WEEK 8 TAMING YOUR TONGUE

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1 WEEK 8 TAMING YOUR TONGUE WEEKLY BIBLE READING: James 3:1-12 (NIV) 1 Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. 3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4 Or take ships as an example, although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5 Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6 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. 7 All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8 but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

2 TRIPPING OVER YOUR TONGUE TAMING YOUR TONGUE JAMES 3: 1-12 DAY 1 James 3:1-2 (GW) Brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers. You know that we who teach will be judged more severely. All of us make a lot of mistakes. If someone doesn't make any mistakes when he speaks, he would be perfect. He would be able to control everything he does. This week we will be talking about controlling that which comes out of our mouths. Now I know that control of the tongue is easier for some than others. People are different. Yet there has never been anyone that I have ever met who had complete mastery over this organ. Think back to the last time that your tongue got you in trouble. Do you ever wish you could travel back in time and take back those words before you said them? For those reading this that consider themselves to be a Christian, you would like nothing better than to echo David s words in Psalm 19: 14 where he says, May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Wouldn t it be great if the truths contained in that verse were always present in your life? One of the best books that I have ever read on this subject was written by the chancellor of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Joseph Stowell. Some years ago he wrote a book called, Tongue in Check. You probably noticed the play on words in his title. In that book, Mr. Stowell defines communication as, The process of expressing how we feel and what we think. It is impression as well. It is tricky. I have to agree with the last part of the definition for the communication of my thoughts, beliefs or emotions to another can be really difficult. That is because communication involves much more than just my words. For married couples, silence can communicate volumes when done in the 2

3 right manner. Of course the volumes it communicates is not always something positive, nor does it resolve anything, but it does communicate. In dealing with the words that we say, the same words that can heal, encourage, help and teach can also be used to hurt, embarrass, anger or confuse. That s the truth about words. Even when it comes to the words that you use, you can also communicate with vocal tones that express attitude. Even the various positions of your body can alter how the words you speak are received by another person. So go back up to the top of the page and let s get into today s scripture. James here begins by talking about teachers. Apparently there were a lot of people who were eager to teach in these churches. I m sure that the average Christian Education pastor in America today would love to have that problem. In this ancient church, there were a lot of people that wanted the position of leadership that comes with the role of a teacher. It s easy to understand why teachers are usually looked up to and the good ones are admired. So what does verse 1 have to do with the rest of this section of scripture? Well, teaching is all about the tongue. Teachers are in a vulnerable position in that they can influence people. That position can be ripe for abuse. There have been many people that have been led astray by false teaching. Here James is warning the teacher that he better be careful in what he says because he will undergo a stricter judgment than someone who doesn t teach. Now before all of the teachers reading this start heading for the hills, let me provide you with some words of comfort. It is important that when you teach, you bathe what you say in prayer. If you teach in the power of the Holy Spirit, then you have nothing to worry about. In other words, teachers must exercise their teaching gift through the power of the One who gave them that gift. It is truly an awesome thing to communicate eternal truths to people. We need to treat it that kind of respect. The very next statement that James makes is that we all stumble. Everyone gets tripped up by his tongue. Your spiritual maturity can be measured in how well you control what 3

4 you say. Notice that James points out that we all are continually stumbling. When you compare yourself to an absolutely holy God, it s easy to understand what James is saying. Yet he who can control his tongue is complete. The Greek word used for complete means to be perfect, fully grown and carries the idea of goodness. So what James is saying here is that control of the tongue leads to control of the rest of life. So how do you control your tongue? Let me give you some tips. First of all, let s look at the words of Paul to the church at Ephesus where he says, Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4: NIV). Now if you are like me, that s a pretty tall order. Taming the tongue needs supernatural grace and help. So start out by praying before you speak. It doesn t have to be a long prayer, just get some guidance before you speak. The second thing to remember is that you are in control of what you say. Make yourself a list of all of the words and phrases that plague you the most. Write them out and number them. After you have memorized the list, try saying the number rather than the words. It may sound a bit odd when you say, I ll tell what I think about that idea of yours, number 8, but then you won t have to go back and mend the fence afterwards. The next thing you can try is to attempt to stay away from the situations that you know bring about tension. If rushing to work gets you in a bad mood, try leaving a little early 4

5 or pray during the journey there. Remember it is the state of your mind that has more to do with what comes out of your mouth than anything else. Finally, when you blow it, take it to God and ask forgiveness, then take it to the person you ve offended and ask their forgiveness. This is especially true when the offended person is part of the family of God. Remember what Paul said, Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you (Ephesians 4: 32 NLT). STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Share a time when you said something that you later regretted. 2. In Ephesians 4: Paul gives some sound advice about controlling your tongue. What specific things does Paul tell us to do? 3. What specific words or phrases give you the most trouble? 4. Which do you find to be easier, asking forgiveness of God or other? 5

6 SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF TAMING YOUR TONGUE JAMES 3: 1-12 DAY 2 James 3:3-5 (NIV) When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. Most of us have heard the old saying, Don t sweat the small stuff. As you already noticed, the title for today s reading is just the opposite. The truth is that there are times when it s the small things in life that give you the most trouble. Mission creep is something that every general in the armed forces has to fight hard to avoid. Initially each piece that a general has in his arsenal is designed for a specific job under specific circumstances. The temptation is always there to try to expand the success beyond that which the weapon is designed. One of the heroes of the first Gulf War was the A-10 Warthog. The warthog is a tough, heavily armored aircraft that was used to plink the Iraqi tanks. This they did by flying in low and using a 30mm Gatling gun in the nose as well as their wing-mounted Maverick missiles. Though the A-10 is a really strong aircraft, it is also really slow, as compared to every other fighter jet the military flies. That lack of speed made the jet extremely vulnerable to Iraqi shoulder-launched heat seeking missiles. Initially, the Air Force commanders kept the Warthogs above 10,000 feet to keep them out of the range of small arms fire and give them maneuver space against the heat-seeking missiles. As the success of the plane grew, the air commanders began to use them deeper into Iraq, at lower altitudes and on much different targets. What they didn t realize was that they were in the process called mission creep. As a result they were putting this aircraft and their pilots in needless jeopardy. The air commanders realized their mistake only after too many of the Warthogs limped back to base badly shot up. They were risking an important weapon in 6

7 their arsenal against Iraqi tanks and artillery on missions that could be better handled by other fighter jets in their fleet. The same thing can be said for the control of our tongue. Too often, we just don t think about it before it is too late. One evening my small group happened to be studying this particular section of scripture. We began the evening with an interesting exercise. What I had them do was to describe to their neighbor what they hoped to gain from that night s lesson. The catch that made the whole part of the lesson interesting was that they had to make their point using less than 10 words. The reason that I really like this exercise is that it forces you to really think about the words that you use before you say them. If you think about it, that is not a bad practice to use in your everyday life. I know that it is hard for you to imagine actually planning out what you are going to say before you talk, but it s worth considering. In today s verses, James draws 3 illustrations from life, and then he throws his knockout punch in verse 5. In these illustrations, James uses the art of contrast to make his point. He is describing how something small leads to a great influence or damage. It s kind of like a tiny termite that is busy chewing up your equity. The first illustration concerns a horse and his bridle. Now I m not a horse person. In the few times that I have ridden them, I have been amazed at how a little tug on the reigns can make a trained horse do pretty much what you want them to do. Without the bridle, the horse would go and do what it wanted to do. You would have no say in the matter. The same thing is true of your tongue. Your tongue influences your direction in life. I have known people who would get themselves into one scrape after another just because they couldn t control their tongue. They couldn t hold a job because they couldn t hold their tongue. The opposite is true of people who have mastered control of their tongue. I have watched them be promoted into senior management. 7

8 You can see the same thing with the rudder on a great ship. In comparison to the size of the ship, the rudder is a rather tiny part. Yet it can control the direction of that ship just by its movement. The last illustration that James gives is a small spark. When I was in college, I had to spend a summer in the Sierras of Northern California. One day a small campfire got out of control and before long had burned an entire canyon of timber. Our group was called upon to help fight the forest fire. I can still remember spending the better part of a day reducing a smoldering, downed tree to splinters to make sure the fire that was burning inside it was put out. After an exhausting 12-hour day, I crawled back to our camp swearing that I would be extra careful in my future use of fire. The tongue is like that spark. It doesn t take much to do great damage, a casual word here; a little gossip there and longstanding relationships are permanently damaged. Stories are told of family members not speaking to each other for decades over a few, poorly thought out words. So how can you better guard what your tongue does? Remember the 10-word exercise I gave at the start of today s reading? The whole idea is that you think before you speak. It pays to measure your words before they come pouring out of your mouth. Yes, we all say things that we don t mean; usually when we are stuck in the heat of battle. That s the secret isn t it? Perhaps the answer lies in clamping your hand over your mouth in those times and not saying anything. You may look a little silly, but your relationships will be better off for it. Try it the next time you get angry with someone close to you. See if it works. STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. Why might taking time to plan what you want to say a good practice? 2. How has your tongue determined where you are in life? 8

9 3. How has your tongue gotten you into trouble in your past? 4. What will you do to better measure your words in the future? THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT TAMING YOUR TONGUE JAMES 3: 1-12 DAY 3 James 3:6 (NLT) And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself. All right you trivia fans, the title for today s reading comes from which famous comedian? If you said Flip Wilson, you are absolutely correct and win a prize. So go out right now into your kitchen and treat yourself to a small snack. What did you expect for a prize, a trip to Hawaii? Unfortunately on my budget, I can t even go to Hawaii. Today we are going to be talking about one of the sources for our inability to control our tongue. The danger in your misinterpreting today s topic is that you will begin to believe that it is entirely the devil s fault. While it worked in Flip Wilson s comedy routine, it s not Biblical. There are a lot of people today who tend to blame everything that goes wrong in life on someone or something else. In fact, finger pointing seems to be a major American pastime. That is not what we are talking about. Hopefully at the end of today, you will better understand how Satan seeks to influence you and what you can do to stop him. It should not be surprising to you that Satan would be involved with the tongue. Jesus said about him, You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your 9

10 father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8: 44 NIV). Let me set some background for you so that you can understand why Jesus said this. This particular scripture is found in John 8, which contains one of the longest discourses of Jesus found in the gospels. The speech was given during the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as Succoth. Here Jesus was debating in Jerusalem with a group of Pharisees about who he was. So the you that he is referring to are Pharisees. Notice what the verse tells us about Satan. First that he was a murderer from the beginning. If murder is defined as causing death for human beings, then Satan s temptation of Eve caused the death of both Adam and Eve and then every human being thereafter. Jesus also says that Satan doesn t even have the smallest portion of truth in him. Think about it, why does a person lie? Isn t it usually to promote or protect self? Well Satan is a master of both of those things. So it would be natural to think of him in this way. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the lies told by Satan. Paul teaches, But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve (2 Corinthians 11: 14, 15 NLT). As an angel of light, Satan can stand in any pulpit in the world and make darkest black sound like pure white. So how can you tell if Satan is influencing your tongue? Let me give you a couple of ways that may help you. The first we have already hinted at. Does what you are about to say glorify God or you? We have already stated that Satan will always speak to glorify himself. It was that way in the beginning when he wanted to be worshipped as God. It was that attitude that got him thrown out of heaven. When you want all of the control, all of the praise and all of the adoration, you may have a problem with Satan controlling your tongue. 10

11 The second is a lot more complicated. I believe that Satan will always draw a person away from God and away from His church. So knowing that, I believe that any speech that does either, to be Satanically inspired. I know that I may run into a bit of controversy with that one, so hear me out. I know of no one that would be openly critical of God, but they won t hesitate to be critical of their church. The problem occurs when they voice that criticism to another person. Isn t the whole point of voicing criticism to get someone else on your side? If that doesn t come under the heading of speech that glorifies yourself and not God, I m not sure what does? You have to ask yourself what is your intention? If what you say draws that other person away from your church, whose cause have you helped, God or Satan s? The problem with criticism is the negativity that is always present. So am I saying that you are never to have negative thoughts about your church? No, that is not what I am saying. I am just questioning the way you communicate those negative thoughts. I have always found it interesting that most Christians believe that the head of the church is Jesus Christ. The Bible is really clear on that point. Just take a look at Ephesians 1: 22. So how do you effectively alter the course of your church? The answer is simple. Go to the head of the church. You do that through the vehicle of prayer. It is absolutely no problem to take your criticisms about the way your church is run to the head of your church, Jesus Christ. So what happens when you criticize this way? One of two things will happen. Jesus will either change your attitude and mind or the leaderships. If your church is lead by gifted, God honoring, mature believers, they are already in prayer every day asking God to guide them. Don t you think that it is an easy task for God to direct them in the way that He wants them to go? Now you need to strive to live the same way, so that the Spirit of God can easily alter your course. Take some time this evening to think about the things that you said today. When looking at anything negative that you said, ask yourself who got the glory? If it was you, you might have some fence mending to do. 11

12 STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. What things do you look for when your speech is being manipulated by Satan? 2. How much of what you spoke today glorified God and how much glorified yourself? 3. It is said that roast Pastor is the favorite lunch item for too many Christians. Do you find yourself enjoying this dish too often? 4. What would be an alternative to roast Pastor? 12

13 TAMING YOUR TONGUE JAMES 3: 1-12 DAY 4 PUT A BRIDLE ON THAT TONGUE James 3:7-8 (NIV) All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. One of the animals that used to live at our house is a cat named Socks. Socks was a tabby that had white hind feet, hence his name. When we first got him, I wanted to name him Reebock, but both my children, who liked the name Socks, overruled me. Socks lived almost 15 years with us. After that long a time he became a part of our family. I have heard experts say that cats resist any kind of training. In that respect our cat was no exception. Of course, I always attributed that fact to his lack of intelligence, but I know others think it is because of his independence. I will leave that to the experts. Socks lack of training is a lot like how James is describing our tongue. In Proverbs 6: 16-19, we find the 7 deadly sins that God hates. Solomon writes, There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers (NIV). Do you notice how many of these sins involve the tongue? In case you hadn t noticed, your tongue can get you into a lot of trouble. So what kind of bad things does your tongue get you involved in? Let s just take some time to look at those involving falsehood of various sorts. The first one that comes to mind is deceit. Now deceit is defined as something that causes someone to believe falseness. Anytime you speak words that would cause a person to believe something that is false, you are practicing deceit. Deceit comes from your heart and out over your tongue. As Jesus said, For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, 13

14 slander, arrogance and folly (Mark 7: 21, 22 NIV). Paul writes, Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit (Romans 3: 13 NIV)." So how is deceit practiced today? You do it anytime you try to build yourself up or protect yourself. Deceit is also used to manipulate others. God says that men use deceit in order to turn away from Him. God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah said, You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me (Jeremiah 9: 6 NIV)." The second way people practice falsehood is through lying. So how is lying different from deceit? Lying is defined as the direct communication of a non-truth. This is probably the one area where Christians struggle the most. After all, our society believes that there is such a thing as an innocent white lie. They take the position that if a lie doesn t hurt anyone, it is all right. What about you, do you think that is true? Do you think that a person should always be honest no matter what the consequences? What about a time when telling the truth would hurt someone else? Don t worry; I will answer this one later. Another way people practice falsehood is through false witness. That would include false testimony about another person. The problem with false witness is that it injures innocent people. In the case of Jesus, it was false witnessing that led to His crucifixion. So what does God want you to do in this area? As the Psalmist wrote, Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit (Psalm 32: 2 NIV), and Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place (Psalm 51; 6 NIV). Did you get that? It is God s desire for you to be truthful. Earlier I asked about how you felt about the white lie. You know, that lie that doesn t hurt anyone. Is it necessary for us to lie in order to show love or to protect others? Notice what Paul wrote, Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Eph. 4: 15 NIV). and, Let your 14

15 conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Col. 4: 6 NIV). What does it mean to speak the truth in love? I believe that it means that every statement that I make should be true, every promise that I make is true and every representation I make of the sentiments of others should be true. Also that the words that I use not be spoken harshly, but with a sincere desire to do good to others. The point of it all is that I, along with my brothers and sisters in Christ, should always be growing up spiritually. My conversations should always be seasoned with grace. That means that my speech is controlled by grace so that it points to Christ and glorifies Him. There is no way that I can have speech grace unless I have heart grace. How do I do that? As Paul said, Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts (Colossians 3: 16 NLT). Take a moment and let those words sink into your life. You need to allow God s words to dwell in your hearts. That means that you spend some time thinking about how these words need to impact your life today. Paul is telling you that when you allow God s word to dwell in your heart and mind, they will make you wise. This is a day where you need to spend some time considering how you are doing in this area of truthfulness. My recommendation is that you would spend a little extra time in prayer talking to God about it. Let His Holy Spirit minister to you and show you what He wants for you in this area. STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. In what ways do you practice deceit? 2. Do you think a little white lie once in a while is all right? 15

16 3. Have you even had someone give a false witness about you? How do you avoid this kind of thing in your own life? 4. As you let Colossians 3: 16 sink into your heart, what did that verse tell you? 5. How did today s reading change your life? TAMING YOUR TONGUE JAMES 3: 1-12 DAY 5 DUAL CITIZENSHIP James 3:9-12 (NLT) Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grapevine? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty pool. In our former church, we had an Executive Pastor, Peter Horne, who loves to travel the world. I once asked him if he had been to every corner of the world. He told me that the only place that he hadn t visited was South America. I imagine that it won t be long until he gets down there. Peter is one of the few people that I know who has a choice in the passports that he can use. You see, he has multiple citizenships because he has lived in New Zealand, Canada and the United States. Now if you know Peter, you can quickly tell that this dual citizenship doesn t affect his life in the slightest. For Peter considers himself a Christian, first and foremost. The rest is just window dressing. 16

17 In today s section of scripture, James is also talking a little bit about dual citizenship when it comes to our tongue. For the Christian is called to live in this world as well as to live in the heavenly realm. It would be so much easier if you were automatically translated into heaven when you accepted Christ. You wouldn t have to live in this world any more, but then how would the next person find out that Jesus died for their sins without you to tell them. Every Christian, from the first century on, has struggled with this idea of trying to live for Jesus Christ while living in a world that doesn t want to hear anything about Him. Some Christians have had a more difficult struggle than others, but all have struggled. This struggle is most evident in the words that we speak. Read again the first couple of sentences in what James writes. The same mouth can bring forth both blessings and cursing. I find it interesting that James notes that man blesses God. I suppose when you are dealing with an all-powerful God, it would not be wise to do otherwise. Most of you have had dealings with someone who tells you something and then tells a completely different story when they are away from you. I think the word for that individual is two-faced. Why do they act that way? Well, the answer probably lies in the fact that they want to look good in the eyes of whatever audience that have and usually don t think that the victim is going to find out anyway. Can you see that this really isn t going to work when you are dealing with an all-knowing God? James is giving us a real warning here. You really can t impress God with your praises on Sunday, and then rip apart your brothers and sisters the next 6 days. James is absolutely correct. It just isn t right. Paul had the same problem. He wrote about his struggles to the Roman church. He said, I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. I know I 17

18 am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it (Romans 7: TLB). I really identify with what Paul is saying. How about you? Notice that Paul continually fell short of what he felt was a life that consistently glorified God. His failure was not due to his lack of effort, lack of focus on Christ, lack of will to do good, or even because he didn t understand what he was supposed to do. His failure was due to the fact that the sin nature that started with Adam was present in his body. The same sin nature is present in your body. So what is the answer to this battle that everyone fights? If you read in Romans a little bit farther, you read, Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus (Romans 7: 25 NLT). Did you catch it? The answer to your struggle with dual citizenship is Jesus Christ. It is because of Jesus Christ that you even have this battle. Some reading this can remember back to a time before they cared about God. They could do the very thing that James is describing and not think a thing about it. It is only because of the fact that God now resides inside of you, that you even have this struggle. So how do we live in the world and serve a holy God? The answer is in the exercise of spiritual breathing. You breathe out the bad stuff through confession. You breathe in the good stuff by asking God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. How often do you practice this spiritual breathing? Well, how often to you breathe physically? When you are going along in your daily routine, the Holy Spirit s job is to convict you when you blow it. If you are sensitive to Him, that s the time you need to breathe. 18

19 My challenge to you is to put this idea of spiritual breathing into practice. Try it today and see if it helps. STUDY QUESTIONS: 1. How is it that you can bless God? 2. How do you identify with Paul in Romans 7: 15-17? 3. How does Jesus solve the problem of duel citizenship? 4. When was the last time you practiced spiritual breathing? 19

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