The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. James 3:6
“Come on! Move it!” were the words from my teenagers mouth this morning as I drove him to school. He was frustrated at the slow driver in front of us. Hmm… And just where do you suppose he’s heard those words? Yep, me.
Isn’t it fun when your kids mirror your bad behaviors? It’s a bit humbling and embarrassing. But this is typical of my mouth and negative thinking.
The rest of the drive to school gave me a little time to think about the garbage dump that is my mind. I tend to go to the negative of things before I can find the positive. I try very hard not to let those icky thoughts escape from my lips (or fingertips) but all too often they inevitably do. And then I get to see my precious children mimic it right back at me. Awesome.
James 3:6 tells us that the tongue corrupts the whole person. How true that is. How often do you blurt something out and instantly wish we could grab those words back. Often times, we say something before our minds even process the thought thoroughly.
So what are we to do? I don’t want my tongue setting fires that I have to put out. No matter how quickly we douse the flames, the charred remnants will always be there to remind us of our failure.
To start, let’s look at what we are putting into our minds. What are we watching on tv, in movies, reading, and listening to? Are you dumping sewage into your mind? Worldly views that aren’t pleasing to God? James 1:14-15 says that we will each be tempted when we are driven by our own desires and then it gives birth to sin.
We live in a world full of temptations right at our fingertips. We can look up porn, movies, tv shows, and music within mere seconds online either in our homes on our computers or on our smartphones. And unless we have software that reports our activity online to someone, no one ever has to know.
This week as I look at my negative thoughts and words, I’m going to be more aware of what I am putting in so that what comes out, has some value to it. Here are some suggestions to get us started down the right path.
Watch a good Christian movie:
Like Dandelion Dust
Facing The Giants
Fireproof
Veggietales (for the littles of course 🙂 but really, there’s always something to glean from them and they’re entertaining)
Faith Like Potatoes (excellent)
Now I realize some of the Christian movies can be cheesy. I’d rather have cheese than sleaze.
Change your radio to a Christian station. KLOVE can be heard all over the world. Just find a local station near you. I even linked you up with the find a station page!
Watch some old tv shows and go down memory lane.
Or take a media break! During that time allow the only thing to enter your mind be the Bible. Read it, journal about what you read, pray about it, and just let it sink in.
Does media impact your thought life and speech? What do you do when you notice the negative thoughts and speech start to take over?
but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. James 1:14-15
My article, Why I Changed My Tunes will further explain why I personally have to monitor my media intake.
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I just stumbled onto this page. It’s actually a topic I’ve been thinking about recently. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that exposure to the world is not the same as embracing the values of the world. We are, after all, ‘in the world, but not of the world.’
http://blog.bradroy.com/2011/03/sin-isnt-contagious.html
Thanks for coming by Brady! We do need to be a little careful with exposure but not to the extreme we cocoon ourselves from everyone but Christians. Gal 6:1 says we must be cautious, if our brother is in sin, lest we be tempted to sin. My mind repeats the negative things I see and hear so I have to be more careful than maybe someone else, about what I put into it.
If that’s all that he repeats that you say your lucky. I’ve heard worse. Little kids are like little tape recorders and they are always recording.
Oh he’s said much worse! And he’s almost 15 so 🙂 LOL I just hate him with my bad attitude while driving. A little late though 🙂 LOL
I have had to actually tell Satan to “get out; he was not going to use my mind as his personal garbage dump” as Joyce Meyers puts it. And my tongue is still my biggest “enemy”. It is SO hard to take back something said. I’ve learned to curb it a lot over the years, but have a ways to go. We’re always a work in progress, tho. That’s part of the excitement of watching God work in us. Thx for the post. luv ya