true liberty to those who are in captivity. 

When Jesus was born, the shepherds hurried to see Him because they had waited for this promise for a very long time. The long-awaited Savior had finally arrived. Their joy was a testimony that God's promise of freedom had begun to unfold.

God's desire for you today is still the same, to be free. I believe this reminder that God loves you, and He wants you to walk in the liberty He has provided through Christ. So, go to Him today and ask Him to help you. 

St. Luke 2:16–19 (NIV)

"So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."